Hector Waller, the newly appointed captain of the cruiser HMAS Perth, could hardly believe his eyes. It was October 1941 and he was about to dine in a restaurant on the Hawkesbury River in New South Wales when a small dark cat splashed by.
‘Did you see that?’ Waller, 41, said to his companion, Petty Officer Dan Bolt. ‘I thought I saw something that looked like a cat bobbing about in the water. I’ve never seen a swimming cat before.’
‘Nor have I,’ Bolt said. ‘But I read once that the pharaohs had them, if they could swim. Noah had one on his ark, as a ratter.’
‘There’d have to be two, wouldn’t there?’ Waller said with a grin.
‘Good point, Captain.’
The 35-year-old Bolt excused himself, stripped to his swimming trunks, climbed down the steps from the outside dining deck area and jumped into the river. He came up next to the cat, who dived under when Bolt hovered near it. Bolt swam on for about 100 yards and returned, his perfect over-arm style evident, with elbows high and fingers skimming the water. He stroked his way back with barely a ripple, except for his pounding feet.
The cat reached the steps before him and climbed up onto the restaurant deck, shook itself off and waddled over to Waller.
The young waitress, Anna, hurried over with a towel, and rubbed the cat.
‘Sorry about this,’ she said.
‘Don’t be sorry,’ Waller said, ‘I like cats. What’s his name?’
‘She has no name. Just Puss Three. She has three siblings. They’re nearly two months old.’
The cat rubbed herself against Waller’s legs. She meowed loudly and looked up at him. Her eyes were gold and large. She settled and sat, staring up. Waller put some meat close to her paws. She sniffed it and nudged it with a paw. It seemed she was more interested in Waller’s attention than the food. She meowed when he looked away.
‘A real communicator,’ Bolt commented as he finished towelling off and took his seat opposite the captain.
Waller leaned down to pat the cat. She sat on her back legs and flicked a paw, claws retracted, at the captain’s prominent nose. Everyone laughed.
‘Look at that,’ Waller said, ‘she has an extra thumb on each front paw.’
‘She’s the most intelligent of the litter,’ Anna said. ‘Keeps making a noise until you notice.’
‘What breed?’ Waller asked.
‘We’re not sure. They were born in Mae Sot, a town on the Burma–Thai border. Dad met a woman there. Her name was Usa, and she was known as “the cat woman of Mae Sot”. She had a house full of them, apparently. The woman was happy to give the kittens to me. I love cats!’
‘What was your dad doing there?’
‘Collecting teak logs from Burma. His business is … was, transporting the teak for builders here. The war has stopped that.’
‘Wonderful eyes,’ Waller observed as he blinked at the cat. ‘So bright! They really bore into you. Probing rather than intimidating.’
‘Green in some light,’ Anna said, ‘especially at dusk.’
‘Green? I hope not,’ Waller said. ‘The Egyptians were terrified of green-eyed cats.’
‘I’ve never seen a specimen like that,’ Bolt said. ‘So, an Asian background?’
Anna nodded. They all watched Puss Three weaving around the chair and nudging first Waller’s ankles, then Bolt’s.
‘There is something of the leopard in her, I’d say,’ Bolt remarked. ‘I’ve seen cats like that wild in Bengal and Burma, much bigger of course.’
‘Dad said that too. But her mother is domesticated. She was called Nuarn and had just delivered a litter. The claim is that Usa interbred her with wild cats in her village.’
‘Notice her coat. Black-brown swirls,’ Bolt added.
‘Not wild at all?’ Waller asked.
‘Not at all,’ Anna said, ‘sweetest nature of any cat I’ve known.’
Waller continued to stare at the cat, and then blinked.
‘Why are you doing that?’ Bolt asked.
‘If you stare at a cat, it triggers a defence mechanism, because you may be a predator. If you blink, it registers you are a friend, not a foe.’
‘Huh! I don’t think this little miss is scared of anything.’
At the end of the meal, Anna asked Waller, ‘Would you like Puss Three?’
‘No, no,’ Waller said, ‘I couldn’t …’
‘She’d be a terrific mouser,’ Bolt said with a grin, seeing Waller softening.
‘Mouser?’ Anna said. ‘Try rats. We had plenty before Puss Three and the others arrived. Now all rodents have disappeared.’
‘Go on, Captain,’ Bolt goaded, ‘there’ll be plenty of them on the old girl. She can also be used as a “cat-o-nine-tails”.’
Waller felt the cat attacking his ankles, claws retracted. Then she began licking Bolt’s feet, which had skin joining the toes, like those of a frog.
Anna stopped her, saying, ‘She does that when she’s bored, or wants attention.’
Bolt picked her up and she began to knead his stomach, pushing her paws into him in a rhythmic fashion.
‘She only does that when she really likes someone,’ Anna commented, ‘it’s called making biscuits—a sign of contentment.’ She laughed and added, ‘That’s two of you on Perth she fancies!’
A week later, Anna, carrying Puss Three in a small wooden cage, arrived at the gangway of the 190-yard-long, sleek, pale grey cruiser, HMAS Perth, which was moored at Sydney’s Woolloomooloo wharf. She could hear a band playing Waltzing Matilda. Sailors in their distinctive white uniforms were running on the deck and a game of cricket was in play. The smell of fresh paint wafted from the ship’s side as four men worked on a darker grey for the starboard side. Anna looked up at the imposing vessel with its dual exhaust funnels, and eight 6-inch guns fitted in four twin turrets. She was in awe of the ship’s appearance of invincibility.
Anna approached a friend, Able Seaman Bob Collins, who was just about to board the ship.
‘What’s this?’ Collins said.
‘It’s for the captain.’
‘A bloody cat!’
‘All the ships have them. You know that.’
‘Yeah, but …’
‘Just take her to him, Bob. He’s expecting her.’
‘Gosh. I’ve only met him once.’
Anna handed him the cage. ‘The captain seemed like a nice bloke—good manners, polite,’ she said, more of a question than a statement. ‘I mean, he’ll look after her, won’t he?’
‘Hardover Hec? He has a huge reputation. Some reckon he’s the top naval officer of his generation. He was big in the Med against the Germans and the Italians at Tobruk. He has a DSO …’
‘I was thinking of his humanity, his compassion.’
‘Jeez, I dunno. All the sailors reckon he’s tough but a real good bloke.’
Collins waved a hand at about 300 men in civvies lining up at an office on the wharf.
‘No one is leaving the Perth,’ he said, ‘they all want to get aboard.’
Collins made his way up to the captain’s cabin on the bridge and knocked on the door. Waller was seated at the ship’s console, sucking on a pipe, when Collins entered.
‘Arh, er, Anna …’ he began, but before he could explain, Waller had taken the cat from the cage.
‘You little beauty!’ Waller said, putting the animal on the floor. ‘I’m told she is a terrific ratter. Will you arrange for a cat litter, milk, food, and have the carpenter make her a small bed—no, a wooden box-couch.’
‘Yes, sir, Captain, sir. Arh … Anna wanted me to tell you the cat’s two months old and has already been spayed. Cats can become pregnant when they’re only four months old.’
‘Good, good,’ Waller said, bending down. ‘Can’t have any of those dirty old Sydney toms attempting to have a family with you, can we, eh?’
‘You don’t want to pick her up, sir?’
‘No, I’ll respect her space for the first few days until she is entirely comfortable with me and the ship. But I can play games with her. Bring a ball of string, a tennis ball, and also tell the carpenters to make her a small hammock too.’
‘A hammock?’
‘Yes. She’s a princess of the Kingdom of Thailand, we think. Besides, cats sleep more than half the day. If she’s the rat-catcher I’ve been told, she’ll need plenty of rest.’
Collins did as instructed within two hours, bringing cat food, water, milk, string, a tennis ball, litter box and a cushion. He explained to Waller that the carpenter would bring the box-couch and hammock to his cabin the next day. Collins was surprised to hear Waller say he had already taught the cat to shake hands.
‘Where is she?’ Collins said.
Waller pointed to the top of a bookcase. The cat was looking down. She meowed when Collins glanced up.
‘How the hell—er, how’d the little devil get up that high?’
‘Easy. Leapt from my desk.’
‘That’s gotta be 10 or 12 feet!’
‘She seems to love heights.’ The captain beckoned her down and placed some cat food in a dish. She hurried down, making expectant noises.
‘Watch this,’ Waller said. He held his hands together and bent forward. The cat jumped over his hands. Waller had the cat repeat the act, then pushed the food to her.
‘Bloody smart, sir!’ Collins blurted. ‘Sorry, sir.’
‘Correct, Able Seaman,’ Waller said, and added without rancour, ‘but no need to swear. Always attempt to express yourself better on this ship.’
‘Yes, sir, Captain, sir.’
Later that evening, Waller slipped into a warm bath, and was dozing when he heard a sudden splash. The cat had slid into the bath and was swimming around, being careful to stay at one end.
‘Puss Three!’ Waller said with a grin. ‘You are amazing!’
Waller made a note to tell Collins to take her to the water for a swim.