SUSAN LOESCH

CATS IN THE STACKS

I was online checking out the voting for the 10th weekly contest of the Bissell Most Valuable Pet Contest when Brianna came in the library.

“Is the contest still going on?” she asked. I told her that the 10th week voting was taking place and there were two more weeks before Alex and the rest of the weeks’ winners go head-to-head in the finals.

“Well,” she said. “Alex is going to win. But if he doesn’t, we won’t tell him. We will just keep it a secret from him!”

Alex is still the only orange tabby amongst the weekly winners but he has some formidable competition. We still have to keep our fingers crossed.

One of the things I am going to do over spring break is take Alex to Petsmart to spend the gift card he won for placing 4th place in one of the weekly Bissell contests.

I’ve been thinking of spending it all on Fancy Feast Appetizers, and when I asked Mary what she thought she told me that I should “buy him a year’s supply of Fancy Feast,.” Because “That would make him happy!”

She is right about that. Mr. Alex, who never says one word, has never meowed at all, has come up with a tiny squeak when he wants Fancy Feast. He knows that when I give him a half can in the morning there is another half can just waiting.

He follows me around, asking, with either a little squeak or a heart-melting silent meow for the rest.

He trained me to hand over that second half can, and then he trained me to put down a second can during the day. Either he is a great teacher or I am a fast learner!

He definitely is a good listener. He sat quietly on the counter as one of our mobility instructors read a story to him and “Big Alex”. One of our students is another Alex and laughs when I call the two guys Big Alex and Little Alex.

The book they heard was familiar to Little Alex…it is called Alex’s Story…My Life So Far! The story of Baby Alex, who grew up to be a real Library Cat. We are going to have to write a new book to update his life after this year as Head Library Cat.

Yesterday Alex discovered the cat grass, now several inches tall, which my second graders planted a couple of weeks ago.

That was to be his St. Patrick’s Day surprise, but the girls will give it to him today.

He is already wearing his shamrock-print bandana in celebration of the day.

I wonder if he is singing “Mew-ra-loora-loora” to himself and wishing everyone a Happy St. CATrick’s Day?