In a Facebook post, the City of Dauphin said last Friday that Darby, the City Shop Cat, passed away after 12 years of service with the Public Works team.
Darrell Aitken, Acting Director of Public Works and Operations, said though some people might just see Darby as a cat, the Public Works team saw him as a friend and a fellow professional.
"Darby was kind of our pest control person, or cat, and at the old CN roundhouse at the City Shop, we had lots of mice around, and so Darby was on patrol," said Aitken.
One of the pictures from the post (and used for this story) shows Darby playfully interrupting Public Works staff as they decorated last year's Christmas Parade float. As Aitken said, pets like Darby are always appreciated, wherever they are.
"Just like at people's homes, pets are good, so everybody appreciated Darby, and he would make his away around," said Aitken.
Though the old master is gone, Public Works isn't left without a pest control professional. They've had Casper, another cat, for a few months, who learned a few things from Darby.
"We have a cat now called Casper. She came on a few months ago, and so actually she helped Darby out, Darby wasn't too mobile in the last little while, and he had a friend for a bit, and now Casper has taken over Darby's position," said Aitken.
Part of the City's Facebook post honouring Darby says they recognized his service to the City in 2024, marking 10 years, to show how important he'd become to city staff.
