Meet Brandy, the cat whose cameos steal the show at Albuquerque City Council meetings

Brandy may be only 5 years old but she is already a veteran of civic debate.

She’s appeared during more recent Albuquerque City Council meetings than even Don Schrader, the Duke City’s unofficial king of public comment.

And while Brandy may not actually say a whole lot, she has a knack for getting powerful people’s attention.

She is, after all, a pretty cute cat.

As local human rights activist Rosemary Blanchard has become a recent fixture at City Council meetings, so too has her adopted calico.

A retired college professor and “recovering” lawyer, Blanchard has been routinely joining council meetings via Zoom to offer public comment on recurring topics like safe outdoor spaces and zero-fare bus service.

Brandy, meanwhile, frequently joins her on screen, jumping onto the back of Blanchard’s chair when she begins speaking, circling Blanchard’s head and otherwise making her presence known. Close council watchers have seen her grooming herself on camera or even offering a few meows to punctuate Blanchard’s remarks.

Her ubiquity has not gone unnoticed on the council dais.

Council President Pat Davis has made note of Brandy’s presence on multiple occasions; once, when he asked Blanchard for her cat’s name, Brandy made a seemingly knowing turn to look straight into the camera.

Davis expressed playful concern during a recent meeting when Blanchard warned that Brandy was unlikely to appear. That’s because Blanchard was Zooming from a different location in her house — a room where the chair is less to Brandy’s liking.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Rosemary,” Davis said. “We had three councilors say, ‘We want to see her cat.’”

But Brandy — ever the municipal government enthusiast — ultimately could not resist. She arrived just as Blanchard began voicing her support for council changes to a public transportation-related bill.

“I want to thank the councilors — oh, good heavens! Here’s the cat,” a surprised Blanchard said to laughter in the council chambers. “She heard me talking.”

Blanchard said Brandy provides some welcome “lightness” to her comments on intense subjects such as how the city treats people who are homeless.

“These are very serious things we’re following on the council. And to have a little cat humor (helps). … It’s easier to talk about difficult things if you don’t have to be grim-sounding all the time,” Blanchard said.

Brandy — part of a brother-sister duo Blanchard adopted when their owner died three years ago — seems to relish all of Blanchard’s Zoom obligations, often popping in during virtual meetings with Human Rights Educators USA (an organization Blanchard helped found) and joining video calls with Blanchard’s faith community, the Albuquerque Friends Meeting.

“Quakers meet in silence, except for Brandy,” Blanchard quipped.

As much as she seems to love the camera, Brandy is not angling for her 15 minutes of fame. While she has regularly shown up when Albuquerque decision-makers like City Councilors Brook Bassan or Louie Sanchez are watching, she mostly evaded a Journal reporter and photographer during a recent home visit.

Brandy may often demand attention, but Blanchard said it is always on her own terms.

“I’ve actually looked it up, and there’s two theories on calico cats,” Blanchard said. “The one theory is, no, it’s just a coincidence if your calico cat is doing weird things.

“And the other is, yeah, they’re crazy.”

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February 12, 2023 10:51AM