Stick on the Job
Do you know any working pets? Many are high profile such as guide dogs, hearing dogs and guard dogs. You have sled dogs, herding dogs and hunting dogs. You even have therapeutic horses. But you don't often hear about working cats.
What are some jobs for cats? Well, there's the tried and true mouser. Or maybe you'll find a cat "working" in a shop, greeting guests at a B&B or helping out in a nursing home or hospital. All of those pats and pets are good for the patient as well as the working feline.
After twelve years of leisure, our cat Stick Tail has a job. In 2007, he moved to Bellingham to live with my 91-year young mom. When we are in town, we get visiting rights. But the majority of the time he is on the job up in her condo. Here are some of his tasks:
- Begging for food even if the dish isn't empty
- Sitting next to her to watch the Wheel of Fortune
- Crawling in bed after breakfast so it can't be made
- Staring at the fireplace until it is started
- Giving her ball of yarn a big whack
- Sleeping, sleeping and more sleeping
It's a demanding job, but someone has to do it. Who better than Stick (Mom calls him Kitty Cat). Stick now has an even more important role. His picture helped Mom stay grounded through four long weeks of hospitalization and rehab following back surgery. Now that she's home, his furby kind of love is just what the doctor ordered.
Do you know a working pet? Let us hear his or her story. - Margy
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What a demanding job this poor cat has! I think it might be time to contact some animal rights activists. It sounds like a truly grueling job! Really, though, what I want to know is how he got the name "Stick?"
ReplyDeleteAh Lizziviggi - that is an interesting story. Glad you asked. When he first adopted us down in Pomona, California, he wandered in from the hill behind our condo. Even though we lived in the city, there were coyotes roaming right up to the back of our yard. One of them caught Stick by the tail. Stick survived, but his tail got a little shorter. We took him to the vet. His tail was shaved to the base and the end trimmed and stitched up. When he came home, he looked like he had a "stick tail" and the name stuck. Probably much to his chagrin. - Margy
ReplyDeleteLooks like Stick is his doing just what his job description entails. Great job, Stick. Cute post Margy.
ReplyDeleteLucky cat Stick is...no wonder he works so hard now!
ReplyDeleteGood to hear that your beautiful mom is back in her home. What a good companion Stick is for her.
ReplyDeleteLove his stick short tail/tale story. He is one tough cat and is purrrrrfect!