Trim, the Great Feline Explorer

There was once a cat who explored all across Australia and helped put the continent on the world map.

British navigator Matthew Flinders discovered Australia. His cat, Trim, was born in 1799 while Flinders was sailing from the Cape of Good Hope to Botany Bay. At the time, sailors kept several cats aboard their ships to catch rats, because the rodents ate the crew's food and gnawed through important ropes.

Trim once fell overboard into the sea, but managed to swim back and climb aboard by himself. From then on, Flinders began to take an interest in him.

The name Trim was taken from Laurence Sterne's book 'Tristram Shandy.'

Flinders described Trim as the finest animal, with sleek black fur, white paws and a white star on his chest. Trim explored Australia and various parts of the Southern Hemisphere with Flinders.

Even when they were shipwrecked on the Great Barrier Reef, Trim safely swam to a small island.

Trim also stayed with Flinders during the six years he was under house arrest. During that time, Britain and France were at war.

Then, in 1804, Trim disappeared. Flinders believed that starving slaves had eaten the cat, but there was no evidence. He was devastated by the loss of his beloved cat.

He wanted to erect a monument to Trim but never did. However, others who knew the story of Flinders and Trim created four statues commemorating the feline explorer. Two are in Britain and two are in Australia.

Trim may well be remembered as the greatest explorer of all the world's cats.