Maynooth University Library Cat Update
I’ve been quite worried about Maynooth University Library Cat as I haven’t laid eyes on him since before Easter, despite regular visits to his spot on campus on my daily exercise round. Initially I thought I was just turning up at the wrong time, but then when colleagues started to ask if I’d seen him I started to fret. It’s not unusual for cats to take it upon themselves to go walkabout and thus particular moggy certainly knows how to look after himself. Nevertheless I did fear that something bad might happened.
Anyway, I fear no more. Last night a colleague (Cathal McCauley) messaged me to inform me that our famous feline had returned, as large as life and no worse for wear. Here some of his pictures to prove it.
It’s just like a cat to reappear nonchalantly like that, as if he’d never been away. He seems as sleek and healthy as ever and continues to have a healthy appetite.
What he’s been up to for the past few weeks I don’t know. Perhaps that’s just as well…
A relevant factor is the weather. It hadn’t rained much here in Maynooth until a couple of days ago when it poured down. I suspect he has been sleeping al fresco somewhere but returned to his box when he needed somewhere dry. It’s just a theory of course.
The main thing is that he’s back and seems in good shape. I’ll see if he’s still around when I drop by this afternoon.
Update: Sunday 3rd May. I didn’t see him yesterday but made up for that just now.
I can confirm he looks very healthy and has a good appetite, though he did not seem best pleased when he saw a dog nearby.
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In the Dark 
May 2, 2020 at 10:37 am
My neighbour had a cat who is a dead ringer for the Maynooth cat. She had a habit of jumping into my car when I opened it in the mornings, making me late for lectures as I tried to coax her out. I was very upset when I heard she and her kitten were run over by a passing car.
May 2, 2020 at 11:46 am
I was wondering. He would be at high risk of catching Covid-19, as we know that cats do get it (but there is as yet no evidence that they pass it on to humans).
May 2, 2020 at 11:55 am
I don’t know about Covid-19 but he’s good at catching rats.
May 2, 2020 at 1:18 pm
But there is no evidence that it takes them badly, is there?
I remember studying a large and very fine paper on dilute electron concentrations in gases by K Kumar, HR Skullerud and RE Robson published in 1980 in the Australian Journal of Physics (vol 33 p343ff). This was close to my own field at the time, and I met Kailash Kumar and Bob Robson during a stint in Australia in the late 1980s. Am I right in thinking that HR Skullerud is your father?
May 2, 2020 at 5:13 pm
He is indeed!
Regarding cats and Covid19, i think there is evidence that some can get quite ill, but i cannot be sure i remember that correctly. The studies have been quite small i think.
May 2, 2020 at 7:55 pm
Excellent! Was your father in Australia too (with a young you?) or was it a long distance collaboration?
May 2, 2020 at 8:11 pm
Yes, he was in Canberra twice on sabbatical (in 1973 and 1978/79). I started school there. Australia is like a second home country for my parents.
May 3, 2020 at 12:43 pm
Was this your father’s main line of research? I’m always interested in the people behind the words. Great that physics runs in the family.
May 4, 2020 at 9:10 pm
It was – or even is still: he is still telling me about the computer simulations he is doing (or debugging), more for fun than anything else i think. He has not done any experimental work since he retired 14 years ago though. I told him this evening about our little exchange of comments, which he appreciated. He thought he might recall your name, but was not sure.
May 4, 2020 at 9:46 pm
I wondered if there was any experimentalist in that collaboration! I only had one more postdoc after Sydney and I moved field (and returned to the UK) anyway, but that was a fine paper.