Big Cat

Mike rescued his unusual looking cat from an empty apartment when he was just a small kitten.  Although abandoned by owners, Gato stayed alive for two weeks on his own by drinking water from the toilet and licking food bits off used paper plates and left-behind pizza boxes.  He was one dehydrated and very, very hungry kitty, but otherwise healthy.  Once Gato settled into Mike’s home and had his belly comfortably full, Mike took him to a local vet who drew blood and told Mike all about his unusual new super-sized kitten, including the fact that he would grow to be very large.

Every Wed. and Fri. we deliver food to families who need it.   In March 2020, when Covid-19 first reared its ugly head, there were many.  Now, sixteen months later, those hungry numbers keep climbing.  Stuck at home way more than I’m used to in the early months of the pandemic, I began to look for a local volunteer opportunity.

I heard they needed delivery drivers, so I called the Foodbank.  After a brief conversation, they told me I was too old – in a polite way.  Next I called Whatcom Unified Command, the top-dog organization coordinating services in case of county-wide emergency.  I filled out their forms and offered to drive my own vehicle to deliver food to those in need.  They had no problem with my advanced age.  “Alright, I thought, I’m good!  I qualify!”

My husband and I both got picture ID’s and shortly after, our weekly sign-up sheets.  Arriving at Civic Field on my first ever run, I pulled up to the loading dock behind a big box truck unloading delivery boxes from the Foodbank, which I then loaded into my truck.  I received a route sheet with addresses, phone numbers and a specified number of boxes for each household.  Everyone gets 2 except those with large families who may get 4 or 6.

Six months later, Whatcom Unified Command handed off to the Volunteer Center, reformatted our weekly-sign-up sheets and pick-up site.  We began picking up Foodbank boxes at the actual Foodbank even though the Volunteer Center continued to organize and oversee the delivery process.  Another six months passed, and the Volunteer Center handed off to …….. wait for it………. the Foodbank, who apparently changed their rules so those of us over 60 could continue to deliver the same food we had been delivering for a year and a half.  My suspicion is that most of the volunteers are, in fact, over 60 (and still capable of making informed decisions), so it is certainly in everyone’s best interests.

My pal Veronica and I deliver food together to people who don’t have cars or can’t drive because they are sick or disabled.  It’s a simple job, really, but in an odd way, quite interesting.  I’m curious by nature, and it gives me endless opportunity to poke my nose in neighborhoods all over town.  I have a friend who writes and publishes a podcast about her long, solo road trips crisscrossing the US. Cat is the first of a series of stories about the worlds shortest of road trips.

As we drive around town, we often stack boxes at front doors or on porches without seeing anyone.  Yesterday was different.  We delivered 2 food boxes and a pound of frozen hamburger to an apartment on Ferry Street.  A guy named Mike and his huge, long-haired, tortoise shell cat, Gato, came out to greet us.  We stopped to chat and pet the critter.  He told us his cat was a cross between a wild ocelot and a

Maine Coon – the largest ever domesticated cat.  It is one of the oldest natural breeds in North America, native to the US state of Maine, where it is the official state cat.

Mike and Gato were our last stop of the morning, so we offered them an extra package of leftover, frozen ground beef.   Joking, I said, “Gato might like this!”  Mike said, “Oh no, he only likes salmon I catch from the bay!”