SUSAN LOESCH
CATS IN THE STACKS
Last Friday dawned cool and overcast.
“Please don’t let it rain,” I kept thinking. By mid-morning the sun was bright and the sky was blue, just as you would expect for Remembering Big Footsie Day at the School for the Blind. (more…)
SUSAN LOESCH
CATS IN THE STACKS
As our students began to drift in, Alex and I were in the main hall walking around – or at least I was walking. Alex was enjoying an over-the-shoulder chauffering event.
From down the hall, I heard, “Ms. Loesch, is it true that Big Footsie died?” Gulp. I knew this was coming. “Yes, Makayla, it is true.”
Makayla’s sister piped up, “Makayla was crying.”
“Sure she was,” I said. “I did, too. In fact I cried for two days straight. It’s ok to cry.”
“Did you have a funeral for him?” she continued. “I think we should make a big poster and have Big Footsie’s picture on it and put it up in the hall so everyone remembers him.” I told her that we will decide together how to honor Big Footsie and we can certainly do posters. (more…)
BY SUSAN LOESCH
CATS IN THE STACKS
Here we are again – Registration Day at Arkansas School for the Blind. For the 35th time I am going to be greeting students…and for the first time in many years I do not have our wonderful Library Cat, Big Footsie, here with me on Registration Day. We lost our big fella over the summer to heart disease and renal failure. I am not alone here today; with me is Alex, Big Footsie’s main Assistant Library Cat, but everything feels different. (more…)
Susan Loesch has been the librarian at the Arkansas School for the Blind for 35 years and is on the board of Feline Rescue and Rehome. She started the library cat program about 10 years ago after much animal therapy research.