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Cat

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A ship's cat.

A ship's cat.

"Here kitty, kitty, kitty. Have a little tot of rum with Old Bill, aye? Come on now, be a nice little pussy cat. Oh, you be a feisty one, you be."
―Old Bill to a cat[src]

The cat was a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It was commonly kept as a house pet and farm cat, but also ranged freely as a feral cat avoiding human contact. Cats was valued by humans for companionship and its ability to kill vermin. Its retractable claws are adapted to killing small prey like mice and rats. It had a strong, flexible body, quick reflexes, and sharp teeth, and its night vision and sense of smell are well developed.

Several expressions were named after cats. The "cat's out of the bag" meant a secret was revealed. "Curiosity killed the cat" was a warning to people who came too close to dangerous information. "Has the cat got your tongue" was a way to question someone's silence or when they couldn't respond to a question or situation.

History[]

Jean Magliore's sister Constance was once cursed to be a cat, under a spell cast by Tia Dalma.

Jean Magliore's sister Constance was once cursed to be a cat, under a spell cast by Tia Dalma.

"Constance isn't just a cat. She is my sister."
―Jean Magliore on his sister, Constance[src]

By the Age of Piracy, several expressions were named after cats. The "cat's out of the bag" meant a secret was revealed.[1] "Curiosity killed the cat" was a warning to people who came too close to dangerous information.[2] "Has the cat got your tongue" was a way to question someone's silence or when they couldn't respond to a question or situation.[3]

A pirate known as Old Bill was seen trying to persuade a group of cats to join him in drinking a few rounds of rum, but with little success. Old Bill was first seen with cats in the raid on Isla Tesoro,[4] and later at the pub called The Captain's Daughter in London, England.[5] The orphan thief Pablo sometimes slept with the street cats on cold nights.[6]

Prior to meeting young Jack Sparrow, Jean Magliore and Constance Magliore encountered the voodoo mystic Tia Dalma, in which Constance was cursed into a cat and remained a cat during the adventures with Jack and the crew of the Barnacle.[7] When Jack Sparrow and Fitzwilliam P. Dalton III visited the island of Isla Esquelética for the second time, the supernatural powers of Fitzwilliam's watch, the Timekeeper, restored several different aspects of the island's past, including the pirate city ruled by Stone-Eyed Sam. As Jack and Fitzwilliam entered the city, which was nothing but a ruin on their first visit to the island, they saw kids playing outside, women hanging wash, and a cat chasing a pigeon on a roof.[8]

The East India Trading Company merchant vessel, the Wicked Wench, had a ship's cat called Henry Morgan, named after the notorious buccaneer leader.[9]

Many years later, cats were still in towns. Shortly before the attack on Port Royal, inside the blacksmith's shop, Will Turner was hard at work until he looked out outside, up and down the alley, where a lone cat that ran past.[10] Cats remained to be seen as pets, such as in London.[5]

Behind the scenes[]

Cats first appear in Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean, where an inebriated brigand, "Old Bill", as he introduces himself, does his best to get some stray cats to join him for a spot of rum.[11] In 1973, the scene with Old Bill and the cats first used used for the Magic Kingdom's version of the attraction, a scene which was added into the original Disneyland attraction a few years later. A cat replaced the woman hiding in the barrel in the Pooped Pirate scene in the 1997 rework of the Disneyland version of the ride, before the 2006 revamp in which Captain Jack Sparrow was added.[citation needed]

Ian McShane portrayed Edward "Blackbeard" Teach in the 2011 film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, where he had a black beard, which McShane was quoted in various interviews as saying that the beard looked like he had a "five black cats" or "dead cat around my face."[12][13][14]

On February 20, 2024, a coupon titled "Pets Arrr Purrfect" was released in the online game Pirates of the Caribbean: Tides of War. Cats were featured in a promotion of this coupon.[15]

Appearances[]

Sources[]

External links[]

Notes and references[]

  1. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
  2. ↑ Climb Aboard If You Dare!: Stories From The Pirates of the Caribbean
  3. ↑ The Price of Freedom, Chapter Eight: The Devil in the Deep Blue Sea
  4. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean (ride)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Deleted Scene: "Old Bill"
  6. ↑ Climb Aboard If You Dare!: Stories From The Pirates of the Caribbean, p. 12
  7. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow, p. 74
  8. ↑ Jack Sparrow: Dance of the Hours, pp. 102-103
  9. ↑ The Price of Freedom, Chapter Seven: Lost and Found
  10. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
  11. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies, p. 98
  12. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean star Ian McShane: 'Wandering in swamps could've been tough.. but if you're standing next to Penelope Cruz, it's not that difficult' - 3am & Mirror Online - Archived
  13. ↑ 'Pirates beard was like a dead cat' says Ian McShane | London Evening Standard | The Standard - Archived
  14. ↑ Ballerina's Ana de Armas & Ian McShane Answer The Web's Most Searched Questions | WIRED - YouTube
  15. ↑ We have prepared for you a special surprise coupon for our dear captains on the occasion of Pet Dogs Day! Coupon Code: PETS ARRR PURRFECT - Facebook
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