Howard Schultz

A FEW DAYS AGO I WROTE ABOUT A YOUNG CAT that showed up outside of the nearby St. Arbucks (Starbucks to most people.). That little cutie pie is no more than 4 to 6 months old and a ball of yellow/orange fur.

Well…it’s still there.and has been unofficially adopted by the customers and staff. This cat has stumbled into a good thing.

Yesterday I gave it some crumbled up egg and bits of sausage from one of St. Arbucks breakfast sandwiches. I’ve seen several people take cups of cream outside for him. This morning one of the Baristas walked over with a small tray filled with bits of bacon. At this rate that cat will weigh 75 pounds by Christmas.

Even if no one else would be taking out food for the kitten, I would. I’m a Softie. But it makes me glad to see some of the other guys and gals joining in on this.

I see those dour old Geezers take something outside for the cat and when they come back inside they all have big smiles on their faces. It is not only the cat that is benefitting from all of this. The cat gets some cream, but the humans get the reward of caring for a small and helpless animal. They are doing a good thing.

When I first saw this little cat hanging out in the parking lot I thought that it was a poor lost little kitten. I’m not so sure anymore. I’ve been watching this cat and I have seen it carefully crossing a very busy street (After looking both ways) and walking down the sidewalk with his tail straight up in the air. That is not the sign of a distressed cat. I’m thinking that this cat has a complex daily routine.

He stops at St. Arbucks for Breakfast then heads off down the street for some lunch, then it’s back to the coffee house for an afternoon snack. I don’t care. This is a small creature taking control of its life – working the system as it were.

That is one reason I like cats. Dogs, God love ’em, have fully domesticated themselves into property, but cats have held onto more of their innate wildness. Dogs are content to be owned. Not so with cats.

There is a meme that I have seen frequently on the internet that deals with this difference between dogs and cats. It says, “Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.” Boy, is that ever the truth. Dogs live with you, but cats have you around to take out the trash and open cans.

So, this is where we are as of today: the cat shows up at about 6 AM every morning and is doted on by customers and staff alike. He has been coming around long enough now that he has become part of the family and if he is part of the family he needs to have a name, right? After some discussion we settled on a name. From now on that little yellow tabby cat will be known as “Howard Schultz”, which is, coincidentally, the same name as the Chairman of the Board of Starbucks. It only seems appropriate.

 

 

 

Single Post Navigation

← Older Entry

Newer Entry →