Recently, I was able to pet cats, talk about cats, photograph cats, write about cats and call it “work.”

During my last week at the Bangor Daily News, I was interviewing Robert Morris, a resident of the Maine Veterans’ Home, when I noticed a black cat was rubbing against his shoes. Morris introduced the cat as Miss Kitty and I learned she lives at the home along with two other cats.

What a great topic for a feature story for the my new paper, the Machias Valley News Observer.

So, on Friday, July 1, I interviewed Activities Director Jen Wood and the three residents who have special relationships with the cats — Morris, Orlando King and Polly Davis.

The first cat to come to the home was Shadow, who belonged to a former resident. He has since bonded himself to King.

Miss Kitty is closest to Morris and Chrissy belongs to Davis.

For the scoop, check out the July 6 edition of the MVNO. In the meantime, enjoy these photos that didn’t make it into the paper.

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Shadow walks through the halls of the Maine Veterans Home in Machias. For some reason, this is one of my favorite photos from this shoot.
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Maine Veterans Home resident Orlando King joins is friend Shadow as he makes his daily rounds.
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Shadow sits in one of the halls of the Maine Veterans Home.
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This close-up of Shadow was taken while he was lying on Orlando King’s bed.
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Shadow relaxes on a chair in one of the common areas.
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Orlando King pets Shadow in his room at the Maine Veterans Home in Machias, Maine.
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Miss Kitty is a bit more shy than Shadow. She has bonded most closely with veterans home resident Robert Morris.
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Activities Director Jen Wood greets Miss Kitty at the Maine Veterans Home in Machias.
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Chrissy loves her human, Polly Davis. Unlike the other cats at the Maine Veterans Home, Chrissy actually belongs to Davis’ and stays in her room.
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Chrissy gives her attention to the photographer.
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The display outside Polly Davis’ room shows how much she loves her cat.

 

Johanna S. Billings is an award-winning writer and photographer. She is the author of the memoir "I Will Not Be Broken," about her struggle to break away from an abusive mother after losing her father and sister.

2 thoughts on “When work isn’t work”

  1. I love this story about our MVH cats! Thank you Johanna for capturing the beauty of the relationship between our cats and the residents. It was a pleasure!

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