Erik the Red – the cat – the legand
Erik the Red, a.k.a. the cat, is put to retirement after years of being a rodent control officer. In 1999 Eric the cat was rescued off the streets in 1999 and has been patrolling the harbour ever since. He was the official rodent control officer aboard CSS Acadia at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. Erik had the cat dream job of hunting down and destroying as many mice as possible. There are many nooks and crannies on this ship therefore he would hunt the mice down and eat them most of the time. To say thanks, Eric the cat would leave some of the choicest bits in the bottom of a shoe. He recently had his left eye removed after being diagnosed with melanoma. “This was not just to acknowledge his service, or we would have just had a staff party, ” said Read. “It was to acknowledge the fact that he is so popular and has such a tremendous following, we’ll miss him.”
Renate Wegner, one of Erik’s biggest fans, was on board the Acadia to scratch his ears for the last time on Sunday. Wegner and her husband live in New York but spend their summers in Halifax.
