A cat represents our shared humanity during the worst of times

Readers of this blog will remember I reviewed the biographical book about the doomed Karluk and her crew in the enthralling book ‘The Ice Master’ by Jennifer Niven. That book briefly mentions but doesn’t highlight the plight of the plucky feline on board named Nigeraurak.

The spectacular history book of cats A Cat’s Tale goes into much more detail about Nigeraurak’s life.

Nigeraurak was a tuxedo cat who served on board the Canadian arctic exploration vessel HMCS Karluk. In 1913 the Karluk became ice-bound during an exploration of the North Pole.

Stranded at the top of the world in a life or death situation, the crew would face the challenges – exposure, fierce cold, illness, dwindling supplies and predation by polar bears.

Faced with the the prospect of a long and perilous journey towards the nearest settlement, they…