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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 26, 2018)
1C THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2018 WEEKEND CONTACT US FOLLOW US BREAK Erick Bengel | Features Editor ebengel@dailyastorian.com facebook.com/ DailyAstorian CATS RULE THE WORLD YEAH, THEY REALLY DO By JIM VAN NOSTRAND The Daily Astorian A t a Christmas party for the animal hospital where my wife, Lisa, used to work, I was seated next to the head veterinarian, who owned a big goofy golden retriever. So I asked the eternal question — which are smarter, cats or dogs? “Well, if you’re talking about my dog, it’s the cats,” he answered. This Monday, Oct. 29, is National Cat Day, dedicated to celebrating our furry feline friends and finding them forever homes — and to breaking the internet with cuteness. About 4 million cats enter shelters every year, and 1-2 million are euthanized, accord- ing to nationalcatday.com. Cats are often overlooked and underappreciated because they don’t usually have jobs like dogs. But they definitely lower blood pressure and offer unconditional love, companionship and tons of laughs. I’ve enjoyed the company of both cats and dogs since childhood, gravitating to cats as an adult because I’m a busy profes- sional who spends long hours at the office. Dogs go bonkers if left alone too long. Cats simply stretch out in a ray of sunshine and dream of Fancy Feast — what the aforemen- LEFT: Persephone, 11, is a grey patch tabby living with Jim Van Nostrand of Astoria. RIGHT: Her sister, Daphne, used to give Jim writer’s block. tioned vet used to call “kitty crack.” I’ve often wondered how different the world would look if cats had opposable thumbs and could operate can openers. Joy from despair Our current cat came into our lives when Lisa was battling breast cancer in 2007. Coping with surgery, chemotherapy and radiation was an emotional struggle, to say the least. Lisa had been without animal com- panionship since we lost another cat, Crys- tal, to old age the previous year. The animal hospital normally didn’t take in rescues, but made an exception for a fam- ily of six grey-patch tabby kittens born in a nearby dumpster. Every once in a while, one of the other vets would stuff one into the pocket of her smock and walk by the front desk, cooing “isn’t she the perfect kitty?” The tactic was devilishly unfair. It had the intended effect. Lisa was ensorcelled and, later, so was I. We adopted two of them, naming them Persephone and Daphne. Their mother and siblings eventually found for- ever homes, too. Lisa credits those two furballs with pull- ing her out of a deep despair, literally sav- ing her life. Daphne — the one who had ridden around in the vet’s smock — became the closest thing to a “dog” cat that I’ve ever seen. She would run to the door to greet me at the sound of the pickup pulling into the driveway. She wouldn’t complain as I wrapped her around my neck like a scarf when walking around the house. And she’d camp on or next to my keyboard while I worked at home, doing her best — often successfully — to provide a distraction. Unfortunately, we lost Daphne to a fast-spreading tumor when she was only 8. But our lives were infinitely richer for her time with us. And she was infinitely more fortunate than all those poor creatures in shelters who never find a loving home. We still have Persephone to love and cherish. And when she is gone, I imagine we’ll be back at the shelter, seeking our next bundle of joy. If you have room in your heart and your home, please consider adoption. You won’t regret it. Jim Van Nostrand is the editor of The Daily Astorian. TOP 10 National Cat Day is Monday, so we just had to celebrate a little early. These 10 felines earned the most votes in our online Snowflake is 3, and is a Bengal/ragdoll living with Darby McCleary in Warrenton. poll. See more of our North Coast kitties inside and online at bit.ly/VoteKittyKitty Millie, 7, Trigger, 8 weeks, and Luna, 4 months, live with Kassondra Kost in Astoria. Maine coon Buddi is 19 now and is Jay Harrison’s constant companion and rock in Garibaldi. Rusty, 16, is a tabby who loves attention, especially from Suzanne Kindred of Astoria. Dottie, 7, uses her tongue to send messages to her home planet. She hangs with Morgan Wichman and Drea Frost in Seaside. Princess Lucie, 4, loves going for bike rides and Sun- day Market with Vernon Hall of Astoria. Beemer, 3, loved Dana Badgerow’s Cannon Beach cottage. He has a congenital heart condition and may not get to travel back. He lives in Minneapolis. Bagheera, 2, is a rescue who lost an eye, but is very happy now with Kerry Lyons and Ian Sisson in Astoria. Toad, 4, is a short-haired Persian, who looks grumpy, but is not He lives with Morgan Wichman in Seaside. Fonzie, 1.5, is adopted and loves to cuddle with Kaelee and Michael Matthiesen of Seaside. 1480 SE 9 TH S TREET , W ARRENTON Cat Boarding Supplies Grooming (503) 861-9817 V IST O UR W EBSITE : BAYBREEZE - BOARDING . COM
