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| Miss Kitty |
In Shepherdstown, West Virginia,
Miss Kitty oversees an eclectic shop called Creative Distractions and Whimsical
Necessities. We met her human on the street, shortly after the shop opened, and
found out that Miss Kitty loves to pose for visitors; however, refuses to sit
still for any photographs by the owner of the shop. Despite knowing that her food
comes from her human, I think that Miss Kitty appreciates that the money for
that food is based on the customers visiting the shop.
Dr. Pickles has one of the best
lives a feline can have. He is the shop cat for The Book Trader, a used
bookstore in Philadelphia. The bookstore, open since 1975, inhabits a building
in the Old City section of the city not far from the river. In addition to having
access to a shop with narrow aisle constructed of shelves stuffed with books,
videos and movies that offer ample hideaways for a nap, it also is good place
to meet sedate humans interested in browsing the shelves. I wondered if there
was a side job of controlling the mouse population in the building, but Dr. Pickles
was not saying. Recently, the bookstore has begun printing cards of the cats available
for purchase. I suspect that the endeavor helps to support feline employee’s food
supply; so, of course, I purchased one.
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| Dr. Pickles showing me where his food is kept (just in case) |
On my walk on the Cumberland Valley Rail Trail, I have met a group of barn cats near Ott Road over the last few months. An expectant mother cats was especially friendly during the summer. But on a mid-November Friday afternoon, two different cats carefully watched me as I walked by, while a third lurked in the underbrush several feet further away. The tortoise shell lingered, hiding behind some bushes; a blank-and-white shorthair was a little braver and stood on a large boulder eyeing me keenly. I squatted in a catcher’s stance for a couple of minutes to see if either were brave enough to come to me. A downy woodpecker tapped out a steady rhythm on a nearby tree, while a blue jay cried in alarm overhead. Both cats waited patiently as I remained quiet and watched. The black-and-white felt comfortable enough to lie down and begin to doze. Both were probably expecting something to eat, and I contemplated whether I should bring a small bag of cat food the next time I walk this section of the trail.
