Sammy the Train Station Cat -
copyright Nancy E. Bowie

Wednesday, 23 December 2009

The Penzance train station is the end of the line for trains travelling back and forth to London.

One trainman is dedicated to his job of keeping train windows clean

Once upon a time a cat named Sammy lived in Penzance, Cornwall, England. Other stories tell about pirates in Penzance. Sammy's long name is Samantha. But everyone calls her Sammy.
Sammy lives and works in the Penzance train station. She eats and sleeps in a small room used by station workers. Her bed is a cardboard box. It is near an electric heater so she can be comfortable on cool days and nights.

There are three important things about Sammy. Firstly, she loves the people who love her. It would not be a good idea for a stranger to bother her. She has sharp teeth and claws.

Secondly, Sammy uses her keen eyes to inspect things and people to make sure they belong in the station.

Thirdly, she can smell things and people to make sure they are in the station for good reasons.

Do you know why a cat has whiskers? Whiskers are very sensitive to touch. Notice how long they are. Sammy would not try to enter a space that is too narrow for her to get through. Her whiskers would warn her not to go in there.

Sammy only eats proper cat food given to her at certain times by people who love her.

Notice her ears. They are perked up. She quickly knows whether or not a quiet or loud sound is proper.

Sammy has several ways to use her tail. Wagging from side to side is a warning that she is about to attack, for example.

Sammy's Best Friend, Muriel

Muriel Davies works in the office at the station. She lives with her mother in Penzance. Their home is near the station.

Sammy started out as a stray. One day Sammy walked into the station.

Muriel Davies saw her confident, independent attitude. She adopted Sammy as the train station cat.

Sammy has lived at the station for 12 years.

You can tell by looking at them that they love one another deeply.

Sammy Eats, Then Washes Her Face

On holidays, the station is closed.

Muriel tried taking Sammy home with her. But Sammy is not happy being away from her station on those days.

Other ladies working there as well as Muriel contribute two shillings and sixpence to buy milk and cat food every week. One of the ladies volunteers to feed Sammy on each holiday.

Here you see Sammy eating on a regular day. The other ladies are Anthea, Ruth, and Janet.

Notice that Sammy's claws are not showing.

She first licks a paw and then wipes her face to clean it.

Cats are very clean animals.

Sammy's Work Teammate

Sammy works with chief trainman Len Farrel to keep the station safe from actions of bad people.

The photo on the right can help you test how well you see and understand things. You see three people. That is me, your author, on the left. A travelling man is in the middle, and Len is on the right. A barrier made of pipes crosses the platform between me and Len. The middle part of the barrier is a gate. Len uses the gate to observe people who are coming to or leaving Penzance.

One sign above me says "Gentlemen". It marks a doorway to a toilet or lavatory for boys and men. Many people In England call a lavatory a Loo. There is another loo with a sign saying "Ladies". for girls and ladies to use.

Another sign near me says "Left Luggage Parcels". It is hard to read because the letters seem to be small and a light is in the way. Nowadays all left luggage must be inspected.

After Sammy inspects a shipping crate like the one on the left she can climb up on it to study people passing by.

It is very unusual for a package to be left on the ground without an owner or train person looking after it. You can tell that Sammy is worried about it.

Carts are used in the station to move packages to or from trains. Sammy not only can inspect packages on carts, she can look under carts to make sure that no bad persons have hidden things under them.

In recent times, Sammy has travelled on her own.

When a train is leaving Penzance, a station person first goes through the train to make sure Sammy is not onboard. Often Sammy is found curled up asleep, usually in a First Class compartment.

People in Cornwall arranged to have a car set up for them go to London. They wanted to see a tennis match at Wembley Stadium. Sammy heard about the trip and arranged to be in the special car.

Muriel contacted station people from Penzance to London and asked them to watch for Sammy. She went all the way to London Paddington Station.

She was sent back home on a train called the Cornish Riviera.


for contact about the author, Nancy Bowie, send mail to: glennbowie@live.com