Trim, an adventurous little cat

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My last post was about Matthew Flinders who charted most of Australia’s shores back around the turn of the 18th century. I mentioned his cat Trim. Flinders was very devoted to Trim and wrote a biography, poems and other tributes to him. It was common for a few cats to be kept on board ships in those days to keep down the rodent numbers. In Flinders’ words Trim was:"One of the finest animals I ever saw ... [his] robe was a clear jet black, with the exception of his four feet, which seemed to have been dipped in snow, and his under lip, which rivalled them in whiteness. He had also a white star on his breast." Trim was named after a character in Laurence Sterne’s book Tristram Shandy. He was born in 1799 on board the HMS Reliance on a voyage from the Cape of Good Hope to Botany Bay. After falling overboard and clambering back up a rope to the deck, Flinders was impressed by his determination. When the HMS Porpoise ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef, Trim, along with the crew swam to a small island where they waited seven weeks before being rescued. Flinders took Trim with him on a voyage back to England, stopping at Mauritius for supplies and repairs. However Flinders was put under house arrest for six-and-a-half years by the French governor. It was here that Trim went off one day and didn’t return. Such was Flinders’ affection for the little cat that Trim’s name has lived on and there are number of statues commemorating his adventurous life. The photo is of a statue which has been erected at Port Lincoln in South Australia. Attribution not required but thanks to: Camloo from Wikimedia Commons