Farewell, Francesca - America's Hometown Cat
By Rich Harbert
Wicked Local Plymouth
Posted December 3, 2011
PLYMOUTH — The town’s favorite feline is gone.
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| Francesca sits in her rocking chair at the Blue Blinds on North Street, one of the many downtown businesses America's Hometown Cat visited on a regular basis. |
Francesca, an orange tabby that delighted tourists and shopkeepers alike with her antics and attire, died late last month in the arms of her owner, Pam Carr. She was 18.
Known as America’s Hometown Cat by some, Francesca was a fixture of downtown Plymouth and the waterfront, where Carr walked with her on a near-daily basis.
Many will remember her as the cat that walked around town on a leash. In later years, Carr took to carrying Francesca in baby strollers.
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| Fraccesca is dresses in her patriotic best on the Fourth of July. |
She was a favorite of downtown shopkeepers, who rewarded her visits with treats and warm places to nap.
Susan Ciulla inherited a friendship with the cat after purchasing Windemere, a gift shop on Main Street Extension.
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| Francesca sleeps in her stroller on Main Street |
Francesca followed a well-practiced routine every time Carr would stroll her past the shop, Ciulla recalled.
“She’d jump out of her stroller, walk behind the counter and sit down and wait for me to give her a treat. We keep a blanket in the closet and she’d then go there and wait for me to get it and put it on the floor for her,” Ciulla said.
Dan Contrino, owner of Something for your Dust, a Court Street gift shop, regularly babysat for Francesca whenever Carr needed to run an errand where the cat was not welcome.
Francesca would jump into the chair behind Contrino’s cash register and make herself right at home. “She was so still people would check to make sure she was real,” Contrino said.
Carr got Francesca from a friend as a kitten, shortly after her birth in August 1993, and formed a special bond with the cat.
She had two other cats while Francesca was alive, but neither compared to the tabby for smarts or charm.
Carr talked to Francesca constantly and trained her walk on a leash, drink from a sippy cup, eat from a fork and even respond to questions.
She maintained Francesca knew her letters and could talk after a fashion when prompted, saying things like “I love you,” “Hello” and “No, No No.”
While the words were not always distinct to everyone, shopkeepers say there was no doubt the cat was communicating with her owner.
For most of her life, Francesca accompanied Carr around town on her owner’s shoulder or in her backpack. Carr’s landlord gave her a stroller for the cats five years ago and the cat rode in style ever since.
Carr eventually had two strollers for her cat – one for summer and one for winter.
She kept a wide assortment of outfits for the cat as well, delighting in dressing Francesca in scarves and baby outfits that reflected the various holidays.
The cat regularly attended the Fourth of July parade and watched the annual fireworks show from atop Cole’s Hill. She was unflappable, even when the cannons roared.
Francesca was a goodwill ambassador of sorts for the thousands of tourists who stopped to have their photos taken with her over the years.
For all her downtown business haunts, her favorite place in town was the waterfront and Pilgrim Memorial State Park in particular.
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| Francesca struts her stuff along the seawall on Water Street. |
Francesca loved nothing more than to eat scallops (with a fork) outside Woods’ Seafood, walk along the jagged top of stone seawall on Water Street and then relax on her favorite bench in front of Mayflower II.
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| Animal Planet's "Must Love Cats" show host John Fulton shakes hands with cats aficionado Pam Carr prior to taping a segment on her and her beloved cat Francesca who travels in a baby stroller. Judy Erikson from the Christian Science Reading Room watches. |
John Fulton, host of Animal Planet’s series Must Love Cats, caught up with Carr and Francesca by Mayflower II in July 2010. Fulton fed Francesca from her sippy cup for the segment. Francesca dressed in pink and sat in her stroller.
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| A film crew from Animal Planet videotapes a segment with Francesca and Pam Carr on waterfront in 2010 |
Carr said Francesca started showing her age in recent months but rallied for a birthday party on North Street in September.
She started to fail in November, but managed to make one last round of visits downtown. She died in Carr’s arms Nov. 22.
“She just knew it was her time,” Carr said. “I just told her I loved her very much and a new life is going to come and we’ll soon be together.”
Carr will hold a memorial service for Francesca at 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, near Plymouth Rock. The public is invited.
That is so amazing - made me go hug mine : ) Thank you, Francesca : )
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