Celebrity Cruise captain Kate McCue has become famous in part because she is the first woman to captain a modern mega ship. He's capitalized on that fame with his almost daily “Captain's Log” instagram video series.
In her videos, she has also turned her hairless cat, Bug Naked, into a celebrity in her own right.
Related: Celebrity Cruise Captain Kate Shares Key Tips for Passengers
“Bug Naked is a sphinx with water eyes, a seal tip, and elf ears. He's been sailing since he was 3 months old and will continue to 'sail' the world while bringing a sense of home and good luck on board,” McCue shared. on their website.
However, getting permission to have a pet of any kind was not easy. McCue shared how she got approval to have a pet from Royal Caribbean (the parent company of Celebrity Cruise), how she almost ended up with a very different animal companion, and why she can have a pet on board, but you can't.
See the original article for embedded media.
Captain Kate shares Bug's origin story
“For today's captain's log, I'm going to tell you about this monster and why I have a cat. When I got promoted in 2015, I quickly discovered that it can be very lonely if you don't have your family sailing with you. “You're on board because you're the one. boss. “You're like the CEO on board and at the end of the day, it's always good to have someone around,” he said.
McCue is married and her husband works on cruise ships, so they are separated for months.
“So I asked the office if I could have a pet and they said no. And I said, well, when I worked at Royal Caribbean, Captain Johnny had a parrot, Captain Sparrow had a cat and I know of another captain who had a dog. . and they said: okay, what would you like?” she shared
Your original answer was somewhat surprising.
“I said a monkey because I actually had a monkey lined up from St. Kitts, where I think they have 52,000 monkeys, more monkeys than humans on the island. They said no to the monkey and I was scrolling through instagram and I came across Sphinx. cats like Bug and I got a little obsessed so I said could I have a cat she said.
That request was a little better.
“They said sure you can have a cat. Bug has joined me on all four ships I've captained,” he shared. “And she's like having a piece of home.”
READ ALSO: Top travel agents share how to get the best price on your cruise
However, passengers are not allowed to bring pets on board. McCue explained why.
“People always ask me why we can't bring our pets but you have to be with your pet. Bug has someone 24/7 because he has access to the bridge and the bridge is always staffed so “even if I'm not in my office or in my cabin she has someone nearby. I wish everyone could bring their pets, but I know it's a divisive issue,” he added.
Are you taking a cruise or thinking about one? Visit our Come Cruise With Me website to get answers to all your questions.