Matilda The Algonquin Cat Again Holds Court At The Famed Manhattan Hotel

New York (1010 WINS) A famous feline is back greeting tourists and locals alike at Manhattan's Algonquin Hotel.

The Algonquin reopens Thursday after being closed for renovations for nearly six months.  Matilda spent the time in a "luxury vacation home in Queens", according to hotel Executive Assistant (and Chief Cat Officer) Alice de Almeida.

1010WINS' Susan Richard reports:

While the hotel has undergone changes, so has Matilda's routine.  After taking some heat from the city Health Department, the hotel has installed an electronic fence to keep Matilda away from areas where food is served.  "It's approved by her Veterinarian", de Almeida tells 1010 WINS.   "She's been trained.  She knows not to cross (the electronic barrier)... and she stays in the reception area, which is fine, because she can see everybody as they come in and out".

Watch video of Matilda on "All For Animals" with Susan Richard:

Matilda is a Ragdoll breed who was found dumped in a box at the North Shore Animal League in Port Washington, New York.  She's the tenth "Algonquin Cat", an 80 year tradition that began in 1932 when then-owner Frank Case took in a stray named Rusty.  Rusty later was renamed Hamlet by actor John Barrymore, who was a member of Algonquin's famed "roundtable".  Ever since, all male cats have been named Hamlet, and females, Matilda.  The current Matilda is the third female cat, who has more than five thousand followers on Facebook.