There can be no doubt that Yuki, our tri-colored practice cat in Zug secretly owns the place……..
Living virtually her whole life at the veterinary practice, Madame is already waiting inpatiently for me by the front door when I arrive at the clinic in the morning.
Despite having the benefit of three huge cat litter trays inside the building, one can not wait to walk graciously outside to retreat for one’s morning toilet to a remote corner of the surgery lawn.
Following a brief inspection of one’s estate, the proprietor returns to the premises to check who of her human servants has arrived and these are then pursuit until he or she have officially paid their respect, ideally in form of some kind words and some gentle stroking behind the ears.
If the weather isn’t great, then the day is spend, usually in an elevated location on a chair or on a window sill, in the waiting room or on the reception desk, to monitor carefully, yet with an element of derogatory boredom, the comings and goings in the clinic.
Dogs are usually met with an aura of superiority, followed by utter ignorance , whereas other felines are briefly inspected and then ignored as well. Yuki has seen too many of these frequent, but far too casual visitors to consider them any longer as noteworthy competition. By now Yuki knows about the restraining features of carrier baskets and of their benefits from her perspective….
In the summer or when it is reasonably dry, Yuki ventures away from the safety of the clinic, first over the gravel car park and to the building yard infront of the clinic (the most dangerous part of the day….), then on to the now disused railway line at the rear of the clinic
and finally into the well maintained flower and vegetable garden which is – probably not quite legally….- claiming one side of the track. Being shaded by some low growing shrubbs, one can comfortably survive the heat in the middle of the day there.
If the weather is just too hot or madame feels very lazy today, then her very own cat real estate right next to the entrance door has to suffice as venue for an extented siesta.
Everyone, not only at the clinic, but also in the offices above the clinic, knows Yuki and most of our regular clients are familiar with her as well.
Yuki is a classic example of the pinnacle of the feline universe: to be the resident cat of a veterinary clinic.
A lot of cats risk limb and life to claim this status and only very few achieve it.
The rewards are huge and thinking about it, how many humans would love to have a life like Yuki’s ?
To start with, there is rent free, climate controlled accommodation, a free, balanced, high quality (possibly very slightly outdated) diet under veterinary supervision, free health care and every day some social interaction and entertainment, but at the same time a very stable daily routine and many hours of uninterrupted sleep.
Exactly what the doctor (or the vet) ordered…….
At Virginia Water we too had a number of practice cats over the years, with Fred, who even managed to be protraited by a local artist, being the most famous.
This is an attempt of a homage for the Yukis and Freds around the Globe, who have managed by various means to soften the hearts of veterinary teams to eventually be allowed to stay for good.
They repay their sheltered and certainly privileged position by providing an atmosphere of warmth and tranquility to a practice and if that is the way they are ruling their empire, than I don’t mind to be just a feline’s servant…….
The Blue Vet Diary 