(Photo by Maddy Hurley)
When a stray Russian Blue arrived without a reservation at Dallas’ famed Rosewood Mansion at Turtle Creek Hotel in 2011, staff came to her rescue. Like her fictional counterpart, Eloise at The Plaza, Duncan the cat is adorably mischievous – while capturing everyone’s hearts.
I I’m Duncan…I’m the city cat. I live in the mansion at Turtle Creek. Oddly enough, despite my name, I’m actually a girl. There is a very large lobby with marble floors and elegant people walking around. I spend a lot of time in the parking lot watching people get out of cars and get in. The servants, the doorman, Mrs. Stamm, the manager, Mrs. Gates and my friend Tracy all know who I am and my story.
I’ve been walking around the hotel for 12 years and never checked out… people often stop to pet me… and sometimes they bring me candy. The chef is forbidden from feeding me leftovers… If I were offered a bite of Peking duck breast or parmesan-crusted halibut, I would never say so.
I’ve been told that some people find cats a nuisance, but it’s the opposite! …and not the children who wriggle out of their parents’ grasp to play with me…not the Dalai Lama, who blessed me…and certainly not Karl Lagerfeld, who stayed for a week and renamed me Coco. He let me play with Choupette, the cream-blue Tortie Birman, an obviously aristocratic cat who had her own room. When the famous fashion designer offered to take me back to Paris with him, I refused.
People all over the world send me gifts like beds and bowls. Alas! Still no ruby necklaces to complement my Russian blue fur, or emerald earrings to highlight my mysterious green eyes. A girl can dream…
I live on the very, very ground floor, and if I want to go on an adventure, I hop in the car…or ride the room service cart hidden under a big silver dome, like I did when I snuck into Christian Louboutin’s room to borrow a pair of heels. One time, when Lady Gaga lifted the dome expecting to find her favorite coconut water smoothie, she found me instead!
I fall asleep near the front canopy on a checkered American Girl brass bed with white linens and pillows. There’s so much to do… Tomorrow I think I’ll nap more.
