Cats have lengthy been hired as pest regulate in barns, church buildings, and warehouses. As we not too long ago coated, you’ll be able to even undertake explicit running cats from shelters and rescues. However one position you won’t be expecting to look them is your native educate station…
On the Huddersfield Station in West Yorkshire, England, conductor cats had been a fixture for years. Even though their number one tasks are pest-related, they’re additionally immensely well-liked by passengers and web fanatics. Let’s get to understand Felix and Bolt!
Felix the Well-known
Felix on patrol
Felix, a black and white cat with gorgeous inexperienced eyes, rose to status after being appointed Senior Pest Controller on the Huddersfield Station in West Yorkshire. Recruited in 2011 at simply six weeks outdated, she temporarily was well known amongst commuters, particularly after a passenger created a fan web page on social media.
As a part of her professional tasks, Felix helped elevate over £200,000 for charity, backed a 5K amusing run, gave the impression in charity calendars, and was once even featured in a couple of books. The primary e-book, Felix the Railway Hepper, options bold stories of Felix’s bravery and adventurous spirit, from comforting a runaway kid to growing particular friendships with explicit commuters.
In 2019, Felix started coaching her apprentice, Bolt, a black cat recognized for his no-nonsense strategy to pest regulate. A 2nd e-book known as Complete Steam Forward, Felix! got here out in 2019 and featured Felix and her younger apprentice. Unfortunately, Felix passed on to the great beyond on the age of 12 in December 2023.
Bolt’s Time to Shine
Bolt appearing off his trains
After Felix unfortunately passed on to the great beyond, Bolt took over the professional position of Senior Pest Controller. Along with his professional pest regulate tasks, Felix’s tenure incorporated greeting passengers and being a social media celebrity. His reign could have been transient, however he has been very fashionable on-line.
Only in the near past, in July 2025, Bolt in any case took his personal retirement. The station is present process primary works, and to keep away from the mess and confusion, he has been followed by means of his “station mum,” Jacqui, and a pussycat buddy named Good friend.
There’s no phrase but on long term pussycat pest regulate for the station, however we are hoping the cat hiring procedure begins once more quickly!
Different Educate Station Cats
Bolt and Felix aren’t the one railway cats round. Simply this previous January, a educate station in Japan appointed a calico cat named Gotama. Her professional identify is “Stationmaster,” and he or she even has an professional paintings agenda posted at the educate web site. She is the most recent of 3 pussycat stationmasters overseeing other Eastern educate stations.
The primary of those stationmasters was once Tama, who was once employed again in 2007 to greet passengers and draw in new ridership for the educate line. After she passed on to the great beyond in 2015, the station constructed her a shrine, known as Tama Shrine. Her successors raise on her process and her identify – they have got names like Nitama (Tamma II), Yontama (Tama IV), and naturally, Gotama (Tama V). What a legacy!
Photographs courtesy of Huddersfield Station Cats
