An anonymous interview with the creator of ‘Mo Hospital Cat’

In 2022, the Experience Design team created “Healing HeARTS”– a first-of-its-kind art gallery dedicated to showcasing the artistic talents of UC Davis Health employees.

The gallery was a hit, so the team called for new submissions on Aug. 7, 2023. Year Two of Healing HeARTS would highlight not only the artwork, but it would also reflect UC Davis Health’s values of kindness, trust and inclusion.

What organizers didn’t know was that an anonymous submission about a cartoon feline would spark a month-long game of cat and mouse.

“For over a year, Mo Hospital Cat has been hiding throughout the Children’s Hospital, giving staff across all different disciplines an incredibly unofficial mascot to laugh with,” the anonymous submission said. “In Banksy fashion, the artist has been able to maintain a degree of anonymity for some time and has been incredibly happy to witness Mo bring such a large portion of the staff together.”

Then the discussions began.

“Is Mo Hospital Cat real?”

“Is it really hidden around the hospital?”

“Who is behind Mo Hospital Cat?”

“Are all Mo Hospital Cat drawings one person, or is there a copycat out there?”

I became determined to find out. You might say the curiosity was killing me.

I reached out to the team who accepted Healing HeARTS submissions. They provided a name. That led to a second name. There was a dead end. I started over. A handful of names were thrown out. One source finally led to some movement, and I was told the creator may be willing to speak on the condition of anonymity.

Finally, after agreeing that I wouldn’t let the cat out of the bag, the author and illustrator reached out about my inquiry.

The following is the Q&A that occurred anonymously with the creator of Mo Hospital Cat:

It took some real effort tracking you down! When you started, did you think the anonymity would end sooner than later or what was the plan with that?

I figured someday I would be found out. The first time someone figured it out was maybe a year ago. I was working in the ED for the night and got a Vocera call around 2 in the morning from someone in the PICU. All they asked was, “So, do you like cats?” – To which I responded, “You found one, huh?” which was followed by a complete breakdown in laughter.

Even if some staff know I’m behind Mo, there will always be an air of mystery, as Mo is very good at hiding throughout the hospital and campus.

How fun! OK, let’s go back to the beginning: How did Mo Hospital Cat begin? What was the inspiration behind it?

One day, I was perusing social media and came across a photo of someone who drew a small cat and kept it at their desk at work. I laughed as I thought, “What if I did something similar, but made a cat that was undeniably hilarious, sarcastic, and with a propensity for medical-related humor who liked to hide under the keyboards of my coworkers?” So, it began!

At home, I live with the real-life Mochi cat, who inspires much of the mannerisms of Mo Hospital Cat.

How has it expanded since then?

I started slowly, hiding a quick doodle under a keyboard or mousepad. Maybe a time or two, a note was left taped up in a lab specimen bag in the staff restroom. From there, I started to see them taped up in the nurses’ stations by those who found them. I started to leave them for our facility dogs, down in radiology, and I even mailed some Mo (Hospital Cats) on postcards from Hawaii.

I used to keep a little log of which Mo’s were left on what unit. A little background, I work throughout the entire Children’s Hospital. So, if a specific Mo was left in the PICU, I wanted to make sure to leave a similar one in the NICU. That became quite a task, so eventually, I made Mo a little Instagram account so that Mo’s finders would be directed there and could follow along with his shenanigans throughout the facility.

I went on to make a Mo Hospital Cat Volume One photo book that was delivered to the units I work on shortly before Christmas. Only six were created as holiday gifts, and each book contains the entirety of Mo since its inception for those who may not be on social media.

Now I see Mo with a dedicated board in a break room, laminated at some nurse’s stations, hidden behind an Attending’s workstation, and taped up on a central pillar in the ED, to name a few.

Most recently, I found pictures of Mo mounted in a very tasteful floating frame in the NAOB hallway.

Mo has graced stations, breakrooms, been framed; he’s on Instagram and on printed books. Now he’s featured in the Healing HeARTS employee gallery. Was submitting Mo a no-brainer? How did you see this fitting into UC Davis Health’s values?

There were two colleagues that I work with in the PICU who happened to be privy to information regarding the identity of Mo’s creator. On separate occasions, they each asked if Mo would be entered, and I was hesitant. I didn’t want my name truly out in the open – I was having too much fun playing Banksy. However, one night, on a whim, I decided to enter a collage of some of my favorite Mo’s on the condition that I, as the artist, could remain anonymous.

At a bare minimum, Mo seemed to have brought staff of varying disciplines together for a laugh throughout the Children’s Hospital. The fact that almost all staff can find a common thread in laughing together with Mo fits well into UC Davis Health‘s value of inclusion. RNs, RTs, MDs, techs, and others all enjoy Mo art!

Do you have a personal favorite when it comes to overhearing staff talking about Mo, sharing or actually finding him?

Two. Once, I was working in the PICU and we were rounding. The attending walked over, looked at my computer screen, took a beat, and exclaimed, “Is this you? The name on the screen – are you her?” Apparently, she had been looking for me because she kept one of the Mo’s and hung it up behind her workstation. She had heard whispers of a name and had been looking for me ever since. I believe the term “fangirl” was thrown out in terms of her appreciation of Mo.

The second was just the other night. I had scribbled out my Mo that included a little funny quip about a “snaccident” that happened when a coworker accidentally ate my candy bar while I was in x-ray with a patient. She knows about Mo and that I am the creator. I hid the Mo and posted it to Mo’s Instagram account. Hours later, my coworker started to crack up with laughter and said, “Is this because of me?” I then left my shift at 5 a.m. and got a text from another coworker that the candy thief (who felt awful even though we both had a good laugh at the incident) needed to meet me in the patient drop-off loop. She brought me two replacement candy bars and a Mo doodle of her own that she created for me. I smiled the whole way home.

I can only imagine how rewarding the looks and laughs must be when folks find Mo or find out you’re the creator. Are there spots people haven’t found yet?

I’m not sure! I always just draw, hide, and leave! I don’t know that I’ve ever gone back to look and see if they have been found.

To date, hundreds of Mo’s have been created and hidden.

Wow! Hundreds?! Any hints for finding some that might not have been found?

Mo never hides in primary patient areas such as patient rooms or in shared spaces such as the cafeteria. So, it’s best to look in spaces that are primarily utilized by staff – under keyboards, mousepads, in drawers, etc. Mo has even kept wayward Voceras company on their tube system journeys back to their home units. These drawings hide everywhere, including inpatient units, the ED, the NOAB building, the Cancer Center Conference Center, the Education Building, and the Imaging Department. So, happy hunting to those who know to keep a sharp eye out for Mo!

With so many out there, you must have had a few close calls when it comes to getting caught.

In the beginning, I was ultra stealthy. My heart rate would be jammin’, and I would get a rush each time I walked away. Now, on certain floors, a group of people know who I am, and I believe they may hunt for them after I leave. So, in those instances, it’s more important to be really good at hiding Mo versus being stealthy in my creation of the Mo.

It sounds like there are people out there who know your identity. So how long do you think Mo Hospital Cat will continue to be hidden around the hospital?

I have no plans of stopping. If anything, I’m actively trying to hide more of them outside of the units I work on. I honestly have so much fun with it. I genuinely think I laugh the most at my little drawings. And between OG (original) staff who know to look for a hidden Mo, and all our new staff, new travelers, or new grads who haven’t had the pleasure of finding a Mo, the covert fun can continue on!

I think I speak for many when I say I hope it does.

Thank you again for taking the time to share! This has been so much fun, and I appreciate you sharing so much. I look forward to finding Mo Hospital Cat in new spots and hearing more Mo… tails.

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Throughout 2024, UC Davis Health is celebrating how we live our values of kindness, trust and inclusion. Mo Hospital Cat is a shining example of these values in action. The creator, whom we will keep anonymous, has chosen to live these values by creating and hiding Mo Hospital Cat in a selfless effort to brighten the spirits of their colleagues.

We applaud this individual’s work, enthusiasm, passion, kindness and inclusiveness.

If you have an idea for a story, guest speaker or group exercise that illustrates UC Davis Health’s values, please contact us at [email protected].