SUSAN LOESCH
CATS IN THE STACKS

What a busy few days we have had, with the final Acelerated Reader rally coming up and students reading to reach their goals so that they can go on their reward field trips. I have been busy taking the last few reading poster pictures and creating the posters.

Friday, Hexie was here for her photo shoot. She posed gracefully every time she was asked and then busied herself offering to be held and checking on the students as they worked.

“I love her feet, one student said. She has the skinniest feet of all the library cats.”

She is the smallest and lightest cat we’ve had for a long time.

This was only her second visit, but you’d think she’d been coming for years she was so relaxed.

Today, Shadow is here. More students need their poster pictures taken, and they have asked for Shadow to pose with them.

Hexie may be the smallest kitty we’ve had in some time, but Shadow has got to be the busiest!

He reminds me of a young Footsie, into everything, on everything (including my computer keyboard), knocking things off the counter right and left!

“Good job, Shadow,” the kids tell him. They are loving having another cat who knocks things over like Footsie did.

Shadow started the day visiting with Lea.

“He should be the main library cat,” she said. “He is just perfect.”

He enjoyed her petting and thought her black fingernail polish was cool. It does, after all, match his shiny coat.

Mr. G. came in to say hi to Shadow and check out his new very masculine zebra-patterned collar. “That collar gives you a whole new persona, Dude,” he told Shadow.

Several of today’s pictures were taken with the third graders.

After approving of his photo, one of the boys gave Shadow’s claws a closer inspection.

“Why are they so sharp?” he asked. “And why do they stick out?” “Do you have some of those special scissors to cut them?”

I know it is supposed to be “Books Before Cats” around here, but it was just such a great time to show how to clip a cat’s claws and explain how claws work. Shadow was the perfect gentlemen both while his claws were inspected and while they were clipped.

That, however, was the last time that period that he was still, and our “Books Before Cats” rule went out the window!

The kids started playing with him with string and cat toys. Shadow chased the string and the kids chased him. The kids were laughing and talking all at once, and Shadow just played on.

We all had a good time having “Cats Before Books” for a day! We are nothing around here if not flexible.