Three cats were sleeping in the rough—then a railway line ‘hired’ them for a special job
Some partnerships are truly win-win. So when the North Yorkshire Moors Railway found three cat siblings sleeping in the rough nearby, they decided to give them a home and "hire" them for a tradition that they had kept for decades. The black-furred siblings needed shelter and the railway line needed someone to control the rodent population around the train station after their last cat hire, Loco, died in May. However, the three cats, Titch, Clinker and Ash had started serving much more than their intended purpose, per BBC.
The three of them were kept as "night patrol officers" and were more of a deterrent for the rats than actually catching them at that time. Nonetheless, the three of them proved to be really friendly and stole the hearts of all the visitors at the station. "They're gorgeous kittens. We've always had shed cats, for many, many years and they all do a great job for us, looking after the rodent population and being lovely for the public," Simon Wall, the shed supervisor, told the outlet. The cats were 17 weeks old when they were found near Farndale, all by themselves and were brought to Grosmont station near the area. Initially, the railway had been looking for one cat since May, before they ended up finding three.
"All of a sudden, three came along and we said 'OK, we'll take all three' and we've had a great time with them since," Wall expressed. "They've proved really popular with the public – sometimes you come down and I'm trying to put them away and give them their tea and there's no chance. There are far too many people looking at the cats and having a great time with them." He added, "To see people's faces when the cats are here, the kids absolutely love them, is absolutely fantastic. They're proving a good asset to the railway and it's nice we have friendly ones this time."
According to Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, interactions with cats or dogs can significantly reduce a person's stress. They asked university students to pet cats for 10 minutes. It significantly reduced the amount of cortisol, a stress hormone, in their saliva. Even Wall, who was not a big fan of cats initially, has come to love the Titch, Clinker and Ash. After work, the three of them sleep in an outbuilding equipped with a cat flap, blankets and a heater. The shed also featured pictures and names of the previous shed cats, honoring the time they helped the railway control pests. "It's like a five-star cat hotel in there, really. They're there on a night and they're always waiting for me in the morning for some breakfast," Wall went on.
The area of the station is known for rolling hills and heather, hence it has an abundance of rats. "Being a rural area, close to the river, we do get a few rodents in the place. They're more of a deterrent, but they're practising their catching skills," Wall said about the siblings. At that time, they were practicing with acorns and by sneaking up on each other. The station has kept cats around for 40 years and the three black cats are next in line to keep the place safe from pests.
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