The king of downtown St. John's is a cat named Sid
Sarah Smellie | CBC News | Posted: August 17, 2018 6:26 PM | Last Updated: August 17, 2018
Sid wound up snoozing next to a boot in the front window of a men's clothing shop
In the thick of a wild George Street night, he can sometimes be found waiting for the band to start, or tearing it up on the dance floor.
Sometimes, he's enjoying a plate of sashimi in one of downtown's newest hot spots.
Sometimes, he's in O'Reilly's Pub, sitting on customers' laps.
And last Friday night, he was snoozing by a hat rack in the window of a men's clothing store on Water Street.
No matter where he goes, Sid the cat is treated like royalty and has leagues of loyal fans — many of whom regularly send his owner, Adam Blackwood, photos and videos of their Sid sightings.
"A friend of mine posted a picture of him inside Turkey Joe's, on the dance floor," he said.
There's even a Facebook group, called The Adventures of Sid, dedicated to Sid spotting.
New merchandise at Chafe & Son?
The steady stream of Sid snaps picked up suddenly last Friday evening, when Sid fans spotted the feline explorer curled up next to a boot, atop a freshly folded shirt, in the front window of W.M. L. Chafe & Son.
The store had closed for the night, so Blackwood quickly posted one of the pics to Facebook.
"Anyone know how to get in touch with the owners of Chafe's?" he wrote. "Sid is locked in."
Meanwhile, Roger Chafe said he was also receiving pictures of the cat in the store window.
Sure enough, Sid was no stranger to him.
"He came in the store a couple of days in a row and we saw him come in and we watched him, and I think on the third day, he didn't leave," Chafe said.
He went down to the store, unlocked it, and let the cat out.
"They let him out and then I ran into him on the corner by Subway and then I walked him home," said Blackwood.
A friendly reminder
Back at Chafe & Son, Roger Chafe put up a small, cat-height sign on the front door to remind Sid that he needs another spot to sleep off his Friday nights.
"Clothing store's no place for a kitty," he said.
"I feel bad for all the cat fur that might be on all the fancy hats," agreed Blackwood.
'He's a bit different'
Blackwood got Sid from a friend, and the cat has always been a fearless wanderer, he said. It makes sense: Sid's dad was feral, he said.
"[Sid]'s half wild," he said. "He's a bit different."
"I started letting him out as a kitten, and he just started following me around."
Blackwood, who lives downtown, said he took Sid on walks to places like Fort Amherst, and even Quidi Vidi Lake.
"He went off in the woods and I thought I'd never get him back, and I came home and he was home before me," he said.
Though Sid spotters send Blackwood pictures and videos of the cat from all over downtown St. John's, Blackwood says Sid's favourite place will always be George Street.
"George Street is like home to him," he said.
With files from Andrew Waterman