A Sad End For A Beloved Kitten

By NPR Staff

Published September 10, 2014 at 10:59 AM CDT

Peat the kitten kept Scotland's Glenturret Distillery free of mice that are attracted to the grain used in production. The 6-month-old kitten was also an ambassador who was featured in public relations photos. But Peat died Monday, apparently after being hit by a car.

Peat the kitten quickly made a name for himself at the Glenturret Distillery in Scotland.

Officially, his job was to kill the mice attracted to the grain used in the making of whisky. And he had big paws to fill. One of his predecessors at the distillery, Towser the Mouser, is in the Guinness Book of World Records, credited with killing 28,899 mice.

There aren't many mice around the distillery anymore, but the photogenic Peat has been warming hearts with his appearances in public relations photos for Scotland's oldest distillery.

So much so that NPR featured Peat in a story Tuesday about the role that felines have played at distilleries over the years.

But on Wednesday, Glenturret announced that Peat had died after he was found on the side of the road Monday. He was apparently hit by a car, according to the distillery.

NPR wasn't aware of Peat's accident until the distillery made the announcement Wednesday.

"He was inquisitive, fearless and a social cat, and we will all miss him terribly," said Lesley Williamson, the business development manager of The Famous Grouse Experience. "The Glenturret Distillery team are heartbroken."