Nanny : From Rescue Cat to Ruling Legend

Nanny came into being somewhere in Wyoming around 2005 and ended up in a rescue center. She came to the ranch with five other rescue cats. When she first arrived, she was still small, but had a built in natural authority. As if she knew she was destined for greatness, she soon grew up to become ranch ruler and eventually YouTube celebrity extraordinaire.

The School of Hard Paws

Whether it was her natural birthright or just down to her extensive life experience, the ranch made Nanny a master in every subject. Personality Assessment, Diplomacy and Survival. She aced it all. 

Nanny could read everyone, dogs, cats, horses or humans; who to avoid, who to educate with a slap, and who was safe to show her love. She had anyone sized up in a millisecond. Nanny became the most qualified to provide education too, to all the new pups, kittens, kids, or visitors, they soon learned how to behave respectfully, and what would happen if they didn’t. She somehow commanded with a single look. Everyone learned instantly: You do not mess with Nanny.

Survival of the Feistiest

Her remarkable personality development is still something of an enigma. She endured the harshness of every Wyoming Winter, she tragically lost one of her two litters of kittens to a vicious dog, and she survived constant threats from coyotes, wolves, bears, and owls.

Then there was JoJo. A large, fluffy, black male cat who arrived on the ranch from the rescue on the same day as Nanny. They had become lifelong rivals. After several evenly matched feuds – yes little Nanny had become a large, fluffy, grey, not as big as Jojo, but had the personality to make up for it – Nanny managed to banish Jojo from her domain. An invisible line divided their territories. Jojo lived a way across a large lawn, enjoying hunting rabbits like a lone outlaw. Whilst Nanny presided over her cozy realm with the other cats who she (mostly) tolerated.

Darius and Nanny: A once in a lifetime bond.

Nanny chose Darius to be her human. Their bond had a supernatural quality, you could see it in Nanny’s eyes, the trust, love and loyalty just overflowed with Darius.

It was her daily routine to work alongside him, supervising everything he did, participating in all of their life together. Unfazed by noisy power tools, woodshop saws and hammering, she knew she was safe with him and just wanted to be close at all times. 

She regularly rode shotgun in the golf cart he used to get around the ranch, she was always happily cruising around as co-pilot, seemingly dictating the driving directions. Whilst seeing a dog ride along like this might be unremarkable, witnessing such a dignified feline, calmly taking a ride, never failed to delight everyone who saw her.

There was clearly a telepathy between Nanny and Darius. She could instruct him of all of her needs. Carpeted sleeping shelves, scratching posts, access ramps to windows, cat trees were all her ideas. Darius had the skill and resources to miraculously produce things for her, in a few minutes. Just like she was a commanding visionary with her royal architect.

Everything Darius creates is with the greatest amount of care and love, this of course was felt and understood deeply by our Queen Nanny. Everything was for her.

The Queen and her effortless command

Every summer the ranch was a bustling hub of activity with new guests, workers, and their dogs. One day some new guests arrived with two little dogs. The dogs were completely beside themselves with excitement, barking at everything that moved, tails wagging frantically. Their arrival sent all the other cats scurrying for cover. The cats disappeared in a flash, under cabins, onto rooftops. But not Nanny.

While the other cats hid in terror, Nanny couldn’t have cared less about this constant yapping. She walked with the grace and composure of a Queen, completely unfazed. The dogs, sensing something different, kept their distance, but couldn’t resist following her. Something like subjects trailing after royalty, they were drawn by her regal presence.

This royal procession led them to the bell tower, a structure about 15 feet high that was erected for calling the ranch together for meals or emergencies. Nanny slowly and calmly ascended up towards the bell. The two little dogs gathered under her, still barking with relentless enthusiasm.

After a few moments of surveying her domain from above. Nanny carefully made her way back down, pausing about 2-3 feet from the ground. In a move that was purely her own, she simply jumped to the ground.

The effect was instantaneous and hilarious. The little dogs, suddenly face to face with this fearless feline, who was almost bigger than them up close, squeaked in terror, tripping over themselves, scattered in panic, utterly convinced that Nanny was attacking them.

She of course had no such intention. After a graceful landing, Nanny barely glanced in their direction and simply went about her ranch business, as if nothing had happened. 

This was a classic example of Nanny. Totally unaffected by drama, she walked through life with such unshakable confidence, that it threw most dogs into complete submission. 

A Mothers Warning

Another time, a delivery truck arrived on the ranch, the delivery driver had his dog along for the ride. As we gathered around to chat and help unload the supplies, our ranch dog Hudson also trotted over to investigate the delivery. The two dogs began a friendly ritual of sniffing each other and getting acquainted.

Now this was no ordinary day for our Nanny, she had very recently had a litter of kittens, including our little Panther. Motherhood had sharpened her already formidable self protection instincts.

What happened next was another pure Nanny moment, she was swift, decisive and absolutely shockingly bold.

With no warning, she launched herself at the visiting dog, jumped on its back and delivered a series of sharp swats to the head, before leaping off at lightning speed. But she wasn’t finished. Hudson, who she knew very well to be a safe and calm family member, received the same brutal treatment.

The whole two attacks were over in a few seconds, but the effect was immediate.

Hudson stood there in complete shock. Nanny was his family. But this was clearly a reminder that she had a new litter, a stern maternal lecture had just been delivered. 

The visiting dog bolted straight for the cab of the truck and cowered behind the wheel for the remainder of the visit. 

We all stood there in awe for a minute or two. Nanny’s message was loud and clear. Let every dog on the property be warned, Nanny has babies to protect. 

Nanny had no time to waste on subtlety, this was another prime example of how effortless it was for her to demonstrate her communication skills and no-nonsense approach to ranch life. 

The Meeting Crasher

Winter mornings on the ranch could be crisp and serious, especially where there was work to be discussed. One particular morning, four men had gathered in the biting cold, by a broken fence that needed repaired. One of them had arrived by four-wheeler. All men were clustered around the four-wheeler, there was a serious, practical focus on the task at hand, until Nanny decided to join them.

Without warning or invitation, Nanny leaped up onto the four-wheeler. Positioning herself right in the center of all the men. There she sat, completely at ease, as if she had every right to be part of this ranch business. Her confidence was absolute.

The sight of this fearless ranch cat inserting herself in the heart of their discussion was so unexpected and hilarious that they couldn’t help but break their seriousness with a few smiles. Nanny clearly appointed herself as the fifth member and leader of this meeting. 

Nanny was never one to be left out of anything, especially important ranch discussions. She always claimed her spot at the table, with such bold composure, she was undeniably the supervisor of all operations.

The Celebrity Years

Nanny and Darius experienced countless ranch stories together, including the baby deer rescue, Garfield’s visits and the bear incidents. Due to gaining some celebrity status, as well as entering her golden years and requiring a little more pampering, Nanny began accompanying Darius to the warmer climates of Southern California for the winters. She stayed in luxury hotels on the road trips, dominating the whole bed. She trained Darius to take her for city walks, whilst she rode in the security of a big grocery bag on his shoulder. She even went to Hollywood for the day. 

Nanny lived up to be the celebrity she had become. Nanny came to experience living off the ranch in both Southern California and the Pacific North West. Continuing to fully participate in everything Darius did, they made more movies together and made every minute of life count.

The Final Chapter 

In her older years she did face some health challenges. She had mild feline asthma and tolerated that inhaler with dignity, well most of the time, other times we had countless scratch injuries. A serious oesophageal stricture in Spring of 2022 required specialized surgery and a post-op liquid diet which displeased her, but she did recover well enough to resume her daily supervisor role in the woodshop.

One fateful day in late September of 2022, we reluctantly took her to the vet for a routine blood test. She shockingly passed away seconds after they took blood. We watched them try to resuscitate her twice, but it seemed our little Queen was instantly gone.

We’ll never know what happened. The blood draw may have sent her into shock and she just stopped breathing. 

We’ll also never know how long she’d have had with us if we hadn’t taken her to the vet that day. We hated ourselves for that part.

But Nanny, ever Royal, made the call. She left on her own terms, just like she lived. We could never have let her go.

Nanny never had a bad day. Always active and insisted on her daily duties and routine until the very end.

Long Live Queen Nanny

Nanny is forever irreplaceable, but her spirit endures and shines through the countless photos and videos we have of her well documented and remarkable life. 

Her legend lives on when we watch her videos, she can pull us back into her world and remind us all : You don’t own a cat like Nanny. You serve one.