Visit With Barney the Library Cat

Conall has been asking for awhile to visit Aunt Susan's library and to see the library cats "in the library". We went to visit her, and the new Head Library Cat, Barney today.

Barney eating snacks from the kids and entertaining them with his tail

 

Aunt Susan had been forewarned that Conall wanted to give Barney some "snacks" so she had his treats ready. The kids loved giving Barney the treats and some catnip and Barney liked the kids while they were feeding him. He tolerated them really well, but it was the end of the day and Barney was tired and the kids were very excited to be there. Barney eventually decided he'd had enough and went and hid in the stacks. The kids chased him down and then he went to Aunt Susan's office to hide. Poor kitty!

Aunt Susan also had set aside some books she thought Conall and Caitlin would like. Conall enjoyed going through them and showing off his reading skills. Caitlin pretty much just loved seeing Barney, but she picked out some books as well.

Caitlin visiting with Barney -- he looks thrilled, doesn't he?

Conall also learned about Braille, since Aunt Susan's library is at the School for the Blind. He got to see how a machine makes Braille on paper and see his name in Braille. He loved that!

Feeding Barney his "snacks"

Calling All Animal and Book Lovers!

Alex, the head library cat at the Arkansas School for the Blind, is in a battle for the top 5 spots in the Bissell Most Valuable Pet Contest that ends at midnight tomorrow night. Please visit their site and vote for Alex!

Here's Alex's bio.:
Alex: Head Library Cat at AR School for the Blind

Pet Parent: Susan Loesch
Entrant #: 0102147

Alex started coming to school as an "Assistant Library Cat" when he was a three week old bottle baby, a rescue I was fostering and later adopted. Now 6 years old, he was promoted to "Head Library Cat" upon the death of Big Footsie, who preceded him as Head Library Cat. He adores our students and they him. You should see him sit patiently as our youngest visually impaired students explore his nose, whiskers and ears. He and I come to work together every day & he sleeps with me every night!

If the link above doesn't work, here's the URL: http://mvp.bissell.com/mvp_PetDetail.aspx?id=8589935526%20


P.S. Susan is a dear friend of ours. She cat and dog sits when we are out of town, has helped with our cat's illnesses, is a true friend to all animals, a great animal rescuer, and a wonderful person and friend. She is also the librarian who has loaned us all of the Harry Potter books in large print so that Conall can "read" with me as I read them aloud to him.

New Cat Blog by Footsie's Mom

Aunt Susan, Big Footsie's mom, has a new blog that will be published through the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's online blog page. It is all about the library cats at the Arkansas School for the Blind Library and is called Cats in the Stacks.

Check it out here if you get a chance -- it is something fun to read about and is well-written. The first post commemorates Footsie and talks about moving on and the current "acting" head library cat, Alex.

A Tribute to Big Footsie

FuRR (Feline Rescue and Rehome) has a memorial for Big Footise on their Web page if any of you want to check it out.

A Sad Day

Big Footsie passed away today. Please pray for his mommy, Susan, and all of the kids at the Arkansas School for the Blind who will start school in the Fall without him. He is already greatly missed.

Extra Prayers for Susan and Footsie

Footsie needs lots of prayers! He is having trouble with his congestive heart failure and is in renal failure. The hope is that he has a kidney infection, which can be treated. Otherwise, things don't look good for him.
Please pray for him and especially his mommy, Susan. She and Footsie are very close and he is special to many children at the School for the Blind.

Footsie Prayers Needed

Please pray for Big Footsie and his person, Susan. Footsie is the therapy cat at the Arkansas School for the Blind where he serves as head library cat. Footsie was diagnosed with renal failure today and sees a specialist tomorrow.

Footsie's Mom Thanks You -- Please Keep Praying

Awhile back, I put a post on here about Big Footsie, the service cat at the Arkansas School for the Blind library and Susan, my neighbor, and good friend's cat. She sent me an email this morning asking me to thank everyone for the prayers and to tell them that they are working.

Although Footsie's heart condition is still serious, he is doing much better! He is tolerating all of the medicines they are treating it with and his blood pressure is considerably lower than when he was first diagnosed. Susan has asked that we continue to pray for him, but wanted you guys to know how he is doing.

Footsie Still Needs Prayers

Please continue to pray for Big Footsie. He has been diagnosed with terminal Cardiomyopathy (enlargement of his heart). Please also pray for his mom, Aunt Susan, and all of the kids who count on him at the Arkansas School for the Blind.