Katy was the first “trolley cat” to make her home at the Fort Smith Trolley Museum. She was a beautiful stray calico who showed up at the car barn in December of 1997 and quickly won the heart of museum founder Art Martin (who already had two cats at home) with her affectionate ways. After much debate, she was named “Katy” in honor of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad Company (MKT), which used the name “Katy” in its logo. This began a tradition of giving all the feline residents rail-related monikers.
Katy was very outgoing and loving, and made sure that every visitor to the museum was offered a chance to pet her. Children delighted in her presence there, a feeling which was no doubt mutual. Whenever a school group came for a tour, Katy would be found in the midst of them, meowing and purring. Because of Katy’s popularity, the museum began selling coloring books and other souvenirs adorned with her name and likeness, making her the museum’s official mascot.
Sadly, Katy disappeared in 2002. After two weeks, a passer-by found her collar in a ditch with the buckle mashed flat, and turned it in to the museum. Since there was no sign of Katy, we assume that someone must have taken her.
