Interview with Bagel

JLG: Bagel, let’s start out by talking about your great sense of fashion.

B: I’m a surprisingly chill cat, as you might already know, whether I’m wearing a surgical onesie or just my orange striped fur. I have swagger, or as the young folks might say, RIZZ.

JLG: I had to look that up, but yes, I think you do have rizz. Can you tell us a little about your background?

B: You see, I had been living as a stray, through no fault of my own. This is last summer, 2024. It’s hard to make it on your own as a cat. I noticed that a lady was putting out food for the birds, and I figured birds could be food for me. When she saw me stalking the feathery friends, she started putting out cat food for me. I liked it, being less work than having to catch things. So I started visiting her regularly, and she kept the buffet open. But then, something terrible happened to me. I don’t want to go into details, but when I showed up at her place in October with huge wounds from a nasty encounter, she freaked out. She called your shelter, and I was bundled up and delivered to you.

JLG: Let me show you what that looked like during and right after surgery:

JLG: Not only did you have the injuries, but your skin started to die around the wounds. It was infected. Dr. Francesca cleaned it all up and you had to wear a pretty massive bandage for weeks.

B: Yes, it was painful, but you all kept me on painkillers and antibiotics and you were all so good to me. I rested up, for the first time in my life, knowing I was safe. And I got to eat all the time! I’m all healed up now, six months later.

JLG: And the outfit?

B: That’s a surgical onesie made just for cats. It helped keep the bandages in place a little easier, and then once they came off, it stopped me from licking the stitches and scabs. Hair is itchy when it starts to grow back in!

JLG: I have to say Bagel, you were such an amazing boy when it came time to change your bandages or put on the onesie. I’ve honestly never seen such a patient cat.

B: Thank you. It’s the least I could do, for all that you did for me at the shelter. You saved my life, you and the nice woman who fed me those months and helped me find my way to you.

JLG: That’s why your name is Bagel, isn’t it? Bagel rhymes with her last name. It’s a tribute to her kindness.

B: Yes, I am so thankful to be here and be safe. It took a lot of people to make that happen, but it all started with that one lady.

JLG: What do you hope for next, now that you are all healed?

B: I like living here at the shelter. Good food, warm beds, and people to sit next to when I want some company. But I think I’d like a home of my own. I can see myself sitting next to someone special on the couch, or sleeping on their bed at night. Maybe I could nap on a lap while a person read a novel, or watch them from the top of a cat tower if they worked from home. I’d be a good companion.

JLG: You’d be the best companion, Bagel.