Rags
Rags the Shelter’s Mascot
In November 2001, a woman brought us a very large cat in a humane trap called a Have-a-heart trap. The woman informed us to be careful as this was a “wild cat”, and as we deal with feral cats from time to time and this was a VERY large cat, we took special precautions. We donned our specialized gloves and prepared for a fight. Upon the staffs approach to the trap, instead of finding a very frightened and angry cat, this cat was purring so loudly it sounded like a motor. Cautiously the trap door was opened and out came this 21-pound ball of fur, which immediately flopped down and rolled over demanding a belly rub. When he sprawled out on the floor he resembled a pile of rags, thus the name. Everyone at the shelter fell in love with him (if you have ever had the pleasure of spending time with him you know it is impossible not to). It didn’t take too long before Rags informed us of his place here. He rules the roost. As you can see, he is our baby; he is our official greeter, paperweight, doorstop, dog tester, cat goodwill ambassador, and paperwork assistant. Among his other duties here, Rags has taken it upon himself to escort visitors into “his” cat room. Rags is almost famous as well, he has had photo shoots with a newspaper photographer, which resulted in a two-page spread. He also has been on television during a feature on pet care. All of this has gone to his head, of course, and life at the Humane Society now revolves around this spoiled feline. We wouldn’t have it any other way though, Rags has come to represent the joy, peace, and love that can be brought into a life by adopting an unwanted or stray animal from a shelter. Rags is getting to be quite the old kitty, we estimate his age to be 15-16 as of 2009. He is our “old man”, and all our lives have been blessed by having this amazing cat in our midst.
