SUSAN LOESCH

A new week, and it’s back to work for Shadow, head library cat at Arkansas School for the Blind.

The excitement hasn’t worn off for either the kids or Shadow. He is, however, settling back into the job, and there are signs that he already feels like it is his library.

One of the things he does first every morning is knock one of Big Footsie’s photos down the book return. He then makes sure my computer is working. That involves standing on the keyboard and making sure he gets just the right “beep, beep,  beep.” Sometimes it takes lying on the keyboard to be sure.

I’m settling in, too, and remembering a few of the things I’d forgotten about having a feline co-worker.

Number one rule is don’t … absolutely DO NOT … put my coffee cup down any place that Shadow can reach. It WILL be knocked over no matter how full of hot coffee it is.

Yep, I was reminded of that the hard way, and it involved a whole lot of paper towels. Maybe I should also mention that said cup of coffee was right by my computer.

Also, do not leave my lunch sitting on my desk. Only part of it will be
there later if I don’t guard it.

On the positive side, if I am caught talking to myself I can always say I was
talking to Shadow.

Shad’s first customers of the day were some of my fifth graders, coming to get books. All decked out in a handsome yellow bandana, he made it hard for them to follow our “Books Before Cats” rule as he tried to help them pick out books. He continued to offer his help to everyone who came in all morning.

Shadow switched from bandana to a tie before the first graders came.

He took time for a visit from his buddy Mr. Gould, our instrumental music instructor, who had a little man-to-man advice.

“That tie,” he told Shadow, “is too loud for this job. It looks more like something you’d wear on vacation in Florida to attract the babes.”

Everyone got a laugh out of that.

My first graders, who have asked, on a weekly basis, when the cats would be back, were so excited to come to the library. We’ve been working on our “Books Before Cats” rule for a week now, and they had it down, hard as it was to follow.

While Shadow spent time in my office, we had a fun library skills activity. Inspired by Laura Numeroff’s books, each student completed the sentence, “When you give a Library Cat a…” and then added their illustrations.

We had “When you give a library cat a piece of gum he will get fat” and “When you give a Library cat a pretty bow she will want a friend.”

Library skills out of the way, out came Shadow. The kids held him, squeezed him, crawled cat-like on the floor after him, meowing all the way and, of course, fed him lots of treats. I think Shadow had a ball, and I know the kids did.

Later in the day Makayla came in; she has always been one of my biggest cat lovers and one of Big Footsie’s biggest fans.

Probably not a week goes by that she doesn’t mention him.

Shadow was rolling on the desk and of course knocked off books, pictures, pencils and more.

“He’s gonna be just like Big Footsie,” Makayla exclaimed.

“He’s taking Big Footsie’s place.” Then she stopped.

“No, “she said,” Nobody can ever take Big Footsie’s place. Shadow is just covering for him!”

Then she asked me to take a picture of her holding our portraits of Footsie and Alex.

So as we head toward the close of the school year we finally have our kids and cats back together.

Shadow is settling in as our new head library cat, and we have a new normal.

He isn’t Big Footsie, or Alex; he is making the job all his own.

Every one seems to agree that Shadow is already doing a great job filling some awfully big paws here at ASB.

SUSAN LOESCH

If it is late September, it must be time for Halloween costume shopping!

This is always a high point for me and the Library Cats, but this year we have no “cats in our stacks.” Our Library Cat program has been suspended by the administration at the Arkansas School for the Blind.

That hasn’t stopped us from getting excited about Halloween, though, and Barney and I headed to PetSmart today because he has a very important job coming up! World Zombie Day is 10-10-10, and this
year there is going to be a huge Zombie Walk and afterparty in the River Market area.

You can find out about this event for all ages at www.zombie.88watts.net.

We in Feline Rescue and Rehome (FuRR) are doubly excited because this event is a fund raiser for three area rescue groups, and FuRR is one of them!

We will all, including Barney, be walking to end animal abuse.

So off we went! We hadn’t been looking at costumes for more than a minute when we met Rhonda, who adopted one of our Katrina kitties, a beautiful calico. How happy we were to hear that she is doing just great!

“I have heard all about you,” she told Barney, and she knew who Big Footsie was.

That left Barney and me both smiling.

Barney’s smile didn’t last very long, though! He was not as patient trying costumes on as Alex was last year.

Footsie never had to try costumes on; his wearing bat wings was a tradition that couldn’t be broken.

We started off slowly, trying on simple angel wings. Nope. Barney’s much-less-than-angelic expression made me eliminate that one right off!

Next we tried on my very favorite, a tiger costume. Everyone who saw him commented on what a cute tiger he made. Cute, yes. Happy, no!

Ok, so Barney isn’t much for anything that goes on his head. No tiger costume and no witch hat, even though it was beautifully decorated and included great purple hair.

Then we found a great cowboy hat. Not only did Barney not like it, he wouldn’t stay still for a photo without me holding him! We were running out of choices, and then I saw something that might work.

It was a red cape with the wording “Lil Devil” on the back and a great devil’s tail. Barney indicated that he could live with that one, so we made our choice!

As we were rolling down an aisle, Barney’s head all of a sudden turned to look at the treats, so we stopped and picked out some healthy “free range chicken treats.”

As we rolled away, Barney reached out and pulled another package of less healthy treats into the basket.

“OK, Barney,” I told him. “You deserve any treats you want!”

Off we went to the checkout stand, where Barney climbed out of the basket and up onto the cash register to help the checker. He “helped” by causing the cash register to begin to buzz. A manager had to figure out how to stop the noise.

PetSmart may never be the same, but we sure had fun!

SUSAN LOESCH

Here we are back at school; it’s Registration Day, when the kids come back. I remember this day last year, Alex with me, bad news about Footsie to deliver to the kids. I wondered if we would make it through the year.

Make it we did, even with Alex’s sudden death, and now a new year begins.

Shadow, Barney, Hexie and Tank will share Library Cat duties, with Shadow and Barney as co-Head
Library Cats.

They all got plenty of work experience with our weekly field trips during the summer.

Shadow was here with me the week the staff had meetings, and he has had a ball!

Lots of staff members have come by to say hello to him, and he has been at his charming best as he greeted them!

Mail continues to come in during the summer, so the library is always piled high when I come back in August. To Shadow this made for a wonderful playground, boxes stacked on the front desk so high that he could go face-to-face with the great white shark model some of the kids created in
art years ago. It will “swim” in the air over the desk until the day I retire and then it will “dive.”

Shadow met his good friend, our instrumental music director, with enthusiasm.

I think they were both smiling as Shadow rolled and head-butted as he was petted. Mr. G. pronounced him very Footsie-esque, which is a big compliment. His Footsie traits include not only the good things but some not so good!

One of the first things Shadow did was go for the Styrofoam cup full of coffee on my desk and knock it over. That got the cup out of his way so he could roll on the desk and my keyboard!

When one of our mobility instructors, Ms. Pam, came in, he was ready to play and rolled and played with her hand.

She brings her mobility students to the library, and they get some kitty time as part of their lessons.

Our English teacher, Ms. Cynda, had ordered lots of books for her students and she came up to see what we had gotten in.

Shadow helped her unpack the boxes and look through the books.

We all think the kids will be excited with the new reading material.

Every time I left the library, Shadow sat looking at the door, talking.

When I would come back, there he was, watching for me.

He was probably thinking, “Come on back, Mom, we have work to do to get ready for our kids!”

It won’t be long; another year of adventures is about to begin.

SUSAN LOESCH

Imagine what the very best field trip would be like! Whatever you came up with couldn’t possibly be any more fun than what Barney and Shadow did Saturday.

The guys got all spiffied up in their bandanas and headed downtown to The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, where Ms. Krisha of Rescue in the Rock had invited us to visit the newsroom.

We were scheduled to go to a budget meeting and meet lots of the newspaper staff.

We arrived a little early so Barney and Shadow could adjust to their new surroundings before meeting every one. Adjustment time? Not needed!

The guys hit the floor or, rather the conference table, completely at home. Barney talked a lot to Ms. Krisha; she had brought lots of treats and it took the guys no time to chow down on some great catnip-flavored ones.

That will have to go on my next shopping list because they sure were a hit.

As the meeting filled up, Barney and Shadow moved around the table from person to person, making sure everyone stayed on task and kept things moving.

Every one was good-natured about all the fuzzy help!

After the meeting broke up, we headed out for a tour of the newsroom with Ms. Krisha as our guide.

She pointed out the various editors’ offices, the copy desk, design desk and photography department.

Shadow looked over the shoulder of one of the photographers as he worked on the computer.

Gee, no cat pictures on the screen, so Shadow and Barney moved on.

We stopped and visited with people as we made our way around the newsroom.

Shadow found an empty box and tried it out, and Barney explored inside a huge newspaper recycling bin.

I think both guys felt really at home as they discovered the copy desk reference books! Now here was something they knew all about!

We saw the copier that prints out proofs of coming articles, and Shadow gave editing a try, red pen ready to mark away.

Barney surprised everyone by showing us that he is quite an accomplished leash-walker. Both of the guys were wearing a harness and leash for safety.

Barney walked through the newsroom as if he were born to leash-walk; Shadow, on the other hand, tolerated the harness. He is more of a leash-flopper, melting onto the floor and rolling rather than walking.

When Barney took a break on one of the desks, what should he find next to him but the Unstable Chicken, a really personable chicken statue that’s a fixture on the copy desk. They made quite a pair.

We took a break back in the conference room where Barney and Shadow got to meet 10-year-old Audra, who had come to work with her dad, sports copy editor Rob Cox.

“Which cat do you like best?” she asked her dad when they came in the room.

She fed Barney and Shadow treats; how they had room for any more I don’t know, but they ate all Audra offered them.

Before she left, she told me, “I think I like them both!”

I’m with Audra; let’s face it, there is no way to choose one over the other when it comes to picking a Head Library Cat.

We’ll just have to have two Head Library Cats; if I wasn’t sure of that before Saturday, this field trip made the decision for me.

We headed out for one last swing through the newsroom. First stop: The copy desk.

It was a cat’s dream … rows of people all with treats ready and hands just waiting to pet the furry visitors.

We made a stop in the sports department. Shadow’s Harley-Davidson bandana was a hit there, and once again, the supply of petting and chin scratches seemed almost endless.

Both of the guys stopped to check out the work going on at the design desk. As Shadow moved on, though, Barney stopped to give his input.

He and local section designer Mike Simmons carried on a conversation, with Barney’s
end being expressed in his deep grumpy-sounding meow.

“I have said the same thing,” Mike told him. “And in the same tone of voice!”

More than one person said they thought the newsroom should have a full-time cat around. I know Barney and Shadow agree; I noticed them look longingly at the many stacks of papers and books on the desks. Betcha they were thinking how much fun it would be to knock all the stacks over and do a little rearranging.

If an Editor Cat job opens up, I will have to keep it a secret from Barney and Shadow. They had such a good time I am afraid they might want to switch jobs.

SUSAN LOESCH

CATS IN THE STACKS

From time to time, one of my students will ask me who my oldest cat is, and the answer is Lucky, who is almost 17 years old.

He was trapped as a 3-month old feral kitten, along with his brother, Star and his sister, Juli. Lucky is the only survivor now. I think the kids are always amazed to hear about a cat that is as old as they are, or older.

“When are you bringing Lucky?” is a question I have heard over and over.

Tisa, who has been my student since kindergarten and who is nearly the same age as Lucky, brought up the subject again not long before school was out.

“Well, why not bring him,” I thought. So I set a day that Tisa would be in the library and told both her and Lucky that we had a date.

Lucky has actually been to school once, years ago. It was when Tisa was in kindergarten, and we think they met then. It was about time they got reacquainted!

Lucky has always been calm and laid back, except for the first few days after he was trapped.

He tamed down in the blink of an eye, faster than either Star or Juli did. I wasn’t sure, though, that he would remain calm and laid back when it came to hanging out in the library with the kids.

Oh, me of little faith!

Lucky hopped out of the carrier and immediately began to explore. He talked and talked, but it was conversational in tone, not distressed. He made his way to the computer to keep Patrick company.

“Hey, he likes me!” Patrick petted him as Lucky hung out by his chair.

Soon Tisa came in, and Lucky let her pick him up and hold him. When he got down he followed her all over the library, answering her as she talked to him.

“Oh, Ms. Loesch,” she said over and over. “Thank you for bringing Lucky for me.”

As the day wore on, Lucky amazed me more and more. He explored the library, jumped up on the computer desks to help out and posed for pictures as everyone admired him.

Before long I had lots of kids hanging out with Lucky, and someone suggested trying on Footsie’s Harley bandana and Alex’s Harley cap.

Well, what can I say … Lucky was a natural-born biker cat!

That called for more pictures, of course, and Lucky basked in the attention and admiration.

What a fun day we all had, Lucky included!

The comment I heard multiple times was, “Is Lucky coming back next year?”

I told the kids that we just might work out an occasional visit, and I bet Lucky will be looking forward to school starting in August since he had such a good time in May!

SUSAN LOESCH

CATS IN THE STACKS

Sometimes it is good to sit back and just listen to what my students have to say. Markissha was one of my sixth graders this year, but she and I go back a long way, to when she was a little kindergartner. She is often quiet, but when she speaks she has a lot to say.

It is Markissha who designed the Accelerated Reader t-shirt last year, the one with the caption “Big Footsie says, ‘AR is Purrr-fect!’” And it was Markissha who reminded us all many times this year, when we had one of the new library cats here, “But, remember, we can’t ever replace Big Footsie.”

It is Markissha who is providing our Cats in the Stacks today. Her class created a Middle School Newspaper, and this was her article.

Arkansas School for the Blind Middle School
Newspaper of the Year

The Mixed Up Emotions in the A.S.B. Library
By: Markissha T.

Going to the library at school is always fun but it can be sad. We had three library cats that died. They will be remembered, but can never be replaced.

Those three library cats were named: Big Footsie, Alex and Snuggle Bunny. Big Footsie was the best out of all of them, because of his work with Accelerated Reader.

We have this reading program called, A.R. which stands for Accelerated Reader. It is where you read a book and if you pass it you get points. Within A.R. there is a program called Footsie’s favorites. If a book you pass is a Footsie’s favorite, you get a piece of gum and you also get pictures taken with a library cat.

Footsie became head library because he was Piper’s assistance. Piper didn’t like being a library cat, but Footsie did. He was a very nice cat. He liked baked chicken. He also liked to knock books down. Footsie liked to be petted. He loved to come to school. All Ms. Loesch had to do was say, “Big Footsie time for school,” and he would get in his carriage.

Snuggle Bunny had a very short life. She was very friendly. She had very soft whitish fur.

We thought Alex would be the head library cat for a long time because he had been Footsie’s assistant. He had thick yellow fur. He liked to play. I fed him treats one time. He liked those. It was a shock when he died.

Library cats are very important to our school because the library cats encourage kids to read. They also teach kids how to care for animals and they encourage kids to do well on other things as well as the reading. When we took that big ACTAAP test all the cats were asking of us was to try hard and do our very very best just like they do in A.R.

When we read A.R. books they aren’t always Footsie’s favorites but if they are not you still get credit and we also have A.R. rallies where we find out what everybody’s percentage is and they get prizes.

That’s my favorite of A.R and when we have A.R. rallies it brightens the cats’ days.
I love the cats and that is why I sometimes have mixed up emotions in the A.S.B. library.

SUSAN LOESCH
CATS IN THE STACKS

Not long before school was out we received our long-awaited yearbooks.

Every year our library cat is pictured in the Faculty section, having sat for a school picture just like all the students and staff. Footsie became a pro at it, with school pictures that ranged from serious to one looking like a mug shot!

I love to look back at previous yearbooks and read notes written to him. In his last yearbook Makayla told him, “I love you so much, big guy. You make my heart feel happy.”

Alex did himself proud this past fall on school picture day, and in the new yearbook his picture leads off the Faculty section.

Every year I buy a yearbook, put a sticker on it saying that it is “Big Footsie’s Yearbook”, and ask all the kids to sign it.

When I put it on the counter this year, Mary looked at it a little and then asked me, “What are you going to call it this year?”

I didn’t understand at first what she meant, and she said, “Well, we don’t have Big Footsie any more, so we can’t call it Footsie’s yearbook.”

We talked about it a little and I asked her opinion.

“We could always call it Alex’s yearbook if you think that is a good idea,” I told her, “Or we can call it something else. You can decide.”

So Alex’s yearbook it is, and I printed out a sticker to go on the cover to say that.

As always, lots of the kids wanted to sign the book. Their entries ranged from simple signatures, to Lea’s “I will always remember and love Alex. And all of the library cats,” written with hearts surrounding the words.

And there was Trinity’s heartfelt message, “Alex and Staff, Staff thank you for stepping up when Alex had to leave us. You have all done a great job and are all very loved. Alex, my sweet orange kitty, I have and will always miss you. You were one of the best library cats and will be missed by me forever. I love you.”

I had dreaded seeing a yearbook without Big Footsie in it, but he was there, too.

On a page near the front of the book was a photo of the elementary kids gathered at our school sign on Remembering Big Footsie Day last September.

The sign read:

“We Remember Big Footsie.” And the accompanying caption read “Big Footsie lives on in the memories of all the lives he touched. Forever will he be loved.”

And next year’s yearbook? Who will be in it and what will we call it?

Our English teacher who does our yearbook has assured me that if Shadow and Barney share the Head Library Cat job she will guarantee us two spots in the Faculty section rather than our usual one.

That is an offer that just may be too good to pass up.

SUSAN LOESCH
CATS IN THE STACKS

Shadow has really picked up speed in his campaign to be Head Library Cat! On his last visit of the year, besides going to the 6th-grade classroom to pose for graduation pictures, he pretty well did everything he could to demonstrate his versatility.

Never having been to the 6th-grade classroom before, he remained calm and posed for the picture.

Back in the library, he did what I have seen no library cat do since Big Footsie was a young fella. He ran toward a class of none-too-quiet-or-calm primary students and played with them rather than running away.

The third-graders came up to return the rest of their books, and their teacher gave them some free “Shadow time.”

Some crawled on the floor following him, waving wand toys at him, while others just chased him on foot. And what did Shadow do? He joined in the fun and excitement, played with everyone, and I think he was even sorry to see them go.

The noise and movement didn’t bother him a bit. He did stop short of being totally like Footsie, though; he didn’t try to slip out the door with them as they left the library.

Shadow demonstrated his prowess as a book-knocker-overer, earning more than one, “Good job, Shadow!” in the process. Book-knocking-over is an important job for a library cat; it was one of Big Footsie’s many strengths.

He settled down for a rest when Zee was in the library; we were talking about the “kneading” he was doing and I told her about Big Footsie’s green frog, whose head has two bare spots from many hours of kneading.

We showed the frog to Shadow. I know he was impressed with the huge bald spots on an otherwise fuzzy green frog.

Mr. G. came in to see Shadow, who was, as always, very sociable.

“I think he is THE ONE.” Said Mr. G. “Barney is terrific,” he said. “But Shadow….” The same sentiment was expressed by Lea as she gave Shadow a good-bye kiss. In fact, I heard that several times during the day.

As if to seal the decision, Shadow demonstrated his horticulture skills. Both Big Footsie and Piper, our first, now retired library cat, could mow down a plant faster than you could see it and say, “Don’t do that!”

Shadow did come one more ‘last time’ after the students were gone. We had a faculty meeting in the library and he was the perfect host, moving from table to table, rubbing against legs and accepting the petting and admiration that he knows he deserves.

And then, to top it off, he met a staff member’s bulldog, Weezie. Neither was too impressed with the other; they watched and watched each other as they shared a snack of doggie treats.

So is Shadow really IT? I think he and Barney are going to function as a team next year. Shadow will take on the more active duties, especially working with the younger kids. Barney will have different duties, including going to outdoor gigs. He has already proven that he can handle the crowds.

Both have many wonderful qualities for the job. They will of course be assisted by Tank and Hexie. It seems that we have all our staff positions filled at last.

SUSAN LOESCH
CATS IN THE STACKS

High school graduation, alumni gathering, and Hexie’s last work day, all on the same day!

Hexie is on duty one last time for the year. As she was roaming the library first period, all decked out in her pink bandana, she was doing what has become her own “Hexie thing.”

She goes from student to student rubbing against their legs to greet them. As one student said this morning, “She reminds me of my dog, she always comes and rubs against me!”

Another asked if she would be coming back next year. She will, and he was glad. It hasn’t taken long for everyone to fall in love with this petite girl with the one bright green eye.

“She is just the right cat for here, isn’t she,” commented a teacher.

Only a couple of my 6th graders were here, and they wanted to take a last picture with Hexie.

Taylor was proudly wearing his newly-won award, the Principal’s Award. He said something to make me laugh, and I laughed out loud. I had told his class how, in secondary, library isn’t as fun any more. No more hanging on the beanbags, watching video and having a good loud time while we learn.

“I know I can’t make you laugh in here next year,” he said, taking my warning to heart. I assured him that he can; I will just laugh quietly!

Later in the morning, alumni drifted in. Do you want to know how to feel old, really old? Just visit with a couple of former students, one who has been gone for 15 years and the other for 26!

It couldn’t possibly have been that long, could it? A few weeks ago a more recent graduate came by for a visit. She has graduated from college and just gotten married and is moving out of state. “You aren’t old, Ms. Loesch,”  she said.” Boy, I wish!!

On this graduation day, there is a little less structure than most days. Awards assemblies in the morning, a school-wide lunch, and then high school graduation.

I sat during part of the ceremony with tears in my eyes. It wasn’t because of the graduation itself, or the kids leaving, but during the keynote speech.

As Rep. Kathy Webb spoke to the kids, she talked about the many people who they have to thank for lessons learned. She mentioned family and teachers and friends…and Big Footsie, who many have known since elementary days, and who, she said, taught them about life and all creatures and love and loss. He truly did that, as did Alex. And as our new library cats will do for seniors still to come.

SUSAN LOESCH

CATS IN THE STACKS

We are such an uptown library! Not only do we have resident artist Monsieur Shadeaux on the staff, now we also have Monsieur Bar-nay, artiste extraordinaire.

Barney got his chance to create Shadow Art on Monday; I guess we would call it Barney Art, though!

With a little help from his friends, he paw-painted a picture using food colors, orange, purple, pink and green, with which Mary helped him create what we think will be his specialty – starbursts.

Barney wasn’t as into art as Shadow was, but he was really good-natured about it.

All the work made him hungry, and he ate treats from the hand of Zee, our exchange student from Turkey.

“My mother would never believe this,” she told me. I am printing out pictures of Zee with the library cats so she can show her family that she really has been petting cats for the first time in her life.

Barney is a little more sedate than the other library cats; I chalk that up to his age and wisdom. He is, after all, 4 years old.

So a supervisory job suits him perfectly. He kept an eye on Chris as he helped me check in the influx of library books being returned.

“I guess it is a good thing it is Barney here today,” I said to a student.

“Yeah, if it had been Shadow or Big Footsie, books would have been all over the place,” she said with a smile.

Later in the afternoon, Barney attended a party for one of our teachers who is leaving this year.

As we were gathered in the teachers’ lounge, one of the staff members asked if Barney would eat cake. I said I thought he might lick the icing.

“Hey, everybody, if you want your cake don’t get close to Barney,” someone called.

Given the chance at the icing on Mr. Huntsman’s cake he proved us wrong. He wasn’t the least bit interested in it.

This was a fun day on the job for Barney, and he nearly missed it.

When I was ready to go to work and saw him he just KNEW what was up. He jumped on a bookcase and tried to hide behind the books.

I wonder if he is glad I caught him before he disappeared!