Raise your paw if you love change.
No? How about upheaval? Chaos?
Hmm. No dice, eh?
OK, so it’s not breaking news that cats don’t adore change. Truth be told, I don’t think many of us humans do, either. (And, I’ll be first to admit, I usually rank change – especially the “upheaval” kind – just between “raw liver” and “people who eat puppies” on my list of least favorite things.)
But, apparently, not everything that ranks as a Big Honkin’ Change to us human beans is much of a big deal to the cats.
Exhibit A: the hurricane that hit the Community Room last week. For the past six years, the Community Room has had wall-to-wall carpeting. Fortunately, it’s been a decidedly “neutral” color, of the sort that doesn’t show…um, various effluvia. But, still, six years of effluvia leaves a carpet smelling less than daisy-fresh.
So, it was decided that the time had come to swap out the stenchy old carpet for new tile, the better to keep things clean and sweet-scented in the face of all Mr. Grey and his comrades can do. 🙂 Great idea…but this meant moving everything out of the Community Room: furniture, computers, human beans…and cats.
Community Room residents and squatters Hillary, Franny, Peachy and Mr. Grey moved out to the Lobby for the week, joining Tashi, Yasmine, Tony, Albert and Erin. Usual Lobby lady Polly moved into a cage in our Hospital wing, since (a) she hates cats as she hates hell and all Montagues, and (b) like China, Polly actually likes spending time in a cage (and certainly prefers it to dealing with twice the usual number of obnoxious neighbors). I whisked away my desk-mate Molly to the apartment, where Danielle and I temporarily set up our offices.
With human beans and felines scattered to every nook and cranny of the sanctuary, you could reasonably expect major drama, major hissing, spectacular stress. And, regarding the humans, you’d be right. (OK, I didn’t hear any human hissing.)
But the cats? Cool as a flock of furry cucumbers. Hillary (who, at one point in the not-so-distant past would become so stressed by our moving a computer desk that she’d sit, catatonic, in a corner for hours) pranced giddily through the lobby, enjoying a second kittenhood (at age 21).
Back in the apartment (which has historically been home to a Tabby’s Place staff member, but is presently vacant), amidst file cabinets and papers piled to the sky and Community Room fallout everywhere, Molly slept soundly, as unruffled as a silent sea.
So, now that we’re back “home” in the Community Room, how do the cats like the brand new floor, not to mention the brand new arrangement of the furniture? When I asked them what they thought of the change, they each gave me the same response: “something’s different? Meh.”
As you can see from these photos, what was a Very Big Change to us human beans has shaken out to be…well, no great shakes, as far as the cats are concerned.
I’m still not ready to say that cats like change…but I’ve been re-reminded that they see things quite differently (and, at times, with greater wisdom) than do we. One more reason I’m grateful for them!
All the kitties look so relaxed and chill that I just want to cuddle up with them all. Enjoy the new and improved community room. Much love to kitties and human beans alike!
It’s been said that cats don’t like things to change without their permission. All I can think of is that in this instance, the cats were ready for a change, too.
As much as cats are creatures of habit, it never ceases to amaze me how good they are at rolling with change. But I say that as someone who is completely trained to do what my cats wants, when she wants it!