October 29, 2026
Pluto, the Battersea Arts Centre Cat
Pluto was adopted from a shelter for a theater production in 2007 and stayed for 11 years.
In 2007, the Battersea Arts Centre in London was looking for a black cat for a theatre production inspired by Edgar Allan Poe. They specifically needed one who could lie in front of a fire and look moody. They found the perfect candidate at a local animal shelter named Hilton. So, the cat was cast in The Masque of the Red Death, and was renamed Pluto after the cat in Poe's The Black Cat. When the production ended, Pluto chose to stay at the Battersea Arts Centre, where he remained the resident cat for the next 11 years.
A career in the theatre
Pluto quickly made himself at home in the building. He wandered around offices, occupied desks and chairs, greeted visitors and sometimes popped up onstage when nobody had asked him to. The theatre gave him several unofficial job titles, including head of security and front-of-house staff.
He also liked to interrupt everyone while they were working. The box office manager recalled being on the phone with a customer when Pluto walked across the keyboard and added zeros to the customer's bill. The manager "yelled" at him, "Pluto!" and then had to explain to the confused customer that the cat was causing the trouble. For the staff, these little interruptions were just part of everyday life at Battersea Arts Centre.
The fire at Battersea
In March 2015, a major fire swept through Battersea Arts Center, destroying the historic Grand Hall. Pluto went missing during the fire. The staff spent three days looking for him but couldn’t find him. Finally, he turned up in the basement, unharmed. They managed to coax him out with food.
After that, Pluto returned to his usual spot as the theater was rebuilt. He stayed for another three years.
Pluto's final curtain call
On August 3, 2018, Pluto officially retired after 11 years at Battersea Arts Centre. He moved in with one of the theatre's producers, where he could enjoy a quieter life. By then, Pluto had gone from being a shelter cat brought in for a single part to one of the theatre's biggest stars.
His first job was just to lounge in front of a fire and look moody. And then for the next 11 years, he pretty much got to choose his own roles.
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