Category: NaBloPoMo

The last several years have been full of upheaval and frankly very taxing. In self defense, I scaled way back on extracurricular activities and gave myself permission to fill my free time with mainly friend-related activities and my band. I had been doing quite a bit of volunteer work before that, but I quit almost all of it.

A couple of weeks ago I got an email that one of the pet stores where my favorite animal rescue group keeps cats was in need of a regular Tuesday night volunteer. I thought for a moment about whether I was ready to commit to a weekly volunteer shift and decided I was.

Tonight was my first night back and I realized I've really missed working with the adoptable cats.

Right now the store has five cats and two "teenager" kittens. I let them all out of their kennels at the same time to run around in the back room while I cleaned their cages, scooped their litter boxes, refilled their food and water dishes, and washed both sides of the plexiglass so they'll be easier to see.

As an added bonus, there's a Trader Joe's in the same shopping center, so Tuesday nights will also be grocery nights. I can work with that.

I'm looking forward to getting to know all the cats' names and cheering them on as they find their permanent homes. It's good to be back.

It's been nearly a year since we took in Izzy, née Sooty. Once we learned that he had chronic kidney disease, we pretty much gave up on the idea of getting someone else to take him. He's long since been assimilated into the household to live out his life as happily as possible.

We support his health with kidney supplements and all the meals he wants of his favorite food. He's at a reasonable weight under the circumstances and you wouldn't know he had health concerns if not for the fact that he pees quite a lot.

I've gotten several reminders this week that he's been with us for a year. The first was a postcard from the veterinarian's office associated with the shelter where he was discovered informing me that 24182036 was due for a rabies shot. It was a rather stark reminder that if not for the person who called him to my attention on Facebook last year, the poor numbered cat's number would have been up.

The woman who found him at the shelter and shared his story re-shared it on my Facebook wall this week. I'd forgotten how rough he looked in that early photo. He's looking much handsomer today.

Finally, my own vet's office sent me a reminder postcard about the same rabies shot, but they still have him in their system as Sooty. I'll correct their records when I call to make an appointment for this weekend.

There in no doubt in Izzy's mind that I am his person. He sleeps next to me every night and spends as much time on my lap as possible. Even the dog gets a little jealous of him and sometimes crowds him off my lap when he feels the cat has had enough of my attention.

He's really quite well-behaved except for occasionally testing the boundaries of my least social cat, Trillian. He and Dr. Jones sometimes play, and he enjoys catnip, toys and cardboard scratchers even though he doesn't have front claws.

Of course, you could say that he pushed our cat population from "too many" to "way too many." Or you could say that he raised the number from "numerous" to "what's one more?"

So Happy Gotcha Day, Izzy! I'm glad you're with us.

Dear Dr. Jones.

I'd like to start on a positive note by praising the mentoring role you've assumed in relation to Toby. This the kind of commitment to diversity we like to see. Although it's clear that there are some cross-species communications barriers between you, we appreciate the fact that you have embraced him wholeheartedly, unlike some of your colleagues.

Unfortunately, some of your other behaviors of late are of concern.

First, there's the television. I know it's fascinating when a football moves across the screen, but I'm sure you've figured out by now that there's no chance you will ever catch the football. If you check your handbook you'll see it clearly states that touching the TV screen is never acceptable. Speaking of which, we can't help noticing that the entire television keeps ending up tilted downward in a most suspicious manner considering that it is firmly affixed to its stand. It seems almost as though an 18-pound cat keeps trying to climb on top. I'm not accusing you of anything but again, it is not okay to touch the TV.

On to the matter of food. Per your contract, you are provided with numerous premium quality meals every day at no charge. However, you have frequently been observed eating your colleagues' food. First of all, you are all given the same food at the same times throughout the day. Secondly, in addition to the regular food, you and you alone are given a special food that only you like. Why then would you feel the need to supplement your diet by taking food away from your cohorts? Please cease this rude, unfair and obesity-inducing behavior at once.*

Then there's your attitude toward certain of your co-workers. As mentioned before, your relationship with Toby is quite praiseworthy, as is your partnership with Trillian (a.k.a. Tiny). The fact that you and Trillian both deliberately aggravate Xena is where it all goes wrong. I'm aware that Xena is not as friendly as she might be, but she has her own role here and it is not helpful to pounce on her unexpectly when she's going about her own business. Rule of thumb: if someone is growling and hissing at you, stop what you're doing.

This also applies to your unhealthy fascination with Kaylee. I know she seems interesting and exotic because she works in our satellite office, but that is no excuse to sneak into the studio to stare at her and make her uncomfortable. You've been through the HR training, so I shouldn't need to clarify how inappropriate this behavior is.

Just to end on a high note, you get a solid B+ from all members of management for your superior lap-sitting qualities. All it would take to get you into the A range would be losing a couple of pounds to take some pressure off our knees.

Thanks for your time and consideration. I look forward to working with you to remedy these concerns and I will feel as though we have made progress if no one refers to you as an asshole within the next quarter. 

*It has come to our attention that you are not the food stealing culprit after all. In fact, it is Velvet, who will be appropriately reprimanded in her next review. Our apologizes for the false accusation.