TULSA, Okla. — One of the signature features of the Philbrook Museum of Art's garden is its small family of garden cats, one of the most beloved of which died at the age of 16 on Wednesday.
The museum announced Acer had "crossed the rainbow bridge" peacefully after a long life in the garden as the most well-known and outgoing of the garden cats.
“The entire Philbrook team, and especially those staff who cared for Acer on a daily basis, are deeply saddened by this loss,” said Philbrook Director Scott Stulen. “A whole generation of kids have grown up knowing Acer and the other garden cats.”
Acer and his biological sister Perilla arrived at Philbrook as kittens in 2006 to serve as pest control in the gardens before becoming museum mascots. Philbrook staff says Acer thrived in the spotlight while Perilla preferred peace and quiet.
Acer retired from garden duty in 2019 and Perilla joined him in 2020 as they both went to live in the home of a Philbrook staff member.
During the early parts of the COVID-19 pandemic, people were invited to become pen pals with the garden cats which became a global initiative with thousands of letters coming in from around the world. Another garden cat, Sage, went missing in 2021, leaving Acer and Perilla's adopted sister Cleome as the lone protector of the garden.
Trending Stories:
- Student arrested after gun found at Nathan Hale High School
- DOWNLOAD the 2 News Oklahoma app for alerts
- Big Baby Rolls and Donuts broken into two consecutive nights
- FOLLOW 2 News Oklahoma on Facebook
- LIV Golf to hold event at Cedar Ridge in Broken Arrow
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Twitter
