A stray cat showed up at the Alamo in 1981 and had to be coaxed out of a tree by one of the Alamo Rangers who was on night guard duty. The cat became a fixture at the historic site and was given the name Ruby LeGato. She would hang out in the Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library during the day and go on night patrol with the rangers. She eventually became a celebrity at Texas' most historic site and when she gave birth to kittens in 1982, a TV news camera crew showed up to report on the blissful event. Ruby zealously guarded the grounds of the Alamo fending off other stray cats, raccoons, dogs or any other varmint that strayed onto her turf. Unfortunately Ruby drowned in 1986 on the Alamo grounds. Special permission by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas was given for Ruby to be buried in a beautiful garden spot on the Alamo grounds; a wooden marker was placed there and has since been replaced by a bronze plaque. Ruby is now immortalized in Rita Kerr's book, "The Alamo Cat".