A constant presence at The Explorers Club HQ in New York is a female cat brought into the building in fall 2009 to hold down the mice population. Lowell, named for the famed broadcaster, Lowell Thomas, has the run of the place, and can often be seen basking under the light in the Member’s Lounge, or by a lobby heating vent. Originally from a shelter in Philadelphia, Lowell is a favorite of members and visitors alike, performing daring feats of agility, including perching on a banister overlooking the six-story stairwell, like some feline Messner or Hillary (see her photo at www.expeditionnews.blogspot.com).
A few years ago Lowell was accidently knocked from her high altitude vantage point, and not being on belay, fell a few stories. Lowell was quickly brought to a vet and soon resumed her mouse-hunting duties. “It was just one of her nine lives, I guess,” says Club receptionist Emerald Nash, who often has to chase Lowell away from her desktop mouse.
Says Matt Williams, executive director, “We haven’t seen a mouse since she’s arrived. She’s clearly pulling her weight.”
Lowell is particularly well trained, using a cat box consistently on the fourth floor. Otherwise, there would be hell to pay for sure, and likely a new feline appetizer on the Club’s annual dinner menu.
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