A cat named 'Room 8' [View all]

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Last edited Thu Nov 14, 2013, 12:47 PM - Edit history (1)

The Elysian Heights Elementary School is in Echo Park, a district of Los Angeles, California, only some 3 miles (5 km) from the city centre. One school day in 1952 a large but rather thin, shorthaired, grey-striped tabby cat turned up and wandered into a sixth-grade (Year 6) classroom, where he jumped up, walked on desks in a friendly manner and was welcomed by the children. The teacher wasn't so sure about allowing him to be there, but when the children pointed out how skinny he was she agreed they could give him some milk. They then went out for their break (recess); when they got back, the cat was asleep on a desk, and some of the children's lunchboxes had been opened and the contents scattered around! Later he followed them into lunch; they shared some of their food with him, and he ate and ate. After another sleep he got up, crossed the playground and left through the gate. They weren't expecting to see him again.

Naming
But he was back next morning, following the children into their classroom, and as time went by a routine was established. Overcoming initial teacher concerns, the cat was adopted by the children — but he lacked a name. One of them suggested, 'Why don't we call him "Room 8"?' — that being the classroom he liked to frequent — so 'Room 8' he became. He eventually became official school mascot and was usually to be found patrolling the corridors or sleeping on a desk. He often went into lunch with the children; although they weren't supposed to feed him they did, of course, and he became quite plump. Later a pupil from sixth grade would be appointed 'cat feeder' each year, and that was regarded as the most important student position in the school. Room 8's formal feeding took place in the teachers' room, so the cat feeder was privileged to enter this sanctum! The school also had a strict rule: 'Don't bother the cat'. If he did interfere too much with classroom activities, he would be gently relocated by a 'cat remover'.

Fame spreads
No one knew where Room 8 went at night or during school holidays, but it's thought he probably slept in the nearby hills. The head teacher at the time, who was a great friend and supporter of the cat and later co-authored a book about him (see below), found out that he'd been born in 1947, making him about 5 when he first came to the school, and that he was a neighbourhood animal who had been ill treated at his home, so it seems likely that he just moved out — or maybe he had a second home. But the remarkable thing was that every September he would be back, right on schedule, for the start of the new school year.
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Media interest
Former teachers recall many visits to the classroom by TV, radio and newspaper people. In 1964 the cameras rolled as Room 8's pawprints were embedded in wet cement in front of the school. Caretaker (custodian) Sam Ross, one of the cat's greatest friends there, gently encouraged him as he walked across the cement with head and tail held high. Though much worn by footsteps and the passage of time, the prints and accompanying inscription, Room 8 — School Cat, survive still today. Each year he joined the sixth-grade children for their class photograph, and the honour of holding him went to that year's cat feeder.
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Health problems
As Room 8 aged, there were some health issues. He made his annual visit to the vet, accompanied always by Sam Ross, but he started to lose teeth; then he was injured in a cat fight late in 1963. More seriously, just over a year later he contracted pneumonia and nearly died, but he was treated successfully at the Lockhart Animal Hospital in Hollywood and eventually recovered. With increasing age he began to accept hospitality from friends and neighbours near the school at nights and when school was not in session. The Nakano family, in particular, gave him shelter and looked after him; Sam Ross would carry him across the street to make sure he crossed it safely and reached their house. Not that he always stayed there! — sometimes flashlight teams had to be organised to go and find him at night, usually visiting a neighbour or napping in someone's garden. He increasingly liked attention from people as he became older.

Room 8 dies
In 1968 a summer school was held at Elysian Heights for the first time for some years. Room 8 attended faithfully every day until he became too ill and had to be taken to the hospital. He died on 13 August 1968 of kidney failure, as happens so often with older cats. He was 21, and in his lifetime had become an important part of the school and the community at large.
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More:
http://www.purr-n-fur.org.uk/famous/room8.html
A late RIP to Room 8.
What a great learning experience for those kids and adults who knew him.