EDITION OF THURSDAY, February 4, 2016 (PetPowellPress)-- Call this story:
“Why They Changed The Cat’s Name.”
It is not a tale of that rare cat who managed to qualify for a witness protection program. If you write about cats and dogs, now and then you run into something that really cracks you up.
Our involvement with this cat, identified as Leo by our longtime pal Mark Cooper, began over the weekend when we turned on the spotlight of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. That’s the sleeper identified as Leo.
And that photo is of the, once again, “cat identified as Leo” getting ready to take his ride from The Colony Animal Services’ Shelter, where Mark, a longtime veteran of shelter work, is the manager.
You may recall that Leo took up residence on Mark’s desk and became simultaneously an adorable cat and a mess of a cat. We posted a photo a couple of days ago after the cat had cleared off Mark’s desk. Mark issued an appeal for help finding a place for the cat to go.
On Tuesday we checked with Mark to see how things were going. He’d posted the van photo on Facebook with the story that read, “Leo has left the building! My big fluffy pain-in-the-rear at has gone to Operation Kindness. I’m going to miss him.”
After seeing that, I asked Mark if Operation Kindness might change Leo’s name. Sometimes that happens -- you know, like if they already had a Leo waiting around at the no-kill shelter.
Mark replied, “Operation Kindness took every cat we have. And they changed ‘Leo’ to ‘Leona!’ Yep, Leo is actually a female -- which explains his lack of testicles.”
Anyone who has ever dealt with young cats knows how tricky gender identification can be. And, now and then, a neutered male can look a little feminine at a casual glance. And, sometimes, obviously, a cat can act a tad boy-like and fool the pro.
Of course, there is that big opening photo -- call it "Leona's Take a Hint Portrait."
In the meantime, dogs are a lot easier to guess. And at The Colony, while the cats were spoken for by Texas’ oldest no-kill shelter, there are some dogs left.
Mark said Wednesday afternoon, “We currently have 22 wonderful dogs and only have 15 runs, so you can see the issue we have. Granted, six of those are a litter of puppies!”
There’s your mission rescuers, get in touch with Mark -- the shelter is at 720 E. Lake Highlands, ZIP 75056. Call 972-370-9250. And, fyi, the shelter is running a $20 “Long Timers Special.”
[LARRY ASIDE: No such thing as a Cat Gender Audit -- but we’re working on getting the Legislature to set up the Cat Gender Audit Department for the Texas Railroad Commission -- the railroad commission oversees petroleum, might as well add cats to the responsibility. By the end of the month, a barrel of cats may out-price a barrel of oil. Of course, we'd never put cats in a barrel -- that would be crude. Forgive that petrojoke.]
OPIE REVISITED
The astonishing thing about Opie is that nobody has adopted him. We posted him on Christmas Eve and we’ve been monitoring A efforts to find a place for the “super cute, smart, curious 1-year-old, neutered, tested, chipped kitty” ever since.
Opie’s obviously a looker. Mr. Orange U. Handsome.
You may remember his story. He was “rescued just in the nick of time” by HOME
(HOuse of MEows) from the Longview shelter.
Nowadays, he is too timid for his surroundings and is “being bullied by another cat in his foster home.”
He likes to be the center of attention and “would do best without kids or other cats.”
Contact info removed 1/24/19.
[LARRY ASIDE: We had one of these handsome orange fellows for nearly two decades, Griffin Oliver Powell, sensational individual who adored being adored.]
CONTEMPLATIONS: Becky Dodge sent us a follow up on the geriatric California Cocker Spaniel who’d been dumped at a shelter and watched and whined as her human walked away with a new puppy. Click HERE. We both agreed that the humans are due some punishment and Becky had some thoughtful suggestions which we’ll get to in a later edition. I had a suggestion, perhaps not all that thoughtful, but it involved mind-adjustment. I think I might have mentioned the Two-by-Four of Enlightenment or, as we used to say in unenlightened Northeast Texas, “a good horsewhippin’.” Probably against the law by now. ... Quick: Name your favorite book that doesn’t involve an animal. Yeah, I couldn’t think of one right away. Probably don’t read as much as I need to -- and it seems like there’s always a dog in good books. ... Did you see the story that legendary Norma’s is opening a spot on Park Lane? The original Norma’s (opened in 1956 on West Davis) is a great place to eat. The Big Paper Downtown quoted the top guy at Norma’s as saying, “We are always looking to expand our footprint and reach throughout the metroplex.” I’ve eaten at Norma’s for years -- love the pies-- it’s not the footprint that expands.
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