Community activist.
Born at Vita on 23 August 1906, son of ? Bodner and Anna Shmyr, he worked for Eatons for 48 years interrupted only by a period of service in the Canadian armed forces during the Second World War. Widely known as “The Cat Man,” he formed the Manitoba Cat Club with his wife Laura, he had his own television program called “What’s New Pussycat,” and wrote a column on cats for the Winnipeg Tribune. He was the first Canadian cat judge to become President of the American Cat Fanciers Assocation. He founded the Winnipeg Spayed and Neuter Clinic. He received a City of Winnipeg Community Service Award (1987). He died at Winnipeg on 20 April 2002.
Birth registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.
“From Winnipeg to Australia John Bodner has judged them all,” Winnipeg Free Press, 1 November 1987, page 67.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 24 April 2002.
“They will never be forgotten,” Winnipeg Free Press, 31 December 2002, pages A8-A9.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 3 February 2024
Memorable Manitobans
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