By Jay Scott Kanes

Editor’s Note: Always fond of cats, the writer is the author of Dog-Gone Cat Case, a novel about pets (especially cats) on Lamma Island in Hong Kong.

HONG KONG (With thoughts of Canada) – When planning a new journey to Atlantic Canada, my thoughts drift to one of the nicest characters I met there last year. Perhaps I’ll see her again.

Abby lives in Charlottetown, the capital of Prince Edward Island (PEI). She makes an immediate and lasting impression, being sleek, charming and (yes, I confess to personal knowledge of this) soft to caress.

When I first saw Abby the cat (a name derived from “Abegweit”, as PEI used to be called), she worked nearly full-time as a self-appointed “greeter” outside the Charlottetown Veterinary Clinic. As people arrived with or without ailing animals, Abby welcomed them, accepted backrubs and nuzzled ankles. Anyone watching easily imagined her reassuring the pets being carried up the steps. “Don’t be afraid,” she’d say in pet-talk. “You may hurt now, but we’ll take good care of you here.”

I’d stopped at the clinic for its on-site pet-supplies store, not an injury or illness. Standing on the front steps, Abby warmly greeted me, and I sat beside her for a proper visit.

After a memorable chat (complete with cuddling and purring, mostly by the cat), I raised a bold question: “Would it be alright if I took some souvenir photos?” Of course, Abby didn’t mind. Posing for pictures is part of what a greeter does.

Once inside the clinic, I approached the reception desk and asked one of Abby’s human colleagues named Karen about my new friend. She described Abby as a long-term employee who’d lived and worked there about four years.

A few other animals reside at the clinic too. At the time, there was another cat, a lizard and some fish, but only Abby showed the dedication and finesse for public relations.

“Usually, she stays out front on the steps,” Karen said. “On a sunny day, she may take a rest under the bushes, but that’s about as far as she wanders. She couldn’t be any friendlier.”

Abby’s PR skills are indisputable. Some pet-loving people have been known to visit the clinic not with an ailing critter or to buy something, but strictly to trade greetings with the feline on the front steps.

Not only does this exceptional cat enjoy socializing, but her job also pays well. Consider the fantastic health-care plan, so immediate and unlimited, the best an animal could imagine. And there’s always nutritious, medically approved cat food too.

When next I approach the clinic’s front steps, I hope to find Abby still on duty. I wonder if this cat who greets so many visitors will remember our last meeting.



Rain or shine, Abby stays at her work post.



What many visitors like most is the
friendly feline on the clinic's front steps.

ARCHIVES