Back in spring 2014, former Bulletin editor Priya Ratneshwar and I came into the office on a Saturday to start work on the August issue. Shortly after arriving, we heard a faint chirping in the bushes below my second floor office at Wyndham. After some debate as to whether it was a bird or a kitten, we headed outdoors for a closer look.
Sure enough, a gorgeous set of green eyes stared out at us from deep in the evergreens along the terrace…. They belonged to a tiny, dark grey kitten, not 6 weeks old. It took us several hours, but we caught the spitfire and she’s been with me ever since: “Claire-Bear.”
We didn’t work on the Bulletin that day.
A year later, co-worker Diane Gentry ’98 caught three kittens near Helfarian (the old house along Erdman Walk). She was able to find homes for all but one adorable dilute tortie. What was I to do? I had to take this little one off her hands! Much to Claire’s chagrin, Gigi joined the household.
Another year later, several of us employees had become aware of a few older kittens running around campus. Despite our best efforts, we were unable to catch them… until we teamed up with then-student/now-alum Kayla Patton ’17. She was coming out each night to coax them out for a bit of kibble. Over time, she gained their trust. So we made a pact: Kayla would catch them (Bud and Butterscotch) and I’d foster until we found homes. She caught them in about a week but socializing them was another story. At 4 months old, it took way longer than I anticipated. By the time they were ready for a new home, I was too attached and, well, you know the rest of the story….
From left: Gigi, Butterscotch, Bud, and Claire.
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