Professional Cats: Spotlight on Terrific Tabby Chester

Speaking of terrific tabbies, today we salute the working cats of the world, in particular, the handsome tuxedo tabby cat Chester.

In recent weeks we have explored cat professions such as library cat, beekeeper, fireplace tester, studio assistant and artist model. But here is a real-life cat profession you've probably never heard of:

Greyhound cat tester.

That's right. Chester of Tucson, Arizona (pictured above), was a professional cat tester for the Arizona Greyhound Rescue during his later years in life. Chester's Cat Lady Jean, a volunteer at the Greyhound Rescue explains:

"He's famous with Arizona Greyhound Rescue because for almost four years he did 'cat testing', which is exposing a newly-rescued muzzled greyhound to a free-roaming cat [under very controlled circumstances]. Some greyhounds have a high prey drive and do not tolerate cats or small dogs, so it's good to get an initial feel. Chester was one of AGR's favorite volunteers. He really did his job well." Thanks to Chester's bravery and his tolerance for greyhounds (having co-habitated with 4 different ones), many rescued greyhounds were able to move on to loving forever homes.

Cat Lady Jean is an equal-opportunity animal lover and currently shares her home with four cats and four dogs, one of which is a rescued greyhound (her fourth "greyt"). She has been a volunteer at the Arizona Greyhound Rescue for eight years.

To find out more about Chester's interesting job, read the last interview he gave before he retired to the great cactus patch in the sky this past autumn: Chester's Interview

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