I am not old, but when I caught myself telling a twenty-year-old how bike pants as street wear were all the rage in the late 80s, I felt very much older. When I told one of my friends about this, she sent me a link (as you do when you reassure your friends these days) to a blog by Kelly Rheel, a laser hair technician who just happens to be a gifted comic writer on the side. Not only did I feel better, I also learned that Kelly is a cat devotee and thought I'd interview her on SAT.
So hi, Kelly.
Hey there
SAT readers! My name is Kelly Rheel and when I'm not blogging about nonsense on
therheeldaze, I work as a technician in a laser hair removal spa. I'm also a
lover of animals, so I'm really happy to be featured on this site.
Your cat
features in many of your posts. Can you tell us about him?
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"I spent forty minutes on a Friday night perfecting this photo. The first twenty was agonizing over which of the dozens of different filters I should choose from. The second twenty I spent deciding if the bokeh lights should be hearts or stars. Look at how annoyed the cat is. This pretty much sums up our relationship."
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My cat is a
little boy. People always ask me what his name is and unfortunately I don't
have an answer. He never told me and I never bothered to ask. See, we met when
he was already a cat, not a kitten and I kinda felt it would be weird of me to
all of a sudden tell him he was Bob. However I have had a couple of nicknames
for him over the years. He's been called Killer, Winks (cause he winks all the
time which makes me wonder if he's serious about half the things he tells me or
if he's being facetious) Feathers and more recently Skinny Mini because he's a
senior citizen now and has lost a lot of weight. Mostly I just call him the
kitty though. I think he's a Tabby cat? He has that W thing between his
eyes.
How did
you meet?
I used to
live in an apartment in Brooklyn that had a window with access to the front
porch. In the summer time we didn't even bother to use the door because when we
left the window open we could basically step directly into the living
room. One night my roommate and I were watching TV and the kitty put one
cautious foot through the window, then another. He took a minute to look around
before walking in like he owned the place. We let him visit for a while but I
told my roommate "Whatever you do, don't feed that thing. He'll never
leave." The kitty came back a couple of times after. Once in the middle of
the night. I suppose we had forgotten to close the window and around two in the
morning I heard a shriek much like a seven-year old girl would make if she got
her finger caught in an escalator. My boyfriend at the time came running into
our bedroom and said "There's a rat in the kitchen THIS big!" He
calmed down once we turned the lights on and and saw who it was. It wasn't long
after that I started hooking him [the cat] up with sardines when he would stop
by. Eventually he was just a full time guest. Now we're like besties.
The motto
of your blog is "chasing the dream...at a comfortable pace". How does
your cat aid in this regard?
Nothing this
cat does in regard to me is at a comfortable pace. He screams at me constantly.
It starts with my four a.m. wake up call to watch him eat. Yes, watch him
eat. Anne, maybe you can shed some light on this odd habit but he won't chow
down without me standing behind him. I attribute it to him being from the
streets and wanting to know someone has his back when he's in a vulnerable
position but a vet once told me that cats are just communal animals and they
like to do things together. Either way, it's non-stop. He also yells at me to
watch him drink which he now will only do out of the running faucet. So we
often make many trips from the kitchen to the bathroom at any given moment. I
suppose he keeps me from maintaining too comfortable a pace.
[Ed - re the eating, cats can be very social although I find that if they have an increased appetite due to metabolic disease, like an overactive thyroid, they often want you to watch them eat so you are on hand to deliver the next course stat. I know cats that are fussy eaters in hospital will often eat when someone is watching or even patting them. It would be interesting to know what your vet says but senior cats often develop conditions that cause an increase in thirst - such as chronic renal insufficiency or kidney disease. Thyroid disease and cognitive dysfunction - aka dementia - will also cause cats to take night walks and talk a lot more. Blood and urine tests can help diagnose metabolic disease, but cognitive dysfunction is a little trickier].
Not sure
about in the US, but in Australia there seems to be an exchange of knowing
looks between people when one is a woman over 30 who lives with a cat. Do you
get those? What is the deal there?
You know
what I say to those people? I don't have a boyfriend, I don't have any kids.
Something needs to listen to me complain about how Weight Watchers raised the
points on vodka from two to four. And at least by having a cat as my little
buddy I can avoid all of the massive responsibility that comes along with
taking care of a man. Haha! See what I did there? JK, I'm sure husbands
are totally cool.
You
mentioned you wanted to be a vet tech. What is the appeal for you?
I wanted to
be a vet tech because I love animals pure and simple. I wanted to work in an
environment where I could make their lives better. However I decided to go in a
different direction because the cost of living in NYC is silly and
unfortunately, in the U.S. vet techs aren't compensated very well for the work
that they do. I also considered becoming a zoologist but once again, living in
New York, unless I was working at the Bronx Zoo it may have been hard to find a
job and as much as love to travel, I wasn't comfortable with the idea of picking
up and moving to Africa.
Have you
ever had to take your kitty to the vet and what was the experience like?
He is a holy
nightmare at the vet. He thrashes around and growls so loudly she can barely
hear his heart rate. The vet is actually quite traumatic for me because he
appears to be in pain and I have a hard time watching. I can't be in the room
when they take his blood.
What do
you think we need to do to improve the lives of companion animals?
I think
people should realistically consider what it is to be a pet owner. I have a
number of friends who thought it would be fun to have a dog or a cat but
ultimately gave them up if they misbehaved or if they had to move. This leaves
an abundance of unwanted animals. Pets can be a wonderful addition to your life
but they are also at times annoying, expensive and inconvenient. My cat is
quite old now and his body doesn't work as well so he often leaves messes of
all kinds around the house. It's gross, but I manage it because I love him and
this is what it is to have a pet. If that's something you think you wouldn't be
comfortable dealing with, think twice about welcoming an animal into your home.
Any
favourite pet or vet related websites that you want to share?
Well if I
didn't already fit the stereotype of "spinster cat lady" this is
going to seal the deal. I haven't always been such a sap but I work with only
women so a website like this was bound to make it's way into my life
eventually. It's called cuteoverload and I dare you to
spend five minutes on it and be in a bad mood afterwards.
[Ed: Ah yes, the CO remedy...I use it often!].
How has
having your kitty changed you?
I think I'm
a more compassionate person in general because of him. I used to dislike cats
but living with the kitty has not only turned me into a cat lover, but a true
animal lover. I donate regularly to an organization that helps to improve the
lives of domestic and farm animals. Also, three years ago I became a vegetarian
(and sometimes vegan) because I want to do all I can to make sure that animals
are not being abused. I'm of the opinion that if I wouldn't be OK with my cat
being killed for food, I can't be OK with cows and pigs and chickens being
killed either. My cat showed me that critters have real feelings and we should
be respectful of them. I don't begrudge meat eaters by the way, this is simply
the relationship I've chosen to have with animals now. And it's all due to the
kitty.
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"I had thirty wallet sized photos of the kitty made up to send to friends and family along with my Christmas cards as revenge for having to look at pictures of everyone's kids all year. To my surprise, they were a hit and many ended up tacked to office cubicles and home refrigerators. Now kitty's a star! And I'm much more gracious about looking at pics of other people's kids."
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Thanks Kelly!
