Nutmeg the Magic Key Terrace Cat Passes Away at Disney California Adventure

Spencer Lloyd

It is with great sadness that we must report Nutmeg, the feral cat who frequently popped up at Magic Key Terrace in Disney California Adventure, has passed away.

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Nutmeg was one of Disneyland Resort’s feral cats, tasked with keeping the rat population down around the parks and ensuring the only rodents guests see are Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Nutmeg roamed the park quite often, but had an affinity for the Magic Key Terrace lounge at Disney California Adventure.

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Nutmeg was so beloved by Imagineers and Disneyland Cast Members like in fact, that they were even integrated into the tiling when Magic Key Terrace was reimagined in 2021. Their frequent perch along the concrete wall is accented with tiling of them, front and center.

Hardcore Disneyland fans may know that feral cats have become a staple of the resort’s after-hours operations. The cats are reportedly well cared for, with Disney providing stations for feeding, medical care, and neutering services. But this cat in particular was so beloved by Cast Members at Magic Key Terrace that there was a drink named for Nutmeg — made with Myers dark rum, Bailey’s Irish Cream, Frangelico hazelnut liqueur, and apricot liqueur and selling for $16 as a “secret menu” drink.

In 2021, the culinary director of Disney California Adventure, Jeremiah Balogh, explained to the Orange County Register, “We have lots of friends that like to visit us, and some of them are four-legged friends. We have a resident cat that will come and visit guests and Cast Members whenever he or she feels lonely.”

Many of these cats stay hidden throughout the day, although guests occasionally spot them out and about during opening time. It’s the overnight shift when they’re on the prowl, keeping the non-animated mice and rats out of the Disneyland Resort parks.

Let us know if you got to meet Nutmeg when they were alive in the comments below.

The Nutmeg Cocktail

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This secret menu item is named for the cat who roams the back wooded area of the Terrace. Unfortunately, this was very unmemorable for being a secret menu item.

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The presentation was a beautiful cream color with the ground nutmeg sprinkled on top. However, all we could initially taste was alcohol.

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After sitting for a bit, this did become more drinkable and we could distinguish the Bailey’s and the cream. If you enjoy creamy drinks then this is worth a try, but ours was definitely boozy. So we would be willing to give this a try again, but not our first choice.

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Author

  • Spencer Lloyd

    Spencer Lloyd is a college student/parks addict living in Tokyo. He runs TDRPlans.com, a comprehensive source for information and travel planning related to Tokyo Disney Resort. And fun fact, he is the only person in history to have been in the same ride vehicle as Tom Corless.