Dedication to the record-breaking cat from grateful people (7 photos)

Cats catch mice. This is an obvious and immutable truth and the main purpose for which people domesticated small predators. Of course, if you do not take into account modern breeds, bred solely to please the eyes and soul.





But if some cats simply catch rodent pests, then others CATCH. And such a unique record holder and simply talented was a kitty named Tauser - a long-haired tortoiseshell cat, which went down in history thanks to its ability to destroy squeaking hordes.



Glenturret

The Glenturret (originally Hosh) distillery, in a cozy valley three kilometers north-west of Crieff in Perthshire, Scotland, on the banks of the River Turel, was originally an illegal distillery. The owners legalized production in 1775.

The current distillery, whose first name comes from the Gaelic cois, meaning "foot", was owned by the Drummond family. It then passed to John McCallum in 1845. In general, the history of the establishment is long and fascinating, but one cat deserves a special story - a real pro in the difficult task of exterminating rodents.





Towser was the official Mouser from 1963 to 1987. Given the large quantities of barley stored for whiskey production, distilleries are often a haven for mice. Therefore, such cats are not a whim or decoration, but a vital necessity.



The long-haired tortoiseshell cat Towser was incredibly skilled at her job: in her 24 years of life, she killed 28,899 mice. This figure was calculated based on her daily average mouse kills. Workers laid out and counted the carcasses every morning. Representatives of the Guinness Book of Records diligently kept records for several days and derived the arithmetic average. After her death in 1987, the cat was recognized as the world champion in killing mice. She still retains this high title.



Her hard-working paw prints adorn the labels of bottles of Fairlie's light Highland liqueur. In her memory, a sculpture was installed in the visitor center, created by Scottish artist Evelyn Temple.



The champion's successor, Amber, was not the best mouser: it is believed that she did not kill a single mouse until her death in 2004.



The current mousecatchers Glen and Turel as children

This began a streak of bad luck among the mousecatchers of Glenturret: all subsequent cats either died young or disappeared. However, it appears that Glen II, who has been the current official Mouser Slayer since 2017, may finally be a worthy successor to the prolific Towser's legacy. But whether he will be able to surpass his famous predecessor - time will tell.