By Tanya M. Ursual

From The Lanark Animal Welfare Society (LAWS) L.A.W.S., P.O. Box 156, Smiths Falls, ON, K7A 4T1:

ZACH’S Blog:

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Zach and I am the LAWS resident cat. I am the large Orange Tabby that lives in the front office. Some refer to me as over-weight but I prefer to think of myself as muscular. Another thing you should know about me is that I was found in a box in Merrickville with a sign that read “my name is Zach and I need a home.“ I was brought to LAWS and because I’m such a cool guy, it became my forever home.

I have decided that our readers need to hear about LAWS from my perspective, so I will continue my blog each month. A blog is a commentary, but usually functions as a personal diary. Most blogs are on-line but since my keyboarding skills are poor and I can’t stand that computer mouse, I’ve relayed my thoughts through our EMC writer.

From my perch atop the pepsi machine in our reception area, I observe the comings and goings of all LAWS activity. I like to think of myself as the shelter manager and I think I do an excellent job at it. In between cat naps, I make myself useful as a paperweight for the numerous documents laying around the front desk. I also like to approach incoming dogs to determine if they are cat-friendly. I really enjoy taunting them by walking past their cages. Most are dumb enough to think we are actually friends but a few feel the need to growl and show their teeth blowing their disgusting dog breath all over me. The LAWS staff refer to my services as the “Zach cat scan.”

My most important job at LAWS is keeping up staff morale. When one of my non-furry friends is upset, I remind them of some very important things; always keep calm, always take time to eat (my favourite past-time), stop to smell the cat-nip and you just can't function without a good sleep.

At the moment, I’m sharing the reception area with a small Calico kitten named Missy who thinks she owns the place. She eats my food, uses my litter box, steals my catnip and is just a general pain in the tail. I’ll sure be glad when someone comes to adopt her. Oh yeah, you can see her mugshot and details on our website.

I could rant and rave all day, but I have to cut this short. I’ve just heard that our 3rd annual Furball 2008 is booked for May 10th, so I’m on my way out for my tuxedo fitting.

Until next time, I’ll leave you with a few thoughts: Its o.k. to wear the same thing every day, Don’t forget to wash behind your ears and in between your toes, Shred all documents, When life gets you down always land on your feet, Sometimes you just can’t explain your actions, Exercise daily and see a doctor once a year, There is always time for a good nap, Yawn like you mean it and sneeze with everything you’ve got, Enjoy your own company, Love is a four “legged“ word!, it isn’t a real kiss if it isn’t wet and sloppy and the bigger the cat the better the cuddle!