Smokey the Coors Field Cat Retires but Is Immortalized in a New Song

For the past decade, the fluffy black cat at Coors Field known as Smokey (or Midnight by some) has helped to keep the baseball stadium mouse-free. But after years of stewardship, it's time for Smokey's retirement, and Animal Rescue of the Rockies is now searching for the cat's forever home. The story has made national news, and the ARR has more than enough applications to sort through.

The story also touched Marty Jones, a Denver musician and longtime Westword contributor, who just released a ballad titled "Smokey the Coors Field Cat" that is sure to tug on listeners' nostalgic heartstrings.

"A few months into the pandemic. I got diagnosed with cancer of the tongue," Jones says. "I said...my return to the studio would be a very important song — and it's about a stray cat. This is actually the first time I've been in a studio and recorded music in about three years; my singing voice has finally returned.

"It's the first time in my life that I've gotten an idea for a song, wrote the song and had it recorded by the end of the day," he adds.

"He's kind of a local celebrity; he's been there for about ten years," Jones says. "So when I read about the story, it kind of bummed me out, frankly. Poor guy's time has gone at the stadium and they're trying to find a home, and he went from having all this space to, well, they're hoping for someplace that would at least have a 'catio' where he can get outside, smell the breeze. It's a wonderful fate, but it's also bittersweet."

Smokey also reminded Jones, who moved to Denver from Norfolk, Virginia, with his wife back in 1995, of a cat the couple once had. "One of our favorite pets of all time was a black cat that we adopted as a kitten who was hanging out behind the club where my band was playing," Jones recalls. "He lived to be nineteen, and we even moved to Colorado with him, and he was the greatest pet in the world. His name was Willie Dixon, and he would play catch with a bottle cap; he'd go eight feet away, you'd throw it, he'd catch it and bring it back to you and walk back for you to throw it again."

With the love of cats in mind, Jones's song is told from the perspective of Smokey, who is coming to the realization that he must retire. It's the type of Americana campfire song that is reminiscent of Bob Dylan while also providing a laugh (and perhaps a teary eye) for those who followed Smokey on Twitter.

And Smokey took to Twitter once more to share Jones's song, noting that half of the proceeds from the $1 to buy the song will go to Animal Rescue of the Rockies.

"Smokey the Coors Field Cat" is available on Jones's website and bandcamp.