When Simba, former official Tourism Moose Jaw (TMJ) office cat, decided it was time to retire, the TMJ team turned to Moose Jaw’s Stray Cat Rescue And Protection Society (SCRAPS) to fill the important role of chief mouser.
SCRAPS helped them pick out Cheese, formerly known as Elm, whose story is an epic one in either cat or human terms.
MooseJawToday.com visited the TMJ office on Diefenbaker Drive to hear the tail (pun intended.)
“So, a lady was walking in Wakamow Valley and noticed a cat that was very high in a tree,” explained Jacki L’Heureux-Mason, TMJ’s executive director. “She tried to cajole it down, but it wouldn’t come down, and it was still there the next day.”
The woman called SCRAPS, and after some phone calls, Nick’s Tree Service agreed to help rescue the cat — dubbed “Elm” after the tree she was stuck in — from her predicament.
It was after dark by the time the operation was initiated, meaning volunteers had to retrieve a terrified, razor-clawed predator by flashlight, while balancing on a ladder. It took patience, gentle words, and treats, but they finally succeeded.
The next day, in the home of one of SCRAPS’ cat fosters, Elm gave birth to a tiny orange kitten. A visit to the vet resulted in an emergency C-section to extract an additional orange baby. Both kittens eventually went to Pet Valu and were successfully adopted.
The TMJ team knew right away that the sweet, affectionate Elm was the cat they wanted. After hearing her story, they also learned of a possible connection to their workplace which made the decision even more sure.
“The reason she might have been up in a tree in the first place,” L’Heureux-Mason laughed, “is that it actually might have been (the brother of) one of my employees whose dog chased her up there.”
L’Heureux-Mason said that the cat’s story sparked a memory for the brother, who was walking his dog in Wakamow around the same time that Elm was discovered.
“He said, ‘I think that’s the cat my dog chased up the tree!’ So, we feel like maybe it was full circle. You know, like maybe we put her up there, so we had to have her when she came down.”
Elm has been re-named Cheese and thoroughly spoiled with treats, toys, and a fond new family. After just a week, she seems fully settled in. During the visit, she zoomed and played, flopped comfortably on desks and keyboards, had a nibble at her bowl, and made her rounds to receive affection from everyone.
“The office cat’s primary function is to be a mouser," said Trisha German at Tourism Moose Jaw. "We’re on the edge of the city here, and we have a lot of prairie around us, which means we have mice. They like to get into the building, stay warm, and eat whatever they can.
“But she’s part of the team. We just cuddle her and love her.”
Tourism Moose Jaw said their relationship with SCRAPS was valuable and praised the work the cat rescue does.
“They have been very good with us, with Simba and now with Cheese,” German said. “We sell their calendars here to help raise funds for their cause, they’re a great organization to deal with and support.”
