Authors' Bio
Jon and Jo lived in York for six years, and became fascinated by the cat statuettes dotted around the city. There was very little information about the cats or their locations, so it became their mission to find out as much as possible and make it easily available to others. After researching in the archives at York City Library (now Explore York) and locating as many cats as possible, they put everything together into this site. They no longer live in York, but they come back and visit the cats as often as they can!
Here’s a little more about the people behind this site…
Jon
Jon originally hails from North Devon, where he was born and bred in a guest house. He came to York to study his degree at the University of York.
Four years later he graduated (and was dating Jo), and a few months later started November 5th Web Solutions, a web design business specialising in accessible design and development. Jon is now a web developer and founding member of Analog Coop, working on Mapalong.
Growing up, Jon fondly remembers his two family cats – Whiskas and Smokey. Whiskas was a friendly cat with a tortoise shell coat who lived in the family’s guest house. Smokey was a playful cat with a white and dark grey coat – his dark grey tail looked like a column of smoke. Sadly, they are no longer with us.
Jo
Before coming to York, Jo had lived her whole life in a small town in Surrey, just on the outskirts of London. Her great loves have always been music (she plays several instruments) and writing (anything from poems to children’s stories to murder mysteries). Her other loves include history, the Internet, mythology and fairies. She has also always been a mad cat person.
She wanted to find a degree course in Music Technology, so when the University of York offered her a place on its EEMTS BEng degree, she jumped at the chance to live 250 miles away from home! There she met Jon, and made some lifelong friends into the bargain.
When Jo was very young, her family had a tabby cat called Tiger who she adored, despite the numerous scratches. Later, after Tiger passed away, her family got three more cats – Amber, Ember and Pebbles. Pebbles (the cutest little tabby you have ever seen) instantly became Jo’s own cat, following her absolutely everywhere! Sadly, she died in 2001, and her brother and sister (Amber and Ember) have died in more recent years.
Where are they now?
A few years ago, Jon and Jo moved from York to North Devon, where they hope to someday soon get a cat of their own. Despite the move, they are still linked to the city in which they met – many friends still live in the area, so they try to visit often. It will always be a home to them, and they like to keep informed on the goings-on in the area.
They continue to update this site as often as possible, but mostly with the help of people who live in the area. If you know something about the cats that’s not on this site, or have spotted a new one, please get in touch!