Dirt, the blue-collar kitty, a semi-feral cat who became a global sensation after a soot-covered photo taken at the Nevada railroad museum where he lived, who fans flock thousands of miles to see, has died at age 15.
Celebrity blue-collar cat called Dirt that shot to global fame after a soot-covered photo went viral around the world
It’s the feline version of Joe Dirt. There’s something everyone seemed to relate to with this so-called “blue-collar kitty,” aptly named Dirt, who captured the hearts of cat lovers around the world after its soot-covered photo went viral on the Internet.
It all started when Dirt, a semi-feral cat covered in soot, was photographed at the Nevada Railroad Museum in the small town of Ely on the Nevada Northern Railway.
Ely is a remote mountain town with a population of just under 4,000 that’s known for sitting at the eastern edge of “the loneliest road in America.” It was founded as a stagecoach station along the Pony Express and central overland route. The Nevada Northern Railway is preserved as a heritage railway and has some of the oldest steam engines in the United States.
Yet the town’s biggest draw isn’t its rich history. Instead, thousands of people have flocked to this tiny town to visit one of the world’s most famous felines, called simply Dirt.
Locomotive crews adopt feral kitten
Dirt was first discovered as a kitten in 2008 in the railroad’s locomotive shop. The shop crews took a liking to the orange and white feline and provided him with food, eventually taking him to a vet for a checkup, the Daily Mail reported.
The cat decided the cabs of the railroad steam locomotives made a cozy home. The cat loved rolling in coal dust that was left on the engine house floor, which would cover him in soot. That characteristic earned him the name “Dirt bag,” which was later shortened to “Dirt.”
“Blue-collar kitten” goes viral
After a photograph of “Dirt” was posted on the Internet through the Nevada Northern Railway’s Instagram page, the so-called “blue-collar kitten” became a viral sensation. True to his name, Dirt was known to avoid baths. And despite being fed and looked after by the railroad crews, Dirt remained semi-feral.
Dirt eventually became so famous that thousands of people flocked to the remote town to see him, where he became as much of an attraction as the museum’s steam locomotives.
Dirt, the blue-collar kitty, dies age 15
The Nevada Northern Railway Museum announced that Dirt had passed away at the age of 15 in early January.
But the famous feline that brought so many visitors to the railway will not go unremembered. In fact, Dirt’s legacy will be immortalized as the museum plans to create and direct two life-sized bronze statues in honor of the blue-collar kitten.
One of the statues will serve as Dirt’s gravestone, while the other will be placed in the machine shop so his spirit can continue to keep watch over the premises, MSN reported.
