Woman amused by a cat being escorted out of a botanical garden learns she's something of a celebrity

Sarah McAnulty, biologist and creator of the SquidMobile, was on a nice walk in Longwood Gardens, a beautiful garden in Philadelphia, when she saw something peculiar. An adorable orange cat got escorted out of a section of the garden. She asked the guy why the cat was not welcome in there, to which he had the funniest answer. "He shows up at the most inopportune moments," he said. The question that continued to pique Sarah's mind was, what had the cat done?

When she tweeted about this later that day, she found out that the cat, Persimmon, is somewhat of a celebrity. She tweeted, "Tonight I saw a massive orange cat get escorted out of Longwood Gardens. I asked 'is he not welcome here?', and the guy sighed & said 'He shows up at the most inopportune moments'. So now, obviously, I want an entire sitcom about their relationship."

Her tweet instantly went viral, with many immediately recognizing the famous cat even without a picture, and sharing their experiences with her. User @no__caps tweeted that the cat is actually a she, saying, "He is actually a she and her name is Persimmon!! She likes to take long naps in the sun."

“Many people immediately recognized her from my tweet, even though I didn’t include a picture. Folks started replying with their pictures of her and they were the exact same cat. She apparently is one of Longwood’s resident cats and is often found wandering around the conservatory,” explained Sarah, in an interview with Bored Panda. 

Many cats live in Longwood Gardens. They are given the best care possible in exchange for entertainment, companionship and superior pest control services, according to the garden's website, whose origins are largely unknown. According to the website and Twitter users, Persimmon was likely returning to her home territory. It turns out that each cat is in charge of its own little patch of the garden. The website explains, “Our diverse feline family provides an endless supply of entertainment and companionship for all. Each cat has its own caretaker and kingdom. Within their respective territories, the cats serve as both guest ambassadors and rodent deterrents.”

Apparently, Persimmon and the other cats of Longwood are quite famous, with a blog entry calling Persimmon "easy to spot." The blog says, "Persimmon is easy to spot anywhere because of her luscious coloring."

Sarah was taken aback by how many people could identify this specific cat from her brief description. Twitter users claim that Persimmon is a friendly cat. She also enjoys being petted and is perfectly content to sleep, which is what cats do best. User Emily Arnolds shared that she saw the cat loitering about in the dining hall and spent all evening on the user's lap. "I met this cat there a few months ago. He is allowed on the grounds, but this visit to the dining room was not welcome. He would have stayed on my lap all night!" she tweeted. 

Addressing what she thinks is the "inopportune" moment at which Persimmon usually arrives, she said, “I suspect walking into places that cats aren’t supposed to go, like underfoot in the dark like she was when I met her, or maybe climbing in a Christmas tree around the holidays,” adding, “Persimmon seems to enjoy being the center of attention, and she deserves it.”

You can follow @SarahMackAttack on Twitter for insightful content.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on October 27, 2022. It has since been updated.