this post was submitted on 29 Jul 2023
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"This 14th century door at Exeter Cathedral, UK, is thought to be the oldest existing cat flap

A cat was paid a penny each week, to keep down the rats and mice in the north tower, and a cat flap was cut into the door below the astronomical clock to allow the cat to carry out its duties.

Records of payments were entered in the Cathedral archives from 1305 to 1467, the penny a week being enough to buy food to supplement a heavy diet of rodents."

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[–] expatriado 28 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

that's more than 100 cat generations

[–] [email protected] 30 points 1 year ago

Now that is what I call long term job security.

[–] yokonzo 27 points 1 year ago (2 children)

They paid the cat? Or the cats owners

[–] [email protected] 56 points 1 year ago (1 children)

"the penny a week being enough to buy food to supplement a heavy diet of rodents."

I guess it was just an accountant line about the necessary cat food to keep the cat coming instead of moving to a place with easier food.

[–] yokonzo 25 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Good to know actuaries had dry senses of humor back then too

[–] Widowmaker_Best_Girl 4 points 1 year ago

Well, they were English, after all.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago

Here's a post with more details - yes, seems like the post I quoted is just people making a joke out of the original Latin phrasing of the payroll, which for some years was written "to the custodians and the cat" rather than the presumably intended "to the custodians for the cat".

[–] over_clox 13 points 1 year ago

Cat for scale. 🐱

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago

Cat's like "Oi bruv noice day innit"

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

A cat was paid a penny a week

Yeah, I'm gonna need a source on that. How does one pay a cat money at all!? If I gave my cat a stack of $100 bills, she might bat at it or rub her face on it. Before wandering off to sniff a speck of dust...

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago

True haha. Here's a post with more info - I take it the original wording from the Mastodon post I quoted was just being cheeky about the cat technically being on the payroll. One supposes that the cat's human aide took the money on behalf of their illustrious master ;)

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA 6 points 1 year ago

That's how accountants express humor. I'll admit it's not great, but it's there.

[–] 0xff 5 points 1 year ago

They explain it in the next paragraph. Apparently they used it to buy food.

That being said, I don't see any citations here so it could all be bullshit.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

The cat … exits here.