Interview of the Week
with singer Anita Best from Norris Point
Cat Bartlett from Norris Point (Photo Anita Best)
Is it true that one of your cats had to be rescued from the roof of a pub?
Yes, it`s true! People in an office saw my cat on the roof. They took binoculars and read my phone number on the cat`s collar. Then they called me. The pub was “Nautical Nellie’s” on Water Street in St. John`s. I lived in St. John`s at the time. A bartender went up and got her down.
How did the cat get on the roof in the first place?
This cat was a traveler. I named her Mina Hubbard, after the British explorer, a woman who trekked through Labrador in 1903. This cat rambled everywhere. People would phone me from the strangest places, from the Salvation Army Temple for instance. They saw my phone number on the collar.
Has Mina Hubbard always been like that?
I don`t know because I got her as a stray from Rocky Harbour. My previous cat had died and my daughter brought me this cat, a gorgeous tortoise-shell cat.
How many cats do you have in your household?
My daughter, who lives with me, and I have three cats. The second cat is pitch black and called Bartlett. He was rescued from the Humber River, clinging to a branch. He behaves like a dog, he follows you and comes when you whistle. He loves physical contact and is very friendly, for a cat.
So Bartlett is called after Bob Bartlett, the Newfoundland explorer?
Actually no. A woman named Mary Jane Bartlett died but she left a sum of money to the SPCA. One of her stipulations was that two animals should be named after her. That is how Bartlett got his name. But I like to think that he reminds us of Bob Bartlett. Sometimes we call him Black Bart, the pirate king.
Does the third cat also have the name of an explorer?
No, she is called Ling, she is a marmalade cat with orange stripes. As a tiny kitten, she tumbled out of a bag. The owner wanted to drown her. Friends of my daughter almost ran over her on the street. They picked her up and fed her with a bottle for dolls. She is somewhat of a medical oddity.
Cat Ling from Norris Point (Photo Anita Best)
A medical oddity? Why?
Because she is an adult now but still tiny, her body is about 30 centimetres long. She did not develop properly. For the longest time, we could not say whether she was a male or female. Even the vet wasn’t sure! She was so underdeveloped. When she got into heat for the first time, she was already two years old!
You are a singer. Do you sing songs about your cats?
(laughing) No, I sing traditional Newfoundland songs.
If you want to read about Bob Bartlett, the famous Newfoundland explorer, click here.
If you want to look up Anita Best`s music, click here.
