The Untold Story of Nancy the Cat

Back in 1984, I was a young actor pulling double duty at the soap opera “Search for Tomorrow,” playing a small recurring role in addition to working in the production office and honing my writing skills.  I also had a part time job working for the star of the show, Mary Stuart, helping her with fan mail and playwriting.  She would become my mentor for many years that followed…but that’s another story!  

One day, the Casting Assistant stopped me in the studio and asked, “Don’t you have a cat?”  I had moved to New York City with a beautiful tabby I’d named Pyewacket (Remember “Bell, Book and Candle?”) but she had recently passed away.  “They’re writing in a pet cat on the show and it will pay the same as Extra work for every day we use it,” she explained.

That would be over $100 a day in addition to my other work, so I immediately fibbed and said, “Yes, I have a cat!”  I ran to the SPCA and adopted the smallest, cutest kitten they had.  I wanted a feline so irresistible to the audience that the writers would have to put it in as many episodes as possible.  She was tiny and prim, reminding me of the then-First Lady, so I named her “Nancy.”

In the storyline, the show’s heroine Liza Sentell would be gifted an adorable kitten named “Bomber” by her new love interest, Kentucky Bluebird (yes, the character’s name was Kentucky Bluebird) played by the great actor Will Patton. Her live-in Uncle Martin Sentell, played by the late great John Aniston (which is how I first met his daughter Jennifer, all those years ago), was part of the scene.  I always remained on set, just off camera, to care for Nancy in between takes.

Unlike Will, the actress who played Liza, Sherry Mathis, was not what you would call a natural with animals.  She was uncomfortable holding Nancy, who squirmed in her awkward grasp.  Ultimately, the kitten ended up scratching her a little during one of their early scenes.  I’d previously witnessed Sherry have rather loud conflicts with the producers, so I wasn’t too surprised when she had a full blown tirade at the end of the taping day.  I can still hear her bellow into the overhead boom microphones so that everyone could hear, “That cat has to be declawed!”

Declawing a cat is now illegal and I don’t remember if it was in 1984, but the thought of ripping a kitten’s claws out of its paws was definitely NOT on the table for me, regardless.  I remember John Aniston’s smooth, low voice as he reassuringly took Nancy from me and said something like, “Now, now, you just let me handle the cat from now on.”  Henceforth, whenever “Bomber” appeared in the Sentell household, it was alongside John Aniston or sweet young Jane Krakowski.  

One of the fan magazines did an article about animals that appeared on soap operas and they dubbed Nancy “The First Lady of Cats,” thanks to her namesake that lived in the White House.  

Unfortunately, Nancy never outgrew her diminutive, kitten-like stature.  She’d been malnourished when she was rescued by the SPCA and after only a few months it was recommended by the veterinarian that she be put down.  “Bomber’s” absence was never explained, but I certainly missed her.  It created a special and lasting affection for me with John and Jane.  Many years later, when I began interviewing Jennifer Aniston for various movies she was doing, we always talked about the old days with her dear dad.  (After “Search for Tomorrow,” he joined the cast of “Days of Our Lives” in the role of Victor Kiriakis, which he played until his death in 2022.)

Fun fact:  Jennifer actually auditioned for the role that ultimately went to Jane Krakowski.  Isn’t it funny how showbiz works?  Both of them ended up having hugely successful careers, even though I’m sure it was disappointing for young Jen to lose out on that job way back then!

I only ever had one pet cat after Nancy, and that was thanks to another soap opera pal of mine, Philece Sampler (“Days of Our Lives” and “Another World”).  She convinced me to help her breed her beautiful Abyssinian cats and I was rewarded with one of the kittens from the subsequent litters.  “Henry” and I had 13 happy years together in Los Angeles.  The circumstances leading up to his conception and birth were so comically outrageous that I have included the story in my upcoming novel, “Dancing Between the Raindrops: The Hollywood Years,” available soon on Amazon.

Will Patton, John Aniston, Sherry Mathis and Nancy the Cat! (1984)