He once had an active Instagram account. His Facebook fan club has garnered thousands of followers. Now Cameron the Capitol Cat may be honored with a statue at the Nebraska State Capitol, the beloved feline’s stomping grounds where he first built his loyal following.
According to Good Good Good, State Sen. Jana Hughes of Seward and former State Sen. Anna Wishart are behind a proposal to build a small statue of Cameron, a cat who was known to hang out around the steps of the Capitol, taking pets from passersby of any political party.
Cameron, now 10, lived in a condo near the Capitol with Dianna McGinnis, who let him out most mornings to roam, Nebraska Public Media reported in May. He spent his days on the statehouse grounds, where senators and staff kept him fed and he posed for photos with visitors from around the world, including Gov. Jim Pillen. Well-meaning strangers who mistook him for a stray “catnapped” him three times, according to McGinnis’ sister.
The idea didn’t start with lawmakers. When Cameron retired, McGinnis said she hoped a statue would one day mark his years of service.
Hughes and Wishart reportedly took their plan for a 30-inch-by-20-inch statue (give or take a couple inches) depicting Cameron to the Nebraska Capitol Environs Commission on Aug. 28.
It’s unclear how the meeting went, though it was only meant to solicit preliminary feedback. They will need final approval from the seven-member commission, made up of five appointees from Lincoln’s mayor and two from Nebraska’s governor, at a later date.
“I mean, let’s be real, it would be so freaking cute and everybody would get their picture by it,” said Hughes, who joined the state legislature in 2023. “And his little head would be petted, and it’d be shiny gold because everybody would rub his little head coming in.”
Supporters say no state or taxpayer funds would be used to construct the statue. Though it’s not yet clear where exactly the statue would sit, supporters have proposed placing Cameron atop a pedestal of Indiana limestone to mirror the Capitol’s architecture.
As for Cameron the Capitol Cat’s thoughts on all this, he couldn’t be reached for comment. The most recent post on his fan club page in July shows him enjoying retirement in one of his signature poses.
