Serpukhov Museum of History and ArtThere’s been a real mixed bag of April Fool’s jokes this year, but this has got to be one of the best, by far.
The staff at the Serpukhov Museum of History and Art in Serpukhov, Russia, decided to fool their local media with a cheeky little prank.
They decided to write up a fake job application for a cat named Maray, who has been hanging around the museum and acting as an unofficial greeter for the last year or so.
His application may have been simple, but he knows exactly what he wants. It said:
As I am a direct relative of Maraeva [the museum’s ex-owner, who Maray had been named after], I ask you to give me a job in your museum. Maray The Cat.
Serpukhov Museum of History and ArtYou know, it was all in good fun and they even signed it with a scribbled pawprint- so cute.
Except the press ran with it and took it mega seriously. They even started sending a load of questions to the museum about their new employee.
So, the staff decided to turn what started out as a harmless joke into reality, hiring Maray as their official doorman. He greets visitors and makes sure they all feel welcome.
Ставшего вмиг популярным кота Марая в редакции «Оки-инфо» накормили красной икрой. #Серпухов #Марай
A video posted by Газета «Ока-инфо» (@oka_info) on
He works the standard 9 to 5, with a break for lunch and little wonder outside whenever he feels like it (sounds pretty cushy if you ask me).
Maray even has his own special spot in the museum to conduct his day-to-day business and staff have set up a little tent for him to sleep in at night.
You might recall that this isn’t even the first time cats have managed to get their paws on a job that might even be better than our own. You might remember Felix, the Huddersfield station cat who got promoted to senior pest controller.
Museum employee Nina Strelkova told BuzzFeed:
All people who work in our museum love Maray. Many bring him food from home and take pictures with him. So he gets a little fat now. And visitors love the cat too — lots of them taking selfies with him.
A photo posted by Наталья Храмова (@natalliika_777) on
If only all pranks could end this well.
