In 1997, the town of Talkeetna in Alaska, United States, was unhappy with the town’s politicians. That was when a “meow” changed everything.
The manager of Nagley’s General Store found a box full of abandoned kittens in front of the business. Out came a tailless ginger cat, almost invisible among his siblings.
The little one was adopted and, in no time, became known throughout the town. He seemed like the owner of the store, keeping everything under control and always watching who came in and out.
That was when the town had a crazy idea.
As a form of protest, some began supporting Stubbs as a symbolic candidate. Although he never held an official political office or carried out government duties, the cat ended up being known as the town’s honorary “mayor”.
Stubbs ruled for 20 years without raising taxes, interfering with businesses, or telling a single lie, according to his own neighbors.
In 2013, a dog attacked him and punctured a lung, as well as fracturing his sternum. Stubbs survived and continued his life in Talkeetna. He died in 2017, at the age of 20, leaving behind a story that had begun as a protest and ended up making him one of the town’s most beloved residents.
