The College Cat

Walking down a street in Pyrmont this morning, admiring the ornate front of the old Sydney Technical College building, I happened to lean over the fence for a better view of the garden and had my attention arrested instead by a small statute of a cat on a little plinth, on which was carved:

FRED

COLLEGE CAT

WELL REMEMBERED

1970 - 1984.

What a lovely thing to find, in the middle of Sydney, don't you think? I wonder what Fred was like, whether he was black or ginger, whether a gift or a stray kitten or a long-desired little pet. We know at least that someone cherished his companionship enough to have put up this modest memorial and that is something, whether you're man or beast.