SUSAN LOESCH

As our fall semester gets underway I thought it might be fun to tell you how our Library Cat Program got its start. To do that you have to meet Piper, a bobtail orange tabby who has just had his 10th birthday.

Piper came into my life in September, 2000, when he was just 5 weeks old. He had been
found in a drainpipe at a big grocery store; someone heard him crying. He was rescued by Care for Animals, and they asked me to foster him.

Oh, my goodness, did I fall in love with him! The first thing this little ball of fluff did was cuddle up under my chin and nurse on my neck. To this day he still does that, especially when he is nervous. (more…)

SUSAN LOESCH

As the summer turns to July it is time for another field trip, and our intrepid adventurer of the week is Shadow.

We waited until evening to head to PetSmart. Objective: food and a new collar. Everyone loved Shadow’s manly zebra print collar, but it kept coming off until he finally lost it to some feline hidey-hole beyond my reach.

This was Shadow’s first time to venture out into the real world rather than his familiar library. As we entered the store, we heard dogs barking, and he looked at me like he wondered if I’d lost my mind bringing him to such a place. As he wiggled around, I was wondering the same thing! (more…)

SUSAN LOESCH

Thursday was Tank’s last work day for the year and my 6^th graders’ last day in elementary.  What a day!

The day before, Shadow and I had gone to their classroom for a graduation picture. Many of these kids were Big Footsie’s and mine from the time they were kindergarteners.

They are all so excited and look so grown up; I smile at memories of them in their early years at the School for the Blind and it looks very natural to see a black cat in Makayla’s arms. (more…)