20 Things You Didn’t Know About Police Cats

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We’ve all heard about police dogs and the bravery that the canines exhibit in the line of duty, but have did you know that there are also police cats? While it may sound unbelievable, there are several police departments throughout the world who have cats performing important duties that help the staff to “protect and serve” more effectively.

There were a few stories circulating that were reported as hoaxes, or April Fool’s Day gags, but we’ve done our research and confirmed that there are in fact real police cats in the world today. Here are twenty interesting facts about police cats that you probably didn’t know.

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1. Police Cats were common in the UK many years ago

In the UK, police stations would routinely adopt and maintain what was then known as a “station cat.” It was the job of the cat to keep the mouse population under control. This was necessary to prevent infestations of the dangerous pests which could cause diseases in humans.

With more modern pest control methods, this practice was all but extinct for many years with the exception of a few small, rural departments. Nowadays, the term “Station Cat” is used to describe a policeman or woman who attempts to avoid patrol work by creating extra paperwork or meetings at the station.

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2. Police cats have a real job

We have proof of this in the case of Tizer. Tizer was a rescue cat who’s owner had died. When an Inspector with the local police department saw him, he decided that Tizer was fit for active duty.

His original plan was to turn the cat loose around the station to help keep the population of mice under control. What he didn’t realize was that Tizer would end up offering a tremendous amount of stress relief for the officers and other staff members.

The cat loved to play fetch and other games, and he truly enjoyed playing with his pet spider. The officers had a ball playing with the cat whenever they could find time. He became the therapy cat for the department, plus he was a good mouser to boot.

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3. Police cats leave their mark on officers they are close to

This is the honest truth. You can tell which police officers use the services of their resident police cat. It shows in great detail if the station cat has light hair and their uniforms are dark. It’s common for the officers to show up to a call with cat hair all over their uniforms.

You can really tell which ones are cat lovers. Of course, some of the others may in fact love cats themselves, but they just happen to keep a lint brush in their squad cars.

4. Some police cats have great retirement benefits

Tizer is a police cat that got a lucky break and was rescued from a shelter, and given his job at the department. He served the force until it was time for him to retire. Tizer was granted some pretty amazing benefits when his job had ended.

He was privileged to have a new home with an inspector on the force who found him to be irresistible. This means that he had free room, board and medical for the rest of his life. The love and cuddles were extra benefits for a job well-done during his time in service on the force. Being a police cat has some definite perks.

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5. Boston has a SWAT Cat

The Boston Police Department has a team mascot for their Roxbury SWAT base. The cat is their team mascot. They are so fond of the cat that they have installed a new “kitty condo” to make its job more comfortable.

The cat is an integral part of the team because the SWAT team depends on it to work as a therapy cat to relieve stress and take some of the pressures of the day off their shoulders.

Cats have a remarkable way of entertaining and soothing people who are experiencing anxiety. SWAT officers face potentially deadly situations on a regular basis and it’s nice to have a warm and furry distraction.

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6. Police cats are used to sniff out contraband

If you didn’t believe that police cats are a real thing, this should change your mind. It’s common knowledge that canines can be trained to detect drugs or dead bodies. Russian police have a police cat named Rusik.

He came to them as a stray, and he has the ability to sniff out sturgeon as well as caviar which are their eggs. Beluga caviar is an expensive commodity on the black market and possessing it illegally results in a long jail sentence.

7. Police cats put their lives on the line when on duty

Rusik, the caviar sniffing cat paid the ultimate price for his dedication to the job. One of the gangs that he helped to bust for possession of contraband in Russia, deliberately killed him by running him over.

This shows that the Russian police cat was as large a threat as any detective who was on their trail. Being a police cat in Russia is risky business.

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8. The Wellington District Police have their police cat working in shifts

Most police officers work on a series of shifts that are scheduled in advance. As with most jobs, when the shift is over, they are free to leave and are considered to be “off duty.” Tia, the resident police cat is also on her own work schedule.

She works for thirty minutes at a time, and then she’s off duty until her net shift begins. All of the officers know that their police cat needs to get her regular naps in to be ready to protect and serve.

In her case, she is protecting the staff from an infestation of rodents by keeping the population under control. She serves by her availability to play a few games of fetch, and cuddle with the officers in the capacity of a therapy cat to help relieve stress and anxiety in her colleagues.

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9. Police cats get a lot of press

The police cat at the Wellington station has been featured in multiple news articles. She has also appeared in videos made by the department, with her as the center of focus. There are police cats throughout the entire world.

In addition to Tia in New Zealand, there are also police cats in Asia, the UK and the United States. Law enforcement agencies are becoming more informed about the benefits of having a cat that takes up residence at the station.

10. New Zealand has a second police cat

In addition to Tia, there is also another cat named Snickers. He is the cool cat that lends his paw at the Whangaparaoa station. He’s such a celebrity that he even has his own Instagram page.

He’s the next media sensation in the making. It appears that the New Zealand police departments take equality seriously by having a male at one station and a female at the other.

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11. Police cats look cool in their uniforms

Tia is a lovable Birman breed that works for the Porirua station. She seemed to be missing something until the officers decided that it was time that she fit in better. They fitted her with a high visibility harness that made her look more like on of the regulars.

Now she is bonafide. It really looks cool when she happens to be pulling a shift with another officer nearby. They complement one another with regard to appearance because of her new custom police vest.

12. Some cats go on patrol while on duty

A cat that was adopted by the British Transport Police put her on patrol. She was on active duty as the chief mouser in charge of patrolling an area called King’s Cross rail station. She did her job by keeping the station mouse free. The cat earned her way and this cat was no moocher, that is, unless it comes to getting attention from her fellow officers.

13. The Gang-Seo Police station has a police cat

Officers at the local PD in Pusan, South Korea were delighted when a fit, new officer showed up at the station and reported for duty. Molang is a cat who has a sweet temperament, and she wanted to perform her civic duties in the second largest city of the country. The PD was excited to put her to work as their new police cat.

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14. Police cat work runs in the family

After the Gang-Seo police staff became more familiar with Molang, she let them in on a little secret. She wasn’t alone. As it turned out, their new police cat was going to be a mama. She was pregnant with kittens.

The officers all joined forces to ensure that she had a safe and comfortable place to deliver her kittens. They even hung around to perform midwife duties as needed, and cut the umbilical cords on the newest members of their team.

They figured that they owed it to her to offer these services, for all the work that she had done for them. This was a form of maternity leave. When she recovered, she was back on duty like a real trooper.

The department adopted the kittens and their mom as their mascots. Molang is busy working nights to keep the place cleaned up and free of rodents. The squad honored her with the cutest police outfit which she proudly wears when on active duty.

When she’s off-duty, she’s busy caring for her little of up and coming police cats who prove that police work tends to run in families. The kittens each have their own uniforms and this makes them officially police recruits.

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15. St. Louis has its own Police Cat

In keeping with the most recent trends, the North Patrol division has brought a new feline officer onto their team. They affectionately named her Felony. Her chief duty is getting rid of any snacks that are leftover.

She’s also charged with looking super cute when taking her naps and showing affection for the hard working colleagues who put their lives on the line every day. This extraordinary tabby got the job by hanging around every day, and getting in good with a few of the guys.

It wasn’t long before she had worked her way up the ladder into the job of anxiety control for her colleagues who worked in the field. The department has rewarded her with her own program and a miniature headquarter from which stray cats are adopted.

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16. Police cats are nothing new

Police cats have been around for decades. They served for years as hard working mousers, keeping police departments free of rodents, but received little recognition for their efforts. Another example of this is CC, who is a veteran of fourteen years with the Victoria Police Department.

She is on high alert from the perch that was specially installed for her use that sits atop her upholstered scratching post. It’s necessary for giving her a good vantage point, and also for keeping her claws sharpened to perfection.

CC is in charge of the communications center. Actually, her name, CC is short for the center. Her special duties include maintaining an aloof attitude so the stress of the job doesn’t get to her too badly.

She is a therapy cat for the 911 operators who are employed with the center. They are quick to give positive feedback on her high quality services. CC seems to always know what to do when one or more of the operators reaches a critical stress level from the job, which is at times, intense. She is one of those felines that has a sixth sense about people who are in a state of anxiety.

It just comes naturally for her to give them the affection and comfort that is needed. She knows how to bust stress an anxiety in humans, just by being herself. She came to them as a small kitten who was destined for the local SPCA. They were to pick her up the following day, but one of the workers had other things in mind for the kitten.

The operator took her to the vet for a good wellness checkup, saw to it that she got a flea bath and bought her a litter box, food and a few toys to play with. The cute little grey and white cat had found a home, and a new job.

Everyone in the center takes turns buying kitty litter, cat food and whatever else she needs as a form of compensation for the amazing work she does for them.

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17. Durham police considering the hire of a police cat

After a well-meaning little girl sent a letter to the Durham police chief, asking why they didn’t have a police cat, he had to give her question some thought. She suggested that the cats could work right alongside the canine officers and they could become a cat and dog crime fighting team.

The police chief replied to her question and told her that he would pass the idea on to his superior for consideration. The inspector of the dog support unit did reply and shared that the force was considering using cats on the police force.

They were toying with the idea of bringing a feline on board as a mascot, as well as other duties which are yet to be determined. He did suggest that one of the duties would be to catch any mice or rats that were detected so in essence, he was already in the process of creating the job description.

This is a heartwarming story and the parents of the girl didn’t expect to hear back from the chief, because the department is very busy with their assigned duties and the frequent emergency situation s that arise.

Everyone was very pleasantly surprised by the response and the positive tone of the letter. it even included a drawing of a cat that the chief had created himself.

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18. Kyoto Japan has a police cat

The police department in Kyoto, Japan also has a police cat. His name is Lemon. He came to the department as a stray who was looking for something to eat and a place to stay. He was hungry and starved for attention.

The officers at the Yoro station were so touched that they adopted him as their official mascot and went together to make sure that he had his own official police uniform. Lemon is no longer a stray, because he has a big and loving family in his colleagues at the Yoro Police Department in Kyoto.

19. Police cats render a valuable service

Nearly any cat can catch a mouse or kill a rate, but it takes a very special cat to ease the stress and tensions of the day and make the cares and worries go away, even if it’s just for a little while.

While some police cats do keep the area clear of mice, this isn’t currently their general purpose. Most serve as therapy cats who hang around to improve the mood of the officers who enjoy taking a time out to play a game of fetch.

Most of these cats are special because they instinctively know when someone is stressed out, and they are willing to do what they can to show love and affection. This can have a profound impact on an officer who has been through a rough time just recently.

There is nothing like a sweet tempered cat to help in calming a person down. Even though most are not formally trained for this job, they come through and this is why their services are so deeply appreciated.

We do occasionally hear about a police cat that has done some amazing things in the line of duty. Rusik the Russian cat who sniffed out contraband was a tremendous asset to the police department in Russia. This cat was also killed by a gang in the line of duty.

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20. Police cats are all over the world

Police cats are not unique to just one city, or one particular part of the world. They are everywhere, and more are being brought on in the position daily. Cats are amazing animals who have a special ability to bring a soothing and calming effect for people, who for whatever reason, are really stressed out or feeling a lot of anxiety.

Police cats make some of the best therapists because they don’t tell you things you already know, or things that you don’t want to hear. They are just there, offering unconditional love and support.

Police cats are found all over the world and they are doing an amazing job at keeping our law enforcement officers lifted up so they can do some of their very best work on the job. Not just any cat can be a police cat, but a stray probably has a better shot at getting the job than a fancy cat with a long pedigree.

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