Cats are hardly most people’s favorite pet and they usually get a bad rap for being sneaky and moody little creatures. But, like their canine counterparts, there have been a few cats who were lucky enough to be chosen for some really cool jobs. Wouldn’t it be great to have a cat for a mayor? Or what about having your goods sniffed by a feline customs officer. What they all have in common is a genuine love for what they do. Here are some of the coolest job titles held by cats.

1. Composer

Mozart has nothing on Ketzel, who effortlessly composed her own musical by casually walking across the piano. Her owner Rabbi Moshe Cotel, who was sitting nearby, quickly grabbed a pen and paper and transcribed the notes. He then entered the piece the following year in the 1997 Paris New Music Review competition for songs under 60 seconds under the title, “Piece for Piano: Four Paws.” The judges absolutely loved it and even awarded it with an honorable mention. At the time, they had no idea that Ketzel was the true musical genius!

2. Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office

One of the most prestigious non-human positions at the residence of the British Prime Minister is that of the Chief Mouser. The title is currently held by Larry, whose exceptional mousing skills got him the job. So, what does the Chief Mouser do? It’s exactly as it sounds. Larry’s only job is to keep pesky mice away – these rodents are a nuisance for everyone after all. Let’s hope that Larry holds the title for as long as Wilberforce did, who served under four Prime Ministers including Margaret Thatcher, Jim Callaghan, Edward Heath and Harold Wilson.

3. Actor

Dogs aren’t the only ones who have graced the silver screen: there are plenty of working felines in Hollywood, though they are notoriously harder to train than canines. Who could forget about Pumpkin who played “Crookshanks” in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) or Ted Nude-Gent as “Mr. Bigglesworth” in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997). And then there was Leo, who played “Church” in the 2019 adaptation of Pet Semetary. A few of them even managed to snag a few awards at the PATSY or Picture Animal Top Star of the Year awards show.

4. Customs Officer

Ever since Rusik, a Siamese cat wandered into a customs checkpoint in Stavropol, Russia in 2002, the guards there knew he’d be a big part of their family. Especially when he started making their jobs so much easier by sniffing out smuggled sturgeon (a type of fish), no matter how well it was hidden. It became clear at this point that Rusik was a formidable weapon against sturgeon smugglers, even better than dogs. Sadly, it seemed that Rusik made a few enemies in the process. Just one year into the job, he was run over by a car that was previously busted for smuggling caviar.

5. Mayor

We’ve heard of Maximus Mighty-Dog Mueller II the dog mayor, now brace yourselves for Stubbs, the honorary ginger cat mayor of the small Alaskan town of Talkeetna. He is the fourth kitty mayor, a role he’s held since 1998. Like many politicians Stubbs has had his fair share of enemies, like that time in 2013 when he was brutally attacked by a random dog. Luckily, he survived and passed away peacefully of old age in 2017. So far, the town of 900 has not found a suitable successor to carry on Stubbs’ legacy.