Peter (The Girl in the Train)

In the short story The Girl in the Train, Peter is a cat belonging to the cook in William Rowland's house. After George Rowland had been fired from his job and driven from the house, he wanted to set forth like "Duke Whittington" to seek his fortune and considered that like Whittington, he ought to bring along a cat. However Peter, actually a female, was not available: during the night she had eight kittens.