Marty The Cat, A Mount Washington Observatory Fixture, Dies

NORTH CONWAY, NH — Marty the Cat, a beloved fixture among both staff and visitors for the past 12 years at Mount Washington Observatory has died, officials announced on Monday.

Marty was adopted from the North Conway Area Humane Center and moved to the summit of Mount Washington in 2008. Observatory officials had recently announced that Marty would retire from the mountain in early 2021 and said in a news release Monday that Marty’s death was brought on by an unforeseen illness.

“As a past observer who lived on the summit for four years I can tell you Marty was a special companion, entertainer and so incredibly loved by observers and state park staff and will be sadly missed," Summit Operations Manager Rebecca Scholand said in the news release.

Observatory officials said that the staff there has had a feline presence at the summit of Mount Washington since its founding in 1932. Plans were already in place to name a successor for Marty prior to his planned retirement early next year.

In the news release, Scholand thanked Conway Veterinary Hospital, which cared for Marty over the years and to Dr. Kate Battenfelder and Vet Technician Leah Perez of True North Veterinary Hospital who assisted observatory officials with Marty’s medical emergency over the weekend.