Third Week: Cats

       Two blog posts in one day, phew! Today was the first day of my week in cats. I am going to be stationed at Cat Headquarters. When I got there this morning, I watched a safety video and got a tour of the building. After my tour, I started working with Dale and Barbara. I spent most of my morning cleaning the catteries (AKA where the cats live). There are 31 cats at Cat HQ, and majority of these cats are there because of behavioral problems. Behavioral problems can mean anything from shyness, to self-mutilating behavior. After I got done cleaning the catteries, I took Miri for a walk. Yes, they use harnesses to take cats for walks, and they also take cats on stroller rides! As you can see, Miri and I didn't get too far...

Here's an example of some shy kitties. This is Kudos and Nacho. I zoomed in for this picture; they're near the very top of their cattery on a ledge!

This is Nala. Just chillin' out in her basket!

       After lunch, Dale and Barbara told me that there was going to be a placement ceremony for Fatima. Fatima crossed over (Best Friends' refers to an animal's passing as 'crossing over') in the beginning of May. Today, they had her placement ceremony at Angels' Overlook. A few other caregivers from cats also showed up. It was a short, but beautiful ceremony. The amount of love and thought that goes into burying the animals is unbelievable. Although I never knew Fatima, I was so moved by this ceremony, and by the kind words that the caregivers said in her honor. Simply being in Angels' Overlook, I could sense the love and serenity that those animals had. What a wonderful experience that I am very fortunate to have been a part of.

       After the placement ceremony, I spent the rest of my afternoon walking cats, playing with cats, and socializing with cats. It was an easy afternoon, to say the least! Hopefully I will make some more cat friends by the end of this week. We will see!