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A recent trip to the BBC archives has revealed a short but very charming video of a senior and her two cats, Quince and Quicksilver.
While you might think that the internet is awash with animals and their owners, these cats happen to have had something very special about them: they had a joint checking account!
In the video that is a must-watch, their owner explained that the account is necessary to give her pets pocket money. And what started out as a five-pence deposit every Saturday (which equates to an annual sum of about $50 today) soon increased thanks to church feast days.
Rather delightfully the owner explained that her sister said that she should also be giving the cats pocket money on saints' days, and provided her with a list of 127 of them -- working out out to approximately $120 today!
The elderly lady went on to explain that on special occasions such as Easter, Christmas and Whitsun (Pentecost), the cats demanded more, stating that they are "almost bankrupting me."
But the loving owner shared that there was nothing to be done, they had to have their pocket money.
A worthy cause
You might be wondering what these cats would be doing with all their money. Well, slightly unusually, they had a checkbook and "they love helping cathedrals of all sorts and they're falling down... poor York Minster, it could've been in ruin by now I think, if it hadn't been that they'd sent something."
However, the charming story only gets better. The cats, for example, sent their pocket money to St. Albans Abbey via the dean's cat, who's known to the lady's sister. The cat then sent a letter in reply. Then a dog at Ely Cathedral replied to the cats' donation with a thank you letter.
It's an endearing story that highlights the whimsical nature of this devout cat owner. Yet, the self-proclaimed "silly old woman" found the most delightful way to help out some wonderful historical cathedrals in England while putting a smile on a lot of people's faces.
And for families that happen to have pets, perhaps you could include your animals in your own donations. While they might not have a checking account, you could always encourage your children to put money in a piggy bank on their behalf and send a little help here and there to your favorite causes.
