At Exeter Cathedral in the U.K., a curious little hole in a centuries-old wooden door has become a quiet testament to just how long humans have been accommodating their feline friends.
Carved into a door that leads to the cathedral’s massive astronomical clock, the small, round opening may look like your average cat flap — but it dates all the way back to 1598.
According to historical records, Bishop William Cotton had the hole added so his cat could patrol the cathedral for mice and rats, which were especially drawn to the animal fat used to grease the clock’s moving parts.
Author and historian Diane Walker believes this 16th-century addition may have even inspired the classic nursery rhyme, “Hickory Dickory Dock.”
“The idea that the hole was cut to enable the bishop’s cat to catch mice… does lead to a rethink of the rhyme,” Walker told Hyperallergic.
And it turns out that being a cathedral cat came with perks. Records from the 14th and 15th centuries show that cats were actually paid — at least, their keepers were. Payments of 13 pence per quarter were noted for the cat’s care, and occasionally even 26 pence.
“We don't know if that was double rations because they had been doing a good job or whether there were actually two cats,” Walker joked in an interview with the BBC.
Today, the original cat door is still in use — a quiet, enduring part of the cathedral’s daily life. The current feline resident, Audrey, regularly trots through the same carved opening her predecessors used centuries ago.
While the salary has unfortunately vanished, the door remains open — a sweet and sturdy reminder of a very old bond between people and their pets.
