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Chapter 45. From Duckling To Swan
I began to bring Asia into Petco to show for adoption. But, though we rescued her weeks before, only a tiny bit of fur had begun to grow back from having been totally shaved.
Onlookers constantly questioned what we had done to the cat. What was "wrong" with her and was she "sick?" It became draining to have to explain repeatedly that the Persian cat had to be shaved due to the severe mats and neglect she had suffered in a former home. No, there wasn't anything "wrong" with her that a little time and patience couldn't solve and no, Asia wasn't "sick."
I left most of the "explaining" and PR to new volunteers who had recently signed on with NYCA to help out.
Kathy Skillen was a soft hearted woman of Irish background, slightly younger than myself, who did her own cat rescues in the Bronx where she lived. She requested occasional help with placement of personal rescues in exchange for assistance at Petco. Kathy was consistent and reliable and she also had much patience with the sometimes annoying public queries.
Ruth Bauer, though not a mother herself, reminded one of the perennial "Jewish mother." In her early sixties, Ruth took on the role of reminding everyone else of things that needed to be done. She was very attentive to detail, proper care of the cats and Ruth was also quite adept at PR skills. She liked people and, like Susan, always saw the best in everyone.
"Patty, you shouldn't get so annoyed at people when they ask stupid questions! They mean well." Ruth frequently reminded me. "Ruth, that's easy for you to say. You're here for an hour or so. I am here all day. I gotta see animals die for nonsense like this!" I would argue back to her.
Despite our different perspectives and occasional rifts, I appreciated Ruth dearly and knew on several levels she was right. Both she and Kathy helped keep me reigned in.
Around this time, Ann Kolquist advised me that the Internet was becoming very big and could serve as a good resource for placing more animals. Anne also told me the hospital where she worked, was ordering new computers and getting rid of old ones. She could get me a computer at no cost. I jumped at the opportunity and within a matter of weeks, I joined the digital age and was on the Internet. Ann designed a web site for NYCA and we began to advertise animals we had for adoption.
Because the interest in our cat adoptions had increased greatly since we moved to the first floor, Petco offered me the opportunity to show cats during the week as well as weekends. Ruth, Susanna and Kathy helped me on weekday evenings. Judy and Ann came in on weekends.
I was now literally working seven days a week. More placements meant more rescues. I was going to CACC several times a week to pick up cats. Judy was picking up more cats from Alice and another rescuer in Brooklyn. Occasionally, Kathy would bring in a cat from the Bronx. We were burning the candles at every end.
But, if we were successful in getting more adoptions, we were also attracting bigger crowds than Petco appreciated. The back corner of the store where we were located was small and now frequently cramped. The manager complained to me that customers of the store couldn't get easy access to the cat litter because of too many people standing around looking at cats.
I had to try and whisk onlookers and those not there to adopt away. It wasn't always easy, particularly on weekends. "Pretend adopters" are always a problem and not always easy to differentiate from the people who are serious about adoption. One didn't want to antagonize or scare away potential homes. Still, the pressure on me from management was becoming intense. "You need to figure out a way to keep the floor clear, or else," I was basically told.
Asia was finally adopted by a young woman who swore a love for Persians several months after rescue. Her fur had finally begun to grow back and she reminded one of the ugly duckling who was now, finally, growing into a beautiful swan.
The question was, why did it take the general public so long to see that?