Cats and dogs (and possible rats) hitched rides on the Mayflower

Have you ever wondered if Pilgrims had pets? I never really thought of it myself until I got an email from petplace.com wondering about Mayflower pets.

Mayflower Dogs

The earliest mention of dogs appeared in a 17th century journal called "Mourt's Relation" about the first years of life in the new world. According to this account, two dogs, an English springer
spaniel and a mastiff were brought along by John Goodman, a young man of about 25 years of age. The dogs were involved in the first explorations of discovery on Cape Cod and the activities of homebuilding during the first winter ashore.

Mayflower Cats

Cats were welcome aboard sailing ships in the 16th century because they helped control the rodent population and protected finite food supplies. They were so well known as sea-going voyagers that National Geographic once reported that "cats, like people, found freedom from persecution in America. It is believed that they first came over on the Mayflower, although it may have been earlier - with the Spaniards in the 16th century. In any event, once here, they thrived."

Read the entire article HERE!