Meet Luna, My New Assistant (and Lap Cat)

With three cats in residence, you wouldn’t think there could be any neglected feline household duties. But like any group, my kitty org chart had some unassigned responsibilities. For example, the lap cat function had been ignored for some time, and none of our current crop of cats was interested in expanding their job descriptions to take on that additional task.

Unbeknownst to me, my husband, Rich, was secretly vetting candidates at the South Philly refinery where he has an office for the open lap cat position. And when he found a winning applicant, he hired her on the spot. She was able to begin work immediately, and, in honor of her start date which was the same day as the August eclipse, I named her Luna after the Roman moon goddess (and one of my favorite Harry Potter characters).

The reactions from the rest of the feline contingent were mixed.
—Bert, Chief Feline Officer “Just what I need—another South Philly girl to train in the ways of a suburban house cat.”
—Bastet, Union Rep for the Feline Local 514 “I do not recall seeing the proper requisitions and job postings for this new lap cat position and I do not think the hiring of Luna went through the proper channels.”
—Cleopatra, AKA Mrs. Bert “She is very young and very cute, but I am impressed NOT.”

As for me, I am just trying to wrap my head around a four-cat household, and trying to figure out if I need to add “crazy cat lady” to the list of skills on my resume. And, although I did question my husband’s sanity (not for the first time) in adding to our feline grouping, I will say Luna has hit the ground running in her new position. Despite being so young, she was well trained in house cat etiquette when she arrived (with a knack for walking across a computer keyboard and pressing just the wrong key) and is, as I write this, sitting on my lap.