Across the U.S. there are cats who call bourbon distilleries home. In Owensboro, Batman is living the life in between the grain room and the tour groups at O.Z. Tyler Distillery.
Felines are popular residents at distilleries since the buildings are full of grain. Mice are attracted to grain, so the cats help keep the mice away.
Haley Stoermer, office coordinator for O.Z. Tyler, said Batman came to them from their Master Distiller, Jacob Call’s home.
“He was a curious kitten that had a knack for getting into trouble, and he may or may not have urinated on too many articles of the Call family’s clothing,” Stoermer said. “Long story short, that’s how Batman ended up with a one-way ticket to the distillery.”
Batman was raised around Call’s two kids, Scarlett and Huston, so he has a gentle, yet playful personality.
Stoermer said he is surprisingly shy and he is easily frightened by strangers, so he spends most of his days lounging in the comfort of his home in the grain room.
Batman has a whiteboard containing all his likes and dislikes that changes constantly as the black cat gets more mischievous.
The grain operators have made it their mission to ensure Batman has a wonderful life at the distillery. He has his very own well-kept litter box, food, water, a cat bed and a lot of toys.
“Occasionally, he will venture out to catch mice by the grain system, meet a tourist or two, and soak up some sun,” she said. “But he never travels far from his home base.”
