KENTUCKY – It’s an ancient story: first they start sneaking out, then wandering the neighborhood and staying out all night, until one day, a cat strolls in to a bar.
Before you know it, his new friends are literally lining up to buy him drinks. That’s just a typical Monday night for Cairo, the bar-hopping ginger cat known as the Mayor of Kenwick.
“The world’s most interesting cat,” stated Theo Scripps, Cairo’s ostensible owner. “It’s kind of embarrassing, my cat’s a lot more popular than I am.”
Cairo, who is about 7-years-old, has his very own Facebook page, Cairo the Magnificent, and neighbors in Kenwick regularly post their encounters with the extremely friendly ginger cat.
There’s Cairo making himself at home right on a stranger’s porch or couch or even a bed (he’s been known to spend the night) … or wandering into an office … or managing to swing by the Ashland Elementary playground. He’s been sighted at least as far away as Woodland Park to the south and the JIF plant which is across Winchester Road to the north.
However, earlier this week things hit a new high when Cairo discovered a brand new kind of nightlife.
Scripps, who lives on Aurora with his wife, Dawna, his 15-year-old daughter, and Cairo and their two dogs, went on to explain that on Monday he was walking the dogs on his usual route. He likes to swing by Mirror Twin on National Avenue and get a beer then continue to go around the neighborhood.
“I usually check to see if Cairo is following us, but I didn’t notice him until we got to the brewery,” Scripps stated. When Scripps came out, Cairo was gone, so he believed the cat headed home.
Instead, Cairo went next door to Cosmic Charlie’s and climbed right up on a bar-stool.
People in the bar indeed recognized him:
“Have a friendly cat that strolled into Cosmic Charlie’s,” mentioned Michael Easter on the Kenwick Neighborhood Association Facebook page. “Think it’s Cairo. He’s found a stool and content.”
He also posted a photo of Cairo bathing himself.
Tuesday night, Cairo was back at the bar, on his stool, after stopping by Mirror Twin to say hello to the brewers.
“We had this cat come into the brewery and he/she is super friendly,” Mirror Twin’s Derek De Franco posted with a photo of assistant brewer Doug Price who was holding Cairo.
“I think you have Cairo, the Mayor of Kenwick,” someone said.
Scripps kinda knew something was up: He suddenly had loads of new followers on Cairo’s page. Then he spotted the pictures.
“Every time I see that one of him at the bar, I can’t stop laughing,” he stated.
Scripps offered to settle up Cairo’s tab at Cosmic Charlie’s, if it was necessary. That seems unlikely, given that all the people on Facebook were offering to buy him drinks.
Now that Cairo’s had a taste of pub-crawling, apparently he enjoys it.
Dawna Scripps posted an “APB” for Cairo on Facebook last Wednesday night:
“Anyone know where he is now? It’s bedtime …”
A neighbor replied: “Check the bars.”
What a cat!
