10 years a volunteer?

 So, recently one of my fellow volunteers down at the Purrfect Pals cat room mentioned that she'd been doing this for ten years. I got to wondering how long I'd been at it myself, thinking it must have been at least that long. 

 

Unfortunately I've only kept sporadic records, which has gotten even more so since my handwriting has gotten worse, but I do post a write-up to my blog --not every week, but more often than not.

 

I did turn up a notebook in which I kept a record running from W. Jan. 18th 2012 through W. July 3rd 2013. Each page lists each cat by name, whether he or she ate, drank, peed, or pooped, as well as who had a walk, often with some additional notes about a cat's favorite game, health issues,* and any striking behavior.

 

I know that the person who organized the volunteers when I was first there left not that long after, and died not that long after that, around March 2011. And I know that the person who took over and coordinated things between the Tukwila cat-room's group of volunteers for years told me she started volunteering in October 2009, and I know she had already been there a while when I joined up.

 

So I can't be sure, but it seems like I must have started sometime in 2011. Possibly in 2010. 

 

That's a lot of cats, some of who are just a blur, while others stay vividly in the memory . Like Moreo, the best walker we ever had --he even went outside the store a few times (till we got told don't do that). 

 

Or Edna Jane, who for weeks lurked at the back of her cage and swatted at any hand that came near her, who one day let me pick her up, put on the leash, and walk her. She'd decided we weren't cat-eating fiends. From then on she was like a different cat, friendly and sociable and soon adopted.

 

Or little black ball of fluff Amy Lynd, who one day was out for a little walk when she realized that all those bags on all those shelves, row after row, were full of catnip. 

 

Or Old Man Hank, who was determined to cheat on his diet at every opportunity, in each walk visiting the likely spots where a morsel of kibble may have fallen out of sight and falling upon it with satisfaction. 

 

Or Tessa, I think her name was: a blind cat who nonetheless was one of our best walkers

 

And so many more. I'm glad Janice talked me into volunteering as a cat socializer. It's been a good ten (-ish) years.

 

--John R.

 

 

*this is where I learned about the dreaded Calici virus, and how to spot the warning signs