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.

He began coming to school with me and seemed to enjoy it.

We began to connect our Library Cat Program with the new Accelerated Reader program. Our first “prize books” were called Piper‟s Picks.

Everyone loved to feed Piper chicken, his favorite food, especially baby food chicken.

He enjoyed his first Halloween with the students and at Christmas had his picture taken with Santa for the first time.

He had his favorite kids, most of whom have now graduated from high school. One of
his favorites was Harry, who earned the very first AR reading poster. He posed with
Piper for a sign that said, “Piper and Harry say, ‘Reading is Happy!’ ”

He also accompanied Jasmine to the Art Room where they posed as living models for a drawing class.

In the late spring of 2001, Big Footsie came into our lives, and it was obvious that he had all the traits of a great library cat. In the fall of 2001, both Footsie and Piper came to school, and Piper showed Footsie the ropes. He got the hang of eating treats — and plants
— really fast.

Piper and Footsie led our elementary kids to a fun “Rally Round the Sign” when our
school sign said “Home of Piper and Big Footsie, Only Library Cats In Arkansas.” We all
hiked down to the sign and took lots of pictures.

Not long into the year we had a huge first birthday party for Piper in the library. He had such a good time, but already Footsie was showing signs of taking over. … He opened a
huge bag of cat food which had been a gift to Piper and began to eat it!

As time went by, Piper let us know that he was more of a homebody than a working cat.

The job he really wanted was greeting me when I got home from school and washing my face as he purred a welcome.

Footsie, on the other hand, was more career-oriented, so he moved into the Head Library Cat position, and Piper became our Head Library Cat Emeritus.

Our kids still know Piper and ask for him to visit, so he comes a few times a year. He is always there for our Library Cat Christmas, a whole school party which all the library cat
staff attends.

Piper usually spends that day curled up in my office bathroom sink! He receives visitors there, and everyone knows where to go to see him.

At the end of the party day, most of the library cats are tired and sleepy, but not Piper. He has rested all day and is ready to play when he gets home!

Now Piper spends his days snoozing, hanging out with his buddies and greeting me every
afternoon with heartwarming enthusiasm. He continues to be my “soul-mate kitty.”

Piper wasn’t our Head Library Cat for very long, but he laid the foundation for the whole program. And what a great job he did!

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

“Ms. LOESCH!”

When I hear that tone of voice from one of my students I know I’m in trouble. It was Trinity.

She then spoke to Shadow. “Shadow, look at you. Are you so secure in your manhood, wearing those flowers?”

Oh, no. I know just what she is talking about. The collar. The one that Alex and I got on our trip to PetSmart. The one that matched Alex’s ID tag…and is decorated with white flowers.

“Ms. Loesch, WHY did you put flowers on Shadow?”

“Well, um.” I tried to explain what is obviously another kitty fashion faux pas on my part. “The collar is blue…”

“I know,” Trinity said. “But flowers? Shadow, she dresses you in flowers and you can’t even say anything about it.”

I promised to head to Petsmart to see if I can find a Harley collar for Shadow.

Personally, I think he looks cute in the flowers!

Luckily, Shadow was unaffected by my blunder and spent his day happily eating treats, helping students with their work and posing with some of my seniors.

The kids must be feeling nostalgic; many are carrying around cameras, wanting to capture these last few days of their time at Arkansas School for the Blind.

This time of year always makes me feel a little nostalgic, too.

As Terry, who is graduating this year, held Shadow I couldn’t help but think back to when he was in the 4th grade and Big Footsie was new to our school and they met for the first time.

The thought makes me smile.

SUSAN LOESCH

CATS IN THE STACKS

End of Course exams and the Jr./Sr. Prom…what a week here! The result was lots of extra kids in the library, lots of attention for the library cats, and me finding my new best friends…the Rugrats!

Barney was here on prom day. The seniors were not really interested in their teachers’ assignments, and who can blame them? Barney got lots of petting from kiddos who had been in elementary school when Footsie first arrived on the scene and had grown up with him.

Mary put Footsie’s pink bandana on Barney. “Thank you for being a real man and wearing pink, she told him! None of the guys here will wear pink.”

I finally dug out some Rugrats videos which had just been donated, had the seniors pull beanbag chairs into the video room and watch.

Ah, peace reigned, at last, and the older kids had a ball doing “little kid stuff!”

On Friday I brought our final applicant for a Library Cat position, Shadow. More than one person remarked that catching a quick glimpse of him, for a second it seemed that Big Footsie was back.

Shadow is about a year old, found as a stray kitten. Feline Rescue and Rehome helped his rescuers take care of him, supplying food, litter and medical care. When they moved where they could not have cats, Shadow became a FuRR kitty.

I had older kids first period, quiet and tired from the prom. We sat at a table with Shadow and he acted as if he’d been here for years, being held, sitting in laps, posing for pictures, and just basically lapping up the attention.

We took his picture smelling Mary’s prom roses.

Then came my younger students!

“He looks like a Shadow.” “He really looks like Big Footsie only more so!” “We need to call him Big Footsie Two, or Big Footsie Returns.” ”He has to be Big Footsie the Second, and Barney is Alex the Second.”

From my fifth grader, Brianna: “He interacts with everyone. He’s perfect. He’s gonna be a camera star!”

Brianna has been in the library a lot this week observing the library cats and how they interact with everyone, information for the class newspaper article she was writing on the cats. She is moving out of state after today, and her whole class was full of energy when they came for Library Skills. So, once again, out came the beanbags and the Rugrats.

“I had never seen the Rugrats before yesterday,” I told them.

“Ms, Loesch, you haven’t SEEN them? You’re weird! But we love you anyway,” said Brianna.

The video held everyone’s interest, and the group was quiet. From now on I think the Rugrats and I are gonna be really tight!

SUSAN LOESCH

CATS IN THE STACKS

Barney was on the job first thing this morning and he has kept busy all day. After all, he has a lot to learn about being a library cat even if he does sport the title “Acting Head Library Cat!”

When he is ready for a break he heads to the stacks for a snooze, much like Alex did last fall when he first took over the job. It wasn’t long, though, before Alex was hanging out with us all day, and I imagine it will work the same with Barney.

He has already discovered Big Footsie’s prized green frog, with the bald spots Footsie created over the years by “kneading” the frog’s head. Mary spent some time brushing Barney while he was on the frog and pointed out to him some spots on the ears that still have some green “hair” which needs to come off.

He was enjoying the brushing so much that I don’t think he was listening.

Mary is fast becoming Barney’s buddy.

He plays Follow the Leader with her as she moves around the library and he was on the counter trying to help her on her work-study job today as she checked in books.

Helping? Maybe not so much!

The fourth graders came in to check out books. I wonder what Barney was thinking as one of the kids showed him the book on rottweilers that he was checking out. We already know what he thinks about live dogs.

He met Chopper, a teacher’s guide dog, in the hall one day, and every hair on his body stood on end as he growled and hissed.

The kids had to have a group picture, and then Barney moved to the tables to help the secondary kids. He has already developed the habit of standing and sitting on Braille books as the kids try to read!

Every day Barney is here he seems a little more relaxed and outgoing.

Everyone thinks he is really campaigning hard for the head cat title to be his permanently and we think he would do a great job.

This weekend he will get a chance to work an outdoor gig. Feline Rescue and Rehome will have our spring fundraiser sale this weekend and Barney will be there.

If you are in the area, we hope you will drop by the sale at Kavanaugh and N. Cedar and meet him!

SUSAN LOESCH
CATS IN THE STACKS

Our new oil portrait of Big Footsie continues to bring smiles to us all. One of my 6th graders looked at it for a long time and then said, “It looks like Footsie is looking right at me and sees me doing something wrong and is thinking ‘I’m gonna tell!’” We laughed about that.

Some of my secondary kids walk past the portrait on the front desk and tell Footsie hello.

My 4th graders crowded ’round and talked to Big Footsie and actually petted the painting. Then they wanted to have their picture taken with it.

One of my 3rd graders just hugged the painting to her chest and then she also wanted me to take her picture with it, as did her classmates.

They all like that he is wearing his Harley-Davidson bandana in the portrait, and so do I. Some of the kids still say he was a biker dude!

It is nice, and very touching to me, the way Footsie has stayed on everyone’s mind this year. Almost 7 months have passed since the students returned to school and found out that he had died. He has definitely not been forgotten.

One of my favorite mentions of him is in a poem my 4th graders wrote earlier in the year. They called it “Fourth Graders Rule!”

One of the verses reads, “Scissors, markers, crayons and glue. We all like to do art, too. The bells are ringing in our heads. We are wishing Big Footsie wasn’t dead.”

When their teacher brought it to me she wasn’t sure how I’d react, but I loved it, and it made me laugh.

Trinity is a junior now; she has been my student since kindergarten. She has loved all the Library Cats, and she grew up with Big Footsie.

Looking at his portrait, she talked for a long time about him and his effect on her. She said her Granny commented that she doesn’t pick up her own cat, Miss Kitty, and carry her around and wondered why. Trinity says that is because she “learned on Big Footsie” and he never liked to be picked up and carried. She and Footsie were truly buddies.

As we close in on spring break and then the end of the year, we have a few loose ends to tie up.

We still need to find an Assistant Library Cat for Alex; Big Footsie, after all, had 4 assistants at one point.

And we need to decide if “Footsie’s Favorites,” those Accelerated Reader books that earn students prizes when their quizzes are passed, are going to be renamed.

I think I will throw that question out to my 5th and 6th graders and see what they think. They’ve proven to be very wise this year!

SUSAN LOESCH
CATS IN THE STACKS

I brought something new to school with me this morning! Little Rock artist Rene Hein just completed a portrait of our Big Footsie in oil and it is now on the front desk for everyone to admire.

Mary and Lea showed it to Alex. He seemed to be appropriately impressed, and he rubbed the edge of it over and over to mark it with his scent. Was he possibly thinking, “Welcome back to your library, Footsie?”

Then all of a sudden he jumped down.

“He is leaving to go and cry,” said Mary. “He misses Big Footsie so much. Just like we do.”

Turning back to the picture, the girls especially loved the way his eyes were captured perfectly, and so do I. We could almost feel Footsie looking right at us.

Later in the morning, my second graders were here. As they lined up at the desk to leave after library skills and a Dr. Seuss story, Happy Birthday to You!, read in honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday, they stopped to pet Alex.

Almost in unison, when they saw the portrait, they whispered, “Awesome!”

They meant the portrait, but I think Alex thought they were talking about him!

He proceeded to roll and switch his tail and hit Bailey in the face with it.

“He’s making me a moustache,” she laughed! She then gave him a big kiss. That Alex is pretty awesome.

SUSAN LOESCH
CATS IN THE STACKS

Some of my favorite times in the Library are when it is fairly peaceful and I have kids in here that I don’t see as often and there is time to just visit with them.

Most of the time Alex is part of that conversation if not the main topic.

Today, Alex was in his bed on the front desk, decked out not in a bandana but in the tie he got for Dress-up Day during Spirit Week. His last place trophy was prominently displayed close by.

One of my students stopped by the desk to hang out and asked if that was Alex’s Homecoming Parade trophy.

Assured that it was, (I didn’t have to mention last place; everyone knows that!) my student went on to tell me his idea to make sure Alex doesn’t end up in last place again.

“You know,” he said, “Alex can win next year if you dress him like a lion and put him high up on a throne. Let the hair on the end of his tail grow out and let the fur on his neck grow out into a ruff. If he does that and he wears his tie he will get lst place.” I bet he would, too!

My student went on to ask, “Did Big Footsie ever win a trophy?”

No, Footsie hadn’t.

“Then I bet he’d be proud of Alex and say that he taught him everything he knows.”

Big Footsie would no doubt be proud of Alex; all the rest of us are, too! Maybe I’ll go on and give him that second can of Fancy Feast he has been asking for all morning.

SUSAN LOESCH

CATS IN THE STACKS

After our busy week of partying in the library, this week is pretty calm. Elsewhere on campus, things are rockin’.

Tonight our secondary kids have their Winter dance; elementary kids will meet Santa tomorrow; our choir is practicing for their program and our seventh graders are…carrying around babies! Not real ones, of course, even though they are supposed to be treated as though they are real as part of a program called “Baby Think It Over.” Naturally Alex has to meet the babies! Two of my boys showed theirs to Alex and he was not impressed…they didn’t smell like catnip or anything to eat!

I don’t think the seventh graders are all that impressed either. They are finding out how much trouble a baby can be. “Hey,” I called to one, “You can’t leave your baby on the table while you go to your locker.”

Alex had started the day with yummy chicken and tuna canned food and about an hour later ate enough treats from one of our littlest students to add at least one kitty pound and maybe two!

One of my fourth graders came in with an ornament he had made for Alex…an Alex-colored kitty in a blue and red stocking, which he had painted himself. I got a piece of ribbon so we could put it on the tree. Nicholas started to put it on our black cat tree – Big Footsie’s tree – and then stopped.

“It can’t go here, can it?” I said it sure could go on Footsie’s tree, that it is a very special ornament. “And Alex is special,” he said, “Because he was Big Footsie’s friend.” So he put the ornament on the tree and then brought Alex to see it.

The next period brought the second graders, and they and Alex watched “Jumanji” together. Actually, Alex watched the video, and the girls watched Alex.  And then they took pictures with my cell phone of him watching it!   So much for “books before cats”, but after all it IS Christmas! We can’t be serious ALL the time.

After all that food and activity Alex headed to my office and took a nap on my keyboard! And it was only noon.

SUSAN LOESCH
CATS IN THE STACKS

We are back to school today! Alex is wearing his Christmas bandana that lights up when he moves. He does look very handsome. He is having quite a day, too…No wonder he likes coming to work better than staying at home.

The day started with a can of his favorite treat, Fancy Feast Appetizers.

At the end of first period, Brandon, one of my 5th graders, came calling, “Alex, I have something for you!”

And he sure did: A velvet-feeling green Christmas stocking filled with packages of all kinds of toys for Alex and even a Christmas card.

What fun we had watching as each package was opened to reveal mice, all kinds of balls with bells in them and a soft sparkly green ball. Not having to wait ‘til Christmas to open presents is pretty cool.

Later, my third graders came. We try to always follow the rule “Books before cats,” so Alex stayed in my office while the kids selected library books and had a library skills lesson.

Before they left, though, Alex came out to visit, and he was rewarded with a big kiss from one of his admirers.

The kids also enjoyed looking at a 2010 calendar which I have put on the bulletin board, turned to December of next year. The calendar is from CARE for Animals, the group which rescued our Big Footsie from Animal Services, and he is being honored by being featured on the December page.

We are all touched and proud. We especially like part of the caption, “He was a one-of-a-kind kitty who brought joy to so many.”

In that way Footsie and Alex are a lot alike.