At Animal Tracks, we've followed the trials and tribulations of the Algonquin Hotel's cat Matilda for a couple of years. We asked pet expert Sandy Robins, who was hired by Fancy Feast Gourmet Cat Food to host the famous feline's welcome back party, to fill our readers in on the latest news regarding the tabby.
She’s back! Matilda, the Algonquin Hotel's resident cat, has returned to the New York City hotel after spending five months on a suburban safari watching squirrels and birds in the yard of a friend’s home while the Algonquin underwent a major renovation. She celebrated her return with a stylish party on Wednesday for 150 of her favorite fans, cat friends from the Westchester Cat Club, and a barrage of press that included a British film crew on hand to record every purr and blink for a TV show.
“On her first day back at the hotel, she didn't miss a beat,” Alice de Almeida, the hotel’s CCO (chief cat officer) and Matilda’s personal assistant, told TODAY.com. “Like clockwork at 3 p.m. check-in time, with a flick of her well-groomed tail, she resumed her duties, jumping on to a luggage cart, her favorite viewpoint to greet arriving guests."
Since her return Matilda hasn't been fazed by the fact that in terms of city health laws, she’s no longer allowed to head-butt guests’ ankles in the seating area of the lobby where food is served. She knows her boundaries and is restricting her duties as Director of Guest Relations to the front desk.
"It was as if she’d never been away. I think she is happy just being home, surrounded by her Algonquin family," de Almeida said. "I guess even when you are a cat, it doesn't quite matter where you are, as long as you have your loved ones around you and a good chair for a nice nap.”
One of Matilda's most important duties is being photographed by guests, who can also have their picture taken with her. According to de Almeida, Matilda is a natural around cameras. It's clear this famous feline enjoys the spotlight, since she posed for two and a half hours without a yawn for the British TV crew on hand to film her party and the events leading up to it.
Her welcome-home party was held in the new $2,000-a-night Barrymore Suite, a befitting venue as it was John Barrymore who named the very first Algonquin cat Hamlet back in the 1930s. The actor's name has been intertwined with the feline tradition at the hotel ever since. Matilda is the 10th Algonquin cat to offer guests a fur fix at this landmark hotel.
Cats in exotic designer outfits created by Carla Reiss for the occasion lounged on the couches in their finery and guests were allowed to get up close and purr-sonal with the felines while sipping $20 Matilda cocktails (1 ounce Absolut Mandarin, 1/3 ounce Cointreau, and 2 ounces fresh orange juice, served in a martini glass with a splash of champagne).
But it's not all sitting around for photos and hosting parties for this busy cat. Matilda now has a new duty: She's the official food tester for the new Fancy Feast Mornings breakfast-inspired food items that will be available to feline guests staying at the hotel. If that's not enough, Matilda also keeps her fans in the know via her Facebook page. Given she has no opposable thumbs, that is no mean feat!
Sandy Robins was the official hostess of Matilda's welcome home party.
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