SUSAN LOESCH

CATS IN THE STACKS

What a weekend Alex had! He had to come back to work to rest.

On Friday afternoon, Alex and I went to PetSmart. Object: Choose a Halloween costume. There were so many to pick from, all made for D-O-G-S, which I certainly didn’t tell him.

Alex was patient, sitting on a cat tree while I tried costume after costume on him.

He drew a crowd. “Look at the cat.”  “My cat would never let me do that.”  “Is that a real cat?”

And an old friend who had known Big Footsie came up to say hello. “I am so glad to finally meet you, Alex. I’ve been reading about you!”

Alex knew he was the center of attention and seemed to enjoy it.

And which costume did we get? Well, that is still a secret! But I will tell you that we eliminated the bumblebee (the hat was too heavy) and the fireman (the plastic would be too hot) and the cow with the udders, because the cow head was really bulky. I just couldn’t see Alex walking around all day with that cow head on his head.

On Saturday morning, Alex went to the vet for a follow-up visit to see how his mouth is healing after oral surgery.

He wore his costume for Dr. Cole to see, and Dr. Cole laughed instead of being frightened like he was supposed to be.

We swore him to secrecy, so if you ask him about Alex’s costume he won’t tell you.

This morning back on the job, Alex was decked out in his Halloween T-shirt and bandana.

One of my new students came in for a visit. “You are so cute, Alex. You are the perfect library cat. You are beautiful. You are just perfect.”

I’m pretty sure I heard Alex reply, “Of course I am!”

SUSAN LOESCH

CATS IN THE STACKS

Halloween is big here at School for the Blind. Really big! Some of the kids told me several weeks ago what their costumes would be. Big Footsie always wore bat wings and walked the halls on his leash at Halloween. So naturally Alex is going to have to be in costume.

I asked my 4^th graders this morning what they thought Alex’s costume should be.  “A Big Footsie costume,” one student said.

“Yes,” another agreed. “He should be in a Footsie costume, and then we could say, ‘Hi, Big Footsie to him.’”

Another student said he should be a vampire. “Cats and vampires are a lot alike. They both have sharp teeth and can run. They can both climb trees and jump.”

I’ve actually already been looking at costumes. The next step is for Alex to go with me to try them on!  Maybe a black cat or a vampire. But  possibly a pumpkin or a dragon or a lion. He will soon have a costume, but it will be a surprise until the day kids come to the Library to trick or treat.

We don’t know what Alex thought about the suggestions. He was sleeping off one of his favorite School for the Blind breakfasts, a cheese omelette with a little bacon on the side.

He does already have a new Halloween bandana and a t-shirt. I admit I couldn’t pass it up.

One of Alex’s friends, Ms. Linda, got a preview this morning. She is retiring before Halloween, so Alex had to model his t-shirt for her.

But, shhhhh. Don’t tell anyone about it.  He won’t wear it on the job until next week.