She’s a petite pescatarian with green eyes and perky ears. Her brown hair is highlighted with streaks of black and apricot. Something about her staggering gait is endearing.
She’s a cute little cat with thyroid and neurological issues and she recently moved into our house.
Pippi had been the office cat for The Coastal Star for 11 years. She ruled the roost since she was a tiny kitten — shredding her stuffed mice across the floor and inspecting everyone’s carried-in lunch.
Through the years and multiple serious health issues, she prevailed.
The plan had always been for this particular foundling to live with our office manager, Kathleen, should we ever need to move the fluffy one from the office. Heartbreakingly, Kathleen died of brain cancer complications long before that could occur.
Pippi has never really been the same. I believe she misses her breakfast companion, who regularly shared some cream cheese from her morning bagel.
Relocating our newspaper office recently left us with no choice but to move our special-needs office cat to a new home.
Although we had gracious adoption offers from staff, my husband and I decided she needed a quiet place to live out her final years. So here she is — a cat that exemplifies the nature versus nurture conundrum.
Having lived mostly alone throughout her life, she’s unlike any other feline I’ve taken in. I don’t know how she’s going to react to a Christmas tree, visiting children or large family dinners. But I suspect she’ll adjust to the holidays just fine.
There’s no question that she’s an odd little cat, but also no doubt she’s a survivor.
I’m hopeful we can say the same for the humans in our area who will be struggling to find housing and feed themselves and their families this coming month. I think the least I can do is earmark the same amount I spend on pet care in a month (special food, vet bills and compounded medications aren’t cheap) to an organization helping to house and feed local families in need.
Some even help with food for family pets. This feels like a simple holiday pledge I can make and keep. If you’re a pet lover like I am, I hope you’ll do the same.
If you have questions about where to donate, contact your local library, police or firefighters. They’ll help guide you.
— Mary Kate Leming, Executive Editor Emeritus
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