One of the most famous cruise ship captains has experienced unexpected heartbreak this holiday season.
Kate McCue, also known as Captain Kate on social media, announced on Instagram today that her beloved cat, Bug, has sadly passed away. According to Captain Kate’s post, Bug had complications from a routine dental surgery the day after Christmas.
In her caption on Instagram, Captain Kate heartbreakingly wrote, “Bug passed away last night from complications after a routine dental cleaning and tooth extraction. She was surrounded at home by our family and enough love to fill this universe.”
Bug was only 8 years old at the time of her passing. Captain Kate shared in her post, “8 years and 6 months that we were blessed to spend together. The greatest of sidekicks, the sweetest of angels, the saltiest of seafaring cats, Bug was one in a billion.”
Continuing, Captain Kate expressed, “We are devastated. Our hearts have been ripped from our chests. Bug, we will look for you in every rainbow and never forget the joy you brought every second of your brief life. Forever yours, Mum & Dad.”
According to Captain Kate’s website, Bug was an “aqua-eyed, seal point, elf-eared sphinx cat” who had been sailing with Kate since she was only three months old. Bug has traversed the globe with Captain Kate, spending most of her life at sea. In fact, Bug preferred to be at sea where she could enjoy warm weather most of the year and floor-to-ceiling windows in her cabin.
Bug was named after Captain Kate’s nickname growing up, which was “Love Bug”. During her time onboard, Bug would join Captain Kate in hosting “Bug Trivia” where guests could win a snuggle with Bug herself, along with a collector’s pin. Bug was a fan favorite for both social media followers and passengers onboard Captain Kate's ships.
Captain Kate was the first American woman to become captain of a mega cruise ship when she became commanding officer of Celebrity Cruise's Celebrity Summit in 2015. When the brand-new Celebrity Beyond debuted in 2022, Captain Kate was named captain of the new Edge class ship.
Bug was often featured on Kate’s social media and could be seen modeling one of her many cat-sized outfits. Captain Kate estimated that Bug had more than a hundred outfits for her travels onboard Celebrity Beyond. In fact, Bug needed to wear UV-protective clothing to stay safe in the sun while cruising.
Because Bug lived with Kate in her cruise cabin, she lived a unique life for most felines. Captain Kate would give Bug a bath “about every other day due to build-up on her skin” and explained Bug’s love of the bathtub in her cabin. “She really enjoys baths to the point that she’ll get in the tub by herself and start pulling in her toys," said Captain Kate.
While sailing onboard Celebrity Beyond, Captain Kate has become very popular online with a massive social media presence. She posts on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube regularly to her millions of followers, chronicling her onboard day-to-day life as Celebrity Beyond’s captain. Captain Kate has more than three million followers on TikTok, 81k followers on YouTube and nearly one million followers on Instagram.
Captain Kate posts frequently on social media, including her daily “Captain’s Log” series on Instagram. During the episodes, Captain Kate talks about her day onboard Celebrity Beyond and explains any unusual, exciting or notable events that occurred that day.
In one of her more recent Captain’s Log episodes, she explained how she was able to get Bug approved to live onboard with her.
Initially denied permission to have a pet, Captain Kate argued her case by mentioning other captains who had pets, including parrots and cats. Her first companion request was for a monkey from St. Kitts, but the request was denied. While scrolling on Instagram, she became fascinated with sphynx cats and asked for one instead. This request was approved, and Bug sailed with Captain Kate on all four ships she has captained.
“And she's like having a piece of home,” said Captain Kate.
Allie Hubers
Allie Hubers has been cruising since she was a tiny toddler. What started as a yearly vacation with family quickly turned into a passion for travel, cruising and adventure. Allie's been on over 45 cruises all over the world. She even studied abroad on Semester at Sea, sailing the world on a ship while taking courses for college and visiting 4 continents.
