During the heyday of samurai culture, the Japanese word tsuji-giri meant “to try out a new sword on a passer-by.” After analyzing your astrological omens, Cancerian, I’m appealing to you not to commit the metaphorical equivalent of that in the coming week. Here’s what I mean: You’ve got good reasons to use the metaphorical equivalent of a new sword, and you will wreak some constructive havoc if you direct your warrior attitude at the right targets. But if, on the other hand, you carelessly slice and dice passers-by and other innocents who don’t deserve it, you’ll waste that valuable resource and won’t correct the problems that have piqued your sense of injustice.

Well. My sword is definitely aimed one target. Not with intent to kill, but to get attention and hopefully resolution. We shall see how that works out. Mostly it is a sword of appeal and there are no ultimatums. Just hope the appeal is heard and responded to in a positive manner.

That has absolutely nothing to do with the Cat Lady but on Wednesdays I tend to post my horoscope and it is, once again, spot on with something I’m working through.

On to the cat lady.

Vixen. Soft as baby duck down and hard as nails.

As you know I’ve been feeding a stray cat. Winter is coming and it concerns me greatly. That and the bruiser who sometimes attacks the other cats in the area.

There is a woman I am acquainted with here on campus who runs a charity, Friends of Campus Cats. She and I started talking about 10 days ago. I visited her home last night. She has graciously lent me a friendly trap and shown me how to use it. Campus Cats will pay for a  vet visit and blood tests. She will loan me a big cage where the new cat can rest in my home quietly without interaction between her and my current kitty Miss Mitty. I have stinky cat food. I have flannel sheets. The vet is called and on standby so I can take the cat there immediately. All that is left now is to trap the poor thing.

I plan on laying the trap every weekday morning when I feed her/him. This way I can get the cat to the vet and drop it off and go to work and come back later. And not hit them on a busy Saturday. The cat currently comes 80% of the time when I call at meal times so I’m hopeful.

Oh, on to the cat lady.

This woman is no nonsense. She don’t mess around. And she has given all of her life to rescuing cats. The first thing you notice when you walk into her home is the smell. Second you notice that there are cats everywhere. Cat hair everywhere. But the littler boxes are clean. You just can’t hide the fact , smell or otherwise, that there are at least 8 cats in the living room lounging around with another in a big cage while it gets tested. More cats start appearing because they hear a new voice. 5 more cats. And then there is her bedroom where there are more cats who, for one reason or another, are sequestered. For instance one of these cats has a motor coordination illness and while she can roll around on the bed, she can not walk or stand. Affectionate as all get out she rolls around with her paws every which way.

As you sit and listen to the cat lady’s story and meet the cats that aren’t too afraid you notice that everything is old and very worn. There are no accessories anywhere in the house. The walls are bare of anything other than evidence that the cats rub on it. There are clean litter boxes everywhere. I know that she cleans them every night. She has too. She is lucky she owns her own home. No one would rent to her. I didn’t ask if she had a permit, she may not. And I don’t care. She has given her life to these precious animals and has brought them back from fear and an early death. One only allowed petting this past month after 4 years in the home. Emotionally damaged animals who clearly all love her. And she them.

The other night while talking on the phone with The Beloved about my stray, the name Ophelia just popped into my head. So for now we are calling the stray Ophelia. Not the best sane long life reference but there it is. If Ophelia tests positive for any of the deadly cat diseases, we will have to put her down. To have her in our homes with our cats isn’t an option and to release her back into the neighborhood to infect other cats and die a horrible death herself isn’t an option either. I’m working on manifesting good health results for Ophelia.

But I decided last night that if I can’t keep Ophelia for any reason, I am using some of this money to pay another pet fee (non-refundable) and adopting one of these cats. There was one, all black with a 3″ tail that really took a liking to me. All over me really. And the cat lady was astonished. That cat won’t go near anyone she says. I’ve started bonding with it already. I wish I didn’t have to choose but I just can’t do three cats. But the cat lady inspired me with her dedication and love. And I’m going to spend far less on a mattress than planned so that I can take one cat in.

I’ve also gone online and upped my monthly payroll deduction to this charity. Here at the U, our fund drive takes our donations out of our paychecks over the course of a year. This charity is going to get my extra money this year.

If you live in the Seattle area and can take in another cat, I know where there are a whole lot of really needy cats that need a home. Whiskey Whisker City (god I’m such an alcoholic I even type like a drunk) is where I got Miss Mitty from and I donate to them monthly too.

Both places are great causes too. They are always open to donations if you are open to giving.

That’s my soapbox for the day.