Alright, I have been slacking off on my blogging duties.  Surely there is a good reason for me not giving you your Bear Feed for almost 10 days, and obviously that reason couldn’t be ‘its raining a lot’, ‘I’ve been busy with work’, or not at all ‘a lot of football to watch from the couch’.  The real reason is much more traumatic.

Alaska’s most famous & beloved current politician was a party to an assassination attempt on August 31, and we all wait with baited breath on news.  Of course if you are following politics in the USA, you know who I am talking about.

Yes … that is …

Stubbs the Cat.  The Mayor of Talkeetna, AK.

Stubbs was mauled by a dog while on a simple walk around his city.  The dog, which still remains known, at large, and yet to be brought to justice, has a history of being a “bad dog”.  There is no evidence as yet that this has anything to do with the war in Syria.  But seriously, Stubbs was hurt pretty bad, including a punctured lung and fractured sternum.  He looks like he will survive, but it was touch and go for a while.

And yes, a cat is a mayor of Talkeetna.  Talkeetna is a small town of under 1000 people between Anchorage and Denali.  Other than having a cat for a mayor, Talkeetna is also known as the starting point for many of the Mt McKinley expeditions, and as the inspiration for the 1990s television show Northern Exposure.

Stubbs was originally bought by Talkeetna General Store’s owner when just a kitten, and named as such because of his stubby tail.  Shortly after that during an election for mayor, the town was generally unhappy with the candidates, so Stubbs won by a write-in effort.  Since then the town removed the position, and just let Stubbs take over the title since July 18, 1997.

Just in case you missed it — Stubbs has been mayor of Talkeetna for 16 years.  He was elected mayor when he was 3 months old.  It would be the equivalent to a human being elected president at the age of 2, then hold the position well into his 80s.

There are a lot of thoughts and prayers going out for Stubbs.  Because the medical bills were high, a fund was set up to help pay for the surgery.  It has caused some undue attention.  Stubbs received a care package from PETA (Protection for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), which many could see as a special interest kickback.  Though it was mostly blow over because in a town filled with people who hunt and fish to survive, PETA will likely win anyone over … even a cat.