The calico beauty lives on the grounds and has a staff that takes care of all her needs.
SAN ANTONIO — The Alamo might not have a basement, but they do have their very own ambassador cat. Bella the Alamo Cat has been their official feline in residence since 2015.
And in celebration of her 10th birthday this year, the Alamo has released a colorful Fiesta medal that you can purchase online or in the red Welcome Center on Alamo Plaza. The proceeds from the medal will be used for her care and feeding.
“We have a team of people that work here taking care of her,” said Ernesto Rodriguez, Senior Curator, Historian and Lecturer at the Alamo. “She is the Alamo’s cat, so the entire Alamo staff cares for her, but the majority are in the marketing department because that’s where she lives the most. And the fun part is she knows that she’s a celebrity.”
Bella is the third cat to call the Alamo their home. The first kitty that lived there was Miss Ruby, protecting the site from 1981-1986. Following Ruby, Mistress Clara Carmack, fondly referred to as C.C., oversaw business on the site from 1996-2014.
Bella was found as a tiny kitten at the Presidio La Bahia in Goliad by the daughter of the Presidio’s director.
“She was just about six weeks old when they contacted us and said, ‘Hey, would you like a cat,'” said Ernesto. “C.C. had just passed a little while before, and we were given permission to bring her on board.”
When she first arrived, they let the General Land Office know that they were bringing in a new cat. They were told that it was fine, but they would responsible for any costs associated with her care and upkeep.
“Miss Isabella “Bella” Francisca Veramendi de Valero was coronated as the Official Alamo Cat in 2015,” her official bio page reads. “She is the latest in a line of Alamo Cats who patrol the complex defending the Alamo from pesky rodents and greeting visitors from across the globe.”
After Bella was named the official ambassador cat for the Alamo, a volunteer would come and walk Bella everyday around the grounds with a tiny harness on her. This was done so that she could be accustomed to being on the site. Once she was familiar with her surroundings, they began to release her during the day to roam around and then bring her in at night.
This did not come without it’s share of surprise visits by Bella to the surrounding buildings. For the most part she did stick to the Alamo grounds, enjoying to lounge in the middle of the gift shop watching people. She also made sure to go in all of the buildings to make sure everything was running the way it was supposed to, under her watchful green eyes.
“Early on when we first got her, there was a a lot of traffic with school groups and we would get phone calls,” said Ernesto. “The Emily Morgan Hotel called us after she had wandered into the hotel after someone opened a door for her and she was in the lobby playing. They called and said, ‘You know, Bella’s here. When she’s done playing, we’ll send a bellhop over with her.'”
Bella would run around the third floor at the Menger Hotel and end up in the cigar shop. She even ended up on a double-decker bus once, probably just to see what it was like. Everyone in the downtown area knows her and would keep an eye out for her.
“She has a tag that says my name is Bella and I live at the Alamo,” said Ernesto.
It has now been ten years and Ernesto tells us she’s lived in his office area for most of her life, allowing him to witness her growth from a tiny kitten to the celebrity Diva she is today.
“It may be a team effort, but I’m the one that takes her to the vet.” said Ernesto. “She’s been with me the longest, so she knows that she can get away with a lot of things with me.”
Because there is a lot of construction happening at the Alamo now, Bella is contained in their office building to keep her safe. The staff all love having her around to lie on their keyboards while they are working, curl up on someone’s lap or bask in a sunny window.
As far as controlling the rodent population, it turns out that Bella is a lover not a fighter. “When a mouse would drop down from a tree, Bella was like, meh,” said Ernesto. “But the cats before her, they would actually hunt.”
CHECK OUT HER PHOTOS!
Bella the Alamo Cat is celebrating her birthday with her own Fiesta medal
“She’s one of those ambassadors that doesn’t say much, but her presence is felt by all that are near her,” said Ernesto.
Bella enjoys her special status as the Official Alamo Cat, and really knows how to work a crowd. And in return, people love her back. This cat that kind of acts like a dog receives gifts from folks from all over who have met her and fallen in love.
Phil Collins, who has a long-standing interest in the Alamo, and Billy Corgan from the Smashing Pumpkins have both met Bella and were suitably impressed by her.
Bella’s favorite treat is crunchy Friskies Party Mix, in case you want to get on her good side.
“We had one gentleman who donated 10 bags of expensive cat food for her and she didn’t like it, so we donated it to the San Antonio Food Bank on behalf of Bella, the Alamo Cat,” said Ernesto.
Her popularity prompted staff at the Alamo to start her very own line of merchandising available at the gift shop and online. You can get everything from a plush toy, to notebooks, t-shirts and little bags, all with her likeness on them.
“The thing with Bella is that she’s one of those interesting individuals that understands her role and she knows how to work it well,” said Ernesto. “She wanders around with her tail straight up, being a force to be reckoned with.”
This year, in celebration of Bella’s 10th birthday, the Alamo created a Fiesta medal with her likeness. All of the money goes to Bella’s care. The medals are $15 and can be purchased either online or in the red Welcome Center on Alamo Plaza.
They will sell out quickly, so get your paws on one while they last. And the next time you go downtown, Remember the Alamo… cat.