with Terry Smith from Raleigh
Chester in the post office in Raleigh (all photos Terry Smith)
How did Chester become the famous Post Office Cat from Raleigh?
He was a kitten from a friend down the road and our second cat. The post office in Raleigh is attached to my house, as you know. My wife worked and the kids went to school. So the cat grew up in the post office.
Did Chester help you with your work there?
Work, no! He loved to play. Many times he would be in the back of the drop box. As people put the mail in the slot, he would pat back the mail! He would be in the box playing with the mail. The costumers had a lot of fun with that.
Was it a surprise to some people that there was a cat at the post office?
Well, once he spooked a costumer! Chester finally noticed that the mail was moving in the lock boxes. He went into the back of the boxes and then he jumped out on the front. One costumer was spooked, but then people got to know that Chester was there.
Were some people unhappy about Chester being in the post office?
Nobody ever complained about Chester. All the people knew him by name. He knew the costumers, too! But you could only scratch him for a short time. He was temperamental.
Did he also play as an adult cat?
Not so much anymore. He loved the air-furnace that was the heat source in the post office. He would sleep there on the floor.
So he was a temperamental cat?
Oh, he would let you know that he was pissed off! I always had treats for him. Chester was addicted to the product Temptations. I trained him to give his paw before he got his treats. When I ran out of them, Chester would get upset. He would push all the paperwork off the desk onto the floor!
Did Chester become a local celebrity being in the post office?
All the people knew him by name. They all watched out for him. When he went outside, costumers carried him in on their arms because he sniffed around at the cars. I was afraid he would be hit by a car.
Did anything bad happen to Chester?
He had a lot of near misses. But he lived to be 17 years of age. Eventually we had to have him put to sleep. He was very sick. We watched him going from 20 pounds down to 7.5 pounds. We nursed him for 4 to 5 months.
And then you took him to the vet in Corner Brook?
It was a hard decision. I cried like a baby. Chester and I, we shared a can of Vienna sausages on the way in and another can on the vet`s parking lot.
Was that his favourite food?
Yes, and he liked Cheezies! That is how he got his name. The bag of Cheezies had the name Chester right on it.
Maybe you have heard of the book about Dewey, the Library Cat, that became a bestseller. Will you write a book about Chester, the Post Office Cat?
(laughs) You never know. Maybe once I am retired.
