By Caroline Oswald
They say cats are good for your well-being, reducing stress and even lowering your blood pressure. This is certainly true for customers of the ’Enigma Tap’ micropub on Bedford Street, where Jett has been the resident cat for over five years. Also known for frequenting other businesses in North Shields, such as nearby shops and care homes, the cool, black cat has become something of a celebrity among the town’s locals, with a variety of beers named after him and new T-shirts featuring the bar’s furry friend. However, it is debatable whether Jett has brought the same positive health benefits to his owner, Luke, who also owns the Enigma Tap.
The Enigma Tap, named in honour of North Shields hero Thomas Brown, who retrieved the Enigma Codes that helped end the Second World War, opened in 2019. Jett began visiting almost straight away. Luke explains: “He came in via the back door one day. He didn’t have a collar so we put a message out to find out where he belonged. We soon found out he was already well known about town.” Luke knew that Jett’s owners, who lived near Kiki’s cabin, were aware of his adventures around Shields. Therefore it did not come as much of a surprise when Jett quickly became a regular of the latest venue in town.
Jett continued to visit throughout the lockdown in 2020, keeping the same routine of sleeping in the bar during the day and then being put out at night to go back to his house when Luke locked up. But he wouldn’t always automatically go back home, and in Autumn of that year, Jett went missing for several days. After he turned up, Jett’s owners offered to give Luke full responsibility for the wayward cat, as they knew he was visiting the pub on a daily basis. At first, Luke stuck to Jett’s normal routine as a street cat, letting him sleep in the pub and putting him out at night as he was used to. Then one night he was injured in a fight and had to be put on antibiotics and not allowed out. Luke and his wife, Abbie, had to take him to their home on ‘Scotch Estate’ in North Shields, so called due to all the street names being named after places in Scotland. A few days later came the second lockdown, so Jett was stuck in with everyone else – he did not take kindly to the new restrictions and managed to escape out of the kitchen window! The area was new to him and Luke and Abbie spent two hours looking for him until he finally returned. Jett became familiar with his new neighbourhood but he never dared roam as far as he did in the town centre: “We walked him to the edge of the estate once but he just kept whinging to turn back!”
When the pubs reopened, Jett began leading a double life. When not wandering his estate as a normal domestic cat, Luke would transport him to the Enigma Tap, where he could come and go as he pleased around town. He would usually make it back to the pub by last orders to be popped into his backpack carrier to be taken home. But sometimes Jett wouldn’t make it back in time, preferring to stay out in Shields. Luke would have to keep checking the CCTV to see when he returned to the pub, coming back out in the early hours of the morning to collect him! One day Jett was run over, ironically on his quiet estate and not on the busy streets of Shields. Under strict cage rest to recover from his broken leg, he did not like this one bit, and Luke even tried bringing his cage to the Enigma Tap to cheer him up!
When fully recovered, Jett was up to his old tricks again, sometimes preferring to stay out all night, especially in the summer months. This continued for a couple of years, until Luke and Abbie decided to move house. At first they tried to keep Jett in while living in a temporary home before their new house was ready. Jett showed his discontent by ripping off the
letterbox from the inside before managing to escape! They had to relent to letting him out sometimes and just trusting in his innate sense of direction. In June of this year, Luke and Abbie finally moved to the Fish Quay. They kept Jett in initially and then started walking him around on a lead to get him used to the area. They only ever walked him as far as Saville Street and not into the town centre. To their astonishment, the first day they let him out of his own accord, he turned up at the Enigma Tap 45 minutes later!
Jett now wears a tag on his collar that is connected to Luke’s phone. It has given fascinating insights into the adventurous cat’s day. He has a specific route that he always takes from the Fish Quay to the Enigma Tap: past Bedford Court, bypassing Bedford Street (he’s never been seen there), along Union Street, past the Maggie Bank and the Exchange, up Howard Street and through Northumberland Square, obviously favouring the Cultural Quarter! Jett’s tag also reveals that he likes to roam as far as Spring Terrace, Frank Place, Alma Place, Norfolk Court and where he used to live near Kielder Terrace. As I was talking to Luke in the Enigma Tap, he took a moment to check Jett’s whereabouts, exclaiming, “Oh, he’s here!”
[tds_partial_locker tds_locker_id=”735″]While we were discussing Jett, an employee from a local brewery came to collect an empty barrel. Having never been to the bar before, he stated: “Well, this is VERY nice!” He’s not wrong. As well as its friendly resident cat, the Enigma Tap has much more to offer. The small, welcoming bar has a calm but social atmosphere. A range of local cask and keg beers are available to either sample at the bar or take away. These are always changing, providing interest and variety as well as ensuring support for several local breweries. One recent development may interest those wanting a healthier start to 2025. There is now a permanent low-alcohol beer on keg, always below 0.5%, and this too is regularly changed so that non-drinkers can experience a variety of tastes. Dogs are also welcome, which does not bother Jett in the slightest, who continues to mingle among the punters, have a snack or a nap in one of his comfy spots.
As well as petting Jett, having a chat or playing a board game with the welcoming locals, you may like to participate in other activities such as the ‘Mariners and Marras’ folk singing group, who rehearse at the pub on the second Monday of every month. Spectators and new members are always welcome, as well as those wanting to join in for a one-off singalong. Wednesday night is quiz night at the Enigma, with free cheese platters provided. Booking is recommended. On the day I met him, Luke explained there was a special charity quiz that night to raise money for The Bay Food Bank. He also raises money for this charity by donating 10p a pint to their cause. He has held charity quizzes in the past to raise money for Live Well With Cancer and would like to continue to run more such events in the future. More plans for the coming months include a full refurbishment of the interior as well as improvements to the back beer garden, similar to the lovely new outdoor seating area at the front.
Cats do not tend to like this sort of thing, so maybe Jett will find refuge during this time at one of his other regular haunts, such as AK Blinds on Nile Street, where he has claimed his own seat, or North Shields Quality Butchers on West Percy Street, where he was recently photographed sitting in the window. Last August, Jett began finding his own way all the way from the Enigma Tap to his home on the Fish Quay, without the need to be bundled into his carrier at closing time. Perhaps the wanderer is finally settling down now that he has found his own new beginning by the sea.
