Chloë Turns Over a New Cat

With George and Debbie at the other SU.

I matriculated at another university this week. After my previous studies at such vaunted institutions of higher learning as Syracuse University, the University of Western Ontario and Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho, my march through Seattle University was a walk in the park. It wasn’t nearly as hard to get into as the other SU; all we had to do was drive across town, find a free parking space and walk across the street. No problem.

Heather, Mike and I went over to the campus to do some social distancing with my Juneau pals George and Debbie. With the campus closed because of the coronavirus, there’s nobody around except landscapers and dog walkers. I investigated some of the walkways with Mike and Heather, but when we found the Alaskans everyone sat down far apart at picnic tables. Everybody but I wore a mask, and it was a good thing I didn’t have one. It was a sunny afternoon, and I was hot enough as it was. After sniffing in vain for crumbs in the picnic area, I made myself at home underneath a table until they were done talking. I overheard that George had to go to the hospital the very next day, which didn’t sound good, so I’m hoping he’s going to be OK.

I did get a bit of good news this week: my nemesis Ted, the Bartons’ black cat, is gone.

I sensed he hadn’t been around lately. I’ve been seeing a lot more of a fuzzy gray cat that I chased under a parked car one morning around 6. That cat wouldn’t be so bold if Ted were still roaming the block. Ted was tough.

“Ted went to the shelter (Heather explained to me that this phrase is really a euphemism) because he was driving us CRAZY, and I decided I was just too old for that crap,” Ted’s female owner Carol wrote in an email to Heather, without providing further detail. “So Chloe can only look forward to making friends with Fred—ha!”

Fred,  short for Frederika, is Ted’s white-footed sister. Up til now, she is rarely seen, and fleet of foot when she is. The presence of the new fuzzy cat is likely to keep the timid Fred around her house, in my opinion.

The other cats on the block are house cats that I never see. With Ted gone, I’ve got things pretty well under control, at least until the squirrels, mice, rats and  raccoons take over.