Spring Cleaning
Over the weekend the Center held its [now to be] annual Clean-Up-The-Center-Saturday, and what a rousing success it was. So many people working harmoniously to make the Center as clean and shiny as it is loving and caring! Throughout the morning people arrived in twos and threes to do the much needed maintenance that is simply outside of the time constraints of our regular schedule. Fueled by coffee, bagels, delicious cookies and a mutual love for animals, every inch of the Center was scrubbed and buffed! Laundry, light fixtures, gardening—no task was to small or too daunting. We stopped short of scrubbing the residents, but I saw Pooh looking as though he thought a bath might be in the offing. Speaking of Pooh, this talented tuxedo sat down at Jenna’s computer and wrote the following letter to the editor of our local paper. I know he hopes he will see his work in print. Personally, I fear for my job as a blogger…this cat has talent! In case you miss seeing his letter in print, I am including it below:
Dear Editor,
My name is Pooh, and I am a very handsome tuxedo cat who is lucky enough to call With a Little Help From My Friends my home. I am what they call the “resident office cat”, but I prefer to think of myself as a Goodwill Ambassador. It is certainly true that everyone here loves me and praises my good looks and charm, but they were not aware that I could also write letters to the Editor. I just had to write on behalf of my fellow residents (most of whom are temporary guests while they await their forever homes) and tell you about the extraordinary day we had today. This place is busy, busy, busy, but today was the busiest of all! Today was our Annual Clean Up the Center Day! Wow, did we do a lot of work. Teams of cheerful volunteers washed every wall, and every floor was scrubbed! Some nice man even power-washed the whole outside of the building, including the ramps and patios. Teams of volunteers gardened, laundered, washed windows, and cleaned cabinets. We vacuumed vents, got the bugs out of the light fixtures (too bad, I liked those) and even cleaned the bird feeders! A lot more happened too, but those were the things I personally helped with. Of course, wonderful volunteers come every day and do things like clean and refresh our litter boxes, do our laundry, wash our dishes, and even walk the dogs! This wonderful Pet Crisis Center in Bellaire is a great place on any day, but today the whole community came together to help us be clean and shiny so that when people come to adopt us they are impressed by how nice and tidy we look and how happy we are. After all, no one likes to live in a dirty house—and, thanks to all the wonderful helpers who visited today, ours is as clean as can be! So, on behalf of Jenna and Mona and all of the regular volunteers, I want to thank the local community for what you gave to the Center today. Everyone worked as a team, had fun, accomplished hundreds of hours of work in a single day, and enjoyed the lovely coffee provided by a local coffee shop. We had cookies too, but I didn’t get to taste them because I am watching my figure. Oh, there was lots of petting and cuddling too! All in all, a day to remember!
Sincerely,
The Honorable Pooh—Goodwill Ambassador
With a Little Help From My Friends
Pet Crisis Center
Bellaire, Michigan
Not too bad for a young cat! I must say I was searching for grammatical errors and when I didn’t find any, well, I was a bit miffed!
In other news…kitten season has arrived in a cloud of cuteness! There are a total of nine babies in the cat/kitten rooms. Five are approaching eight weeks of age and our newest are with us at the tender age of one week. Along with Snow White, their nurturing mom, they came to us just in time for Mother’s Day. I must say that it is lovely to be surrounded by all of that kitten energy. I am fortunate enough to be fostering two three-week-olds myself. Bottle feedings around the clock are the norm, and when contemplating setting my alarm for 3 a.m. I sometimes feel unequal to the task. However when that alarm goes off and I stagger into the kitchen to fix the formula, I realize that these middle of the night moments are to be cherished. Sitting in the warmth of my laundry room (aka The Nursery) I am treated to a chorus of plaintive mews followed by the rumble of purring as the babies greedily gulp down their kitty milk. I try to alternate so that Rosie and Gertie take turns feeding first. What follows is a pathetic display of imminent starvation from kitty #2. Eventually, however, everyone ends up with a full belly and it is playtime. At three weeks of age, playtime usually consists of inexpert lunges at my feet, a blanket or, rarely, the other kitty. If contact is accidentally made, ear chewing is their preferred form of contact. Their teeth are just barely breaking through, but there is enough that an ear chomp is rewarded with an indignant screech. Eventually the kitties tire out and, after a final slurp or two on the dregs of the bottle, collapse in my lap. As I gently put them to bed in their snug little playpen, I am reminded of how, for me at least, the simplest pleasures are often the best. Sure, it is great to buy a new car, or take a fancy vacation, but seeing the contentment on the faces of my sleeping babies eclipses the material world. Soon they will return to their soon to be forever home, and I will return to my first love, nurturing the “more mature” cats at the Center. For now since it is time for the 10 p.m. feeding I sign off, with a heart full of gratitude for our volunteers and for the chance to see the sweetness of new life right here in my home.
