Mayor Stubbs the Cat Passes Away After Nearly 20 Years of Service

Stubbs the Cat, Honorary Mayor of Talkeetna since 1998, died last week.

After nearly 20 years of service to his small Alaskan town, Stubbs passed away in his sleep last week. 

Stubbs the Cat was given the title "Honorary Mayor" after a rumor spread that Stubbs was elected mayor via write-in-bid by townsfolk who were unhappy with the other human candidates. However, there was no write-in. Stubbs was never officially elected mayor but was given the title after the story gained national attention.

However, Talkeetna's citizens seemed more than delighted to support their officially unofficial mayor. “He doesn’t raise our taxes—we have no sales tax. He doesn’t interfere with business. He’s honest,” said Talkeetna resident Laurie Stec. “He’s good. Probably the best we’ve had.”

 We spotlighted the Honorable Mayor Stubbs in our post on Blue Collar Kitties and their real-life jobs. And Stubbs was perhaps the winningest example of blue collar cats. He lived a rather rough-and-tumble life, surviving an accidental trip in a garbage truck, and a dog attack that landed him in the hospital - and fueled his campaign against "bad" dogs.

Despite his honorary title and penchant for drinking catnip-and-water cocktails from a margarita glass, Stubbs was still a cat of the people.

He spent most of his days perched on the countertop of Nagley's Store, gladly posing with visitors who had "appointments with the mayor."

Like any government official these days, Stubbs even had a Twitter account, host to several feline witticisms from the cat mayor and even a start-up bid to run for president in 2016 (#Stubbs2016). 

And just to serve as a reminder of what kind of cat Stubbs was (and not to stay too sad):

According to Alaska Dispatch News, Stubbs' owners are putting together a photo and memory book in honor of Stubbs that will be displayed at Nagley's Store. Photos from visitors can be emailed to info@NagleysStore.com