COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL |
OCTOBER 7, 2021 | 5A
Pet Tips‘n’ Tales: “I Don’t Own a Cat!”
By Mary Ellen
“Angel Scribe”
Neither Erica nor Kent own
a cat. Apparently, a stray cat is
not paying attention to either of
them. Right after the furry ho-
bo’s arrival, it began inspecting
Kent’s kitchen for cat treats.
The stray, Squeaker, has made
herself at home. She arrives ev-
ery morning at 5 AM, demands
that Kent open the door, feed her
treats, before retiring to ‘their’
living room. She jumps up onto
the back of the couch and curls
up for her first catnap of the day
- on the lush sheep skin.
Then Kent’s tenant, Erica,
moved in and Squeaker thought,
“If one treat producing home is
good, let’s make it two!”
Kind-hearted Erica is aller-
gic to cats, but Squeaker was
once again not listening. She
demanded treats, which Eri-
ca purr-omptly went out and
bought. Then as winter ap-
proached Erica felt sorry for the
kitty, she named Chloe and let
her sleep in her unit.
“She’s my friend,” said Erica.
“I am from back east and don’t
have friends here out west, so
the cat is good company. Quar-
antine is lonely and she fills an
important need. I appreciate her
company.”
Now, here is Kent thinking
that the exhausted stray spends
the entire night out catching
mice when she materializes at
his door at 5 a.m.! Instead, the
smart cat emerges from Erica’s
unit and wanders a full 20 feet
over to Kent’s door pleading to
come inside.
Not only has Kent, who gave
all his cat paraphernalia away af-
ter his last cat died, made from
“scratch” Chloe a new cat post
and regularly replaces her favor-
ite treats and admits, “She loves
tummy rubs.”
Both, “I don’t own a cat” cat
owners realize that when they let
the cat outside in the summer,
they find her sleeping under
shade bushes ten feet from their
doors. She is obviously no longer
a “stray” straying as she doesn’t
leave their yard.
“When I saw this unit’s rental
listing, the photo of the yard in-
cluded Chloe,“ said Erica. “I’ve
seen her on the roof and when
she’s not asleep she’s hunting
mice and bugs. During the day,
she wanders in and checks on
me. In the winter she sleeps in-
side on ‘her chair’, unless she’s
sleeping at Kent’s. When she
wants attention, she plops on the
floor in front of you and reach-
es her arm out towards you. Her
voice is a soft squeak, thus Kent’s
name for her, but I thought she
was ladylike and deserved a dig-
nified name like Lady Chloe.
COURTESY PHOTO
Let’s be clear! Erica does not own a cat. A cat owns her!
Thankfully, she arrived spayed,
or Kent and I would be dividing
up kittens too!”
“Last summer, Squeaker ar-
rived with a wound the size of a
business card,” said Kent. “I have
no idea if she has a proper owner
as she is not chipped. There was
no way I would let her suffer and
she required immediate medical
attention.”
Kent’s “I don’t have a cat” cat
bill was exactly $400.
After three years, Erica and
Kent keep re-FUR-ing to Miss
Chloe Squeaker as ‘the stray cat’,
but I bet that the kitty is telling
her cat friends that she lives at
“the best homes on the block!”
TIPS
- Be aware, Cottage Grove has
had cougar, bob cat, and coyote
sightings! Keep pets safe. Con-
struct a cat catio, or keep them
inside.
- Fun for water loving cats.
Fill the bathtub with 2-4 inches
of water and drop in a few ping
pong balls. They go nuts!
- Tips ‘n’ Tales reader Amy
writes,’ For dog’s enrichment;
Remove the lid from an empty
plastic bottle and place the bot-
tle in a sock; tie a knot in the
end for play time – it’s cheap and
easy: Tie a hand towel or tube
sock in knots for a tug toy: Place
pet food in an empty paper tow-
el/toilet roll to entertain dogs as
they get their food: Check out
Facebook’s canine enrichment
group for more ideas.”
- Place a Slinky on a bird feed-
ers’ pole. When a squirrel climbs
the feeder, they step on the
slinky which does what Slinky’s
do, and the squirrels fall off. In-
stead, leave peanuts at the base
of the pole for them.
We would love to hear how
your pet helps you.
Write: angelscribe@msn.com
Pet Tips ‘n’ Tales on Facebook.
w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / P e t -
TipsandTales
Adopt Loving Pets
www.PetFinder.com
Humane Society for Neuter/
Spay Assistance Program: 541-
942-3130
PeaceHealth offers drive-through and pediatric flu shot clinics
With many employers and
schools moving back to in-per-
son from virtual settings, the
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention has emphasized the
importance for influenza vacci-
nations this Fall.
To ensure community mem-
bers have a safe, convenient
venue for flu shots, PeaceHealth
Medical Group at Cottage Grove
Community Medical Center will
hold two drive-through clinics at
1515 Village Drive:
Saturday, Oct. 9 from 10 a.m.
to 2 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 6 from noon to
3 p.m.
The drive-through flu shot
clinics for those ages 10 and old-
er will be staged just south of the
hospital’s main entrance. Look
for directional signs on Village
Drive. A PeaceHealth staff mem-
ber will greet cars and assist with
the completion of paperwork.
A pediatric flu shot clinic will
also be held from noon to 3 p.m.
Nov. 6 inside Suite 100 at Cottage
Grove Community Medical Cen-
ter.
No appointment is needed for
any of the three clinics.
All PeaceHealth patients can
use the drive-through clinics,
with insurance billed for the
cost of the shot. For those Peace-
Health patients who are unin-
sured or prefer to not bill insur-
ance, there is a $25 charge per
shot.
PeaceHealth patients also may
request a flu shot at their next
office visit or schedule one using
MyPeaceHealth.
For more information on flu
shots visit www.peacehealth.org/
flushot.
LCC seeks public input in search for next President
EUGENE, Ore. — Lane Community
College is inviting district residents and
its partners to contribute to the search for
a new college president.
Multiple opportunities are available
over the next month to provide input.
Community members are encouraged
to share their thoughts, ideas, and sug-
gestions by using a survey on the college’s
Presidential Search webpage at www.lan-
ecc.edu/leadership/president-search.
Feedback will be collected through 3
p.m. on Oct. 12.
Two community forums are also sched-
uled. The virtual events, to be held on
Zoom, are scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 7
from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Monday, Oct.
11 from noon to 1 p.m. Registration in-
formation is available on the Presidential
Search webpage.
The LCC board and presidential search
committee will use the feedback to create
a presidential profile, an in-depth job an-
nouncement that outlines not only the de-
sired qualifications and characteristics of
candidates, but the institutional opportu-
nities and challenges that interested can-
didates should be qualified and prepared
to address.
The presidential search began in March
LORANE COUNTRY NEWS
6-day
weather forecast
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
62° | 43°
65° | 47°
Partly Cloudy
Partly Cloudy
SUNDAY
MONDAY
55° | 41°
52° | 38°
Showers
Showers
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
55° | 40°
Partly Cloudy
53° | 42°
Showers
Save your money by
bundling home & auto.
(541) 942-0555
2021 when President Margaret Hamilton
announced that she would retire in June
2022, after five years as Lane’s CEO and 30
years in higher education.
A 15-member search committee has
been formed, including representatives
of the Board, faculty and classified staff
unions, management, student body, foun-
dation, K-12, University of Oregon, busi-
ness, and community leaders.
Contributed by Lil Thompson
for The Sentinel
• Lorane Grange meets today, Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. They
have changed their dessert and bingo to Saturday,
Oct. 16 starting at 7 p.m. Masks and distancing will
be observed. There are no Duck or Beaver games that
day, so hope to see many of you out.
• Stoney Point is coming along beautifully, but
please continue slowly through the area. Much work
continues through this section. With the rain, morn-
ing fog, and sprinkles, the roads could be slick.
• Our district staff has gone above and beyond to
ensure protocols are being followed. The superinten-
dent is happy to report that they have maintained
100 percent of their staff and student enrollment is
steady. This week has been Spirit Week with Spirit
Day today and Homecoming game tonight at 7 p.m.
Halftime will have student floats and the crowning of
the King and Queen.
• Rebekah Lodge had a good Hunters Breakfast on
Saturday with fewer people but enjoyed by all.
GROVE MEDICAL
EQUIPMENT
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Y OUR L OCAL P ROVIDER OF
H OME M EDICAL E QUIPMENT !
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Home Oxygen, Mobility, Walk Aids, Bath Aides,
Power Chairs, Power Scooters,
Aids to Daily Living.
Friendly & Knowledgeable Staff
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Gateway Blvd (Bi Mart Plaza)
laza)
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ottage G
Grove, OR 97424
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Eugene/Springfi eld Cottage Grove