‘Murphy, the Boss Cat of Little Earth’ celebrates friendship in Minneapolis Native community
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A gray cat sat front and center in the Little Earth community room, watching people come and go for a book launch reception while accepting pets and scratches from them.
The community center is Murphy’s home, and the residents of the urban Native housing development, Little Earth, know this.
During the reception, author Roxanne Biidaabinokwe Gould stood in front of everyone and read the book out loud, encouraging the audience to interact and to have fun with the reading.
“Murphy, the Boss Cat of Little Earth” is published under Black Bears and Blueberries Publishing, a Native-owned company that publishes fiction and non-fiction paperback books.
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The story explores the bond between Leech Lake elder Calvin Nicholas and the cat Murphy, and how their friendship developed while living at Little Earth. Gould says she embellished the story, giving Murphy superpowers to keep the community safe from mice, but the story’s message is not to be mistaken.
“[It’s about] caring for each other, about caring for our four-leggeds, about how we gain strength from the love of others,” Gould said.
Nicholas has cared for neighborhood cats since he moved to the housing development in 2006. Now that he's retired, he says he uses whatever funds he can from his income for cat food. He's a cat lover through and through, referring to Murphy as a helpful member of Little Earth.
“Murphy was another cat that followed me around when I was out reading and walking around. And pretty soon [it] was a habit, where I took Murphy out in the morning and we'd go out in the garden, and he'd go out there and catch all kinds of mice,” Nicholas said.
He’s been taking care of Murphy for over 15 years. He says he’s seen Murphy nearly every day since, except for when Nicholas spent two months in the hospital. When he returned, he said Murphy knew he was back.
“I opened up the door to come in, and he seen me, and he was waiting by the door because he heard me. When I opened the door, he jumped right in my arms there. He kind of gave me a hug, and he was just kind of rubbing me, and he missed me,” Nicholas said.
Nicholas says that while in the hospital, he heard from fellow community members that Murphy had been looking for him, often going out to the garden and waiting for his return.
“Warms my heart, because I feel the same way about him. He’s just like another person here, he’s my little buddy,” he said.
This reunion is in the book, and it’s 8-year-old Azariah Jackson’s favorite part. She said she sees them together at the community center and plays with Murphy whenever she runs into him.
“He walks around and meows, sometimes he purrs. I pet him. I run away from him and then sometimes he follows me,” she said.
For children like Azariah, seeing such stories of friendship in her community can be exciting. She flipped open her copy of the book to a page she says is another favorite because she recognizes the scene — an illustration showing one of the community rooms with a chair that Murphy likes.
“My first time reading it, I was sitting in this chair,” Azariah said while pointing to the illustration.
Cathee Vick works for the Little Earth Residents’ Association as the director of housing advocacy. She’s been working in the community for three years and says she has witnessed the care people have for one another since the start of her role.
“I’ve never found more people willing to share with each other, not just for themselves or for their kids, but also for pets,” Vick said.
Gould wanted to share one of those stories through Nicholas and Murphy and how they made Little Earth their forever home with trust and care. She says she believes Little Earth is a vital resource that provides community and support for those living there, including animal relatives.
“There are many beautiful things that happen here. There are wonderful residents that care deeply for this community, and staff that care deeply for this community and for all of the four legged that are also part of this community,” she said.
Gould says proceeds from the book will be put into a fund that will help Nicholas continue to feed neighborhood cats.