College’s official greenhouse cat, Basil, dies
Ever since he first wandered onto the Niagara-on-the-Lake campus in 2003, Basil has made a home in the greenhouse at Niagara College and in the hearts of those who work and study there.
After a brief illness, the lovable orange tabby — he had been chief of natural pest control at the greenhouse — died.
Basil was brought to the college after employee Jim Thomson noticed the stray in his property and decided he would make a good addition to the greenhouse. In 2004, greenhouse staff held a naming contest, with monikers such as Glen and Perry being in the running.
In the decade and a half Basil made the college greenhouse home, he served as its chief mouser, as well as an ambassador, offering a friendly face and source of stress relief for anyone encountering him.
Basil’s care was the responsibility of greenhouse staff, who eagerly took up the task. He also received regular checkups and visits to the vet, and love and attention by many others, including college president Dan Patterson and his wife Saundra, who were a constant source of care, taking him to many of his vet appointments over the years.
Reached in Nova Scotia where he’s attending a conference, Patterson said Basil went from
being a new kitten on campus to basically owning the place.
“He really embraced the college,” he said. “It was his home.”
Patterson said Basil’s presence on campus put a personal touch to it, and he was embraced by staff, students and visitors.
“It was one of those special things,” he said. “We’re all going to miss him.”
As for his official duty, Basil was as good as it gets, continuing to catch mice right up until the last few weeks when he took ill.
“He never stopped,” said Bruce McIntosh, horticultural technician at the greenhouse. “He did his job very well.”
Basil also brought in clientele, with many people coming to the greenhouse just to see him.
“People would come in just to see Basil and then would see we have plants for sale,” he said.
Basil’s contributions to the college community were immortalized in July 2018, when he left his paw prints in a new concrete path connecting the greenhouse to Benchmark Restaurant, where he could often be glimpsed welcoming restaurant guests. Basil also had an Instagram account — where uplifting photos with the college community were shared — and starred in several Niagara College holiday videos in past years.
In 2016, a new Basil Bursary was created in Basil’s honour. Plush key chains in his likeness were created and sold at Benchmarket at the NOTL campus. All funds raised through the sale of the keychains go toward a $500 bursary for students.
While the college still has some for sale, news of Basil’s death has led to them going fast. The college has also opened up direct online donations for people to contribute in Basil’s memory — through the page https :// donate. niagara college .ca/ways-to-give/.