Herding Cats

You've heard the expression "herding cats." That's my new job. My specialty is herding old cats, like Little Gray, Hoss and Jasmine. When they wander away from our little yard or off the sidewalk, I jump in front of them and smack them in the face. Sometimes Little Gray smacks me back. He can be so mean! Really. I'm just trying to help and keep our Human happy.

Hoss and I were in the group home together. I didn't know him well though. He kept pretty much to himself because he was much older than the rest of us, and he could barely see. Our Human's friends, Ruth and Joe, found him when they trapped/neutered/returned a cat colony in downtown Baltimore. They didn't return Hoss (they gave him the name) because he was tame, and they thought he was blind. He's not blind, but he does have FIV and herpes and he doesn't see very well.

He came here while Jasmine was gone because our Human wanted Little Gray to have an older friend who would be indoors with him while the rest of us were outside. He's nice... very gentle and wise. I'm glad he's here. But I do wish Casper would come home and help me with the herding thing. It's hard to keep track of three cats going in three different directions. I wish we could make them indoor cats. But that's sort of selfish. They'd be bored and miserable if they could never go out.

Diana Hanshaw took this picture of Hoss when he lived in the group home.