Daphne closed the door to her office as she came in to find Hank sitting in the chair in front of her office with his clipboard at the ready.\u00a0 She could see a thick collection of sheets.\u00a0 \u201cHow many do we have checking in today?\u201d\u00a0 She sat down at the desk and prepared to approve the new arrivals in her system as she and Hank discussed them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first one you should have is Sheba.\u00a0 She\u2019s a long haired calico.\u00a0 Six years old.\u00a0 Current on shots. Seemingly healthy.\u00a0 Her owner died unexpectedly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daphne scanned the admitting file.\u00a0 \u201cLooks like\u00a0 a good candidate.\u00a0 Are you thinking Adoption House?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u00a0 We think Sheba\u2019s a good fit for that.\u201d\u00a0 Hank waited while Daphne updated and approved the record before continuing. \u201cNow you should have Simon.\u00a0 Thirteen. Solid black. Overweight.\u00a0 Some arthritis.\u00a0 He\u2019s been a sweetie so far.\u00a0 Owners didn\u2019t want to deal with an aging cat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daphne shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cAdoptable Retirement House?\u201d<\/p>\n
Hank nodded agreement, and she updated the record.\u00a0 When she was finished, he continued. \u201c This next one is\u00a0 a kitten, nearly grown.\u00a0 Stripes.\u00a0\u00a0 The owner\u2019s child developed allergies. Naturally, we\u2019re recommending Adoption House.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daphne nodded, updated the information, and selected the next record and began scanning.
\nHank let her read that one before continuing.\u00a0 \u201cThis one is a little tougher.\u00a0 Unresolved litter box problems that have been ongoing for several years.\u00a0 No medical reason ever found.\u00a0 Owners can\u2019t take it anymore.\u00a0 We\u2019re looking at Barnyard House.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daphne studied the screen a little longer, \u201cHe\u2019s been an indoor cat all his life, and he\u2019s eight.\u00a0 Let\u2019s assign him to Halfway House Six for now and reassess in two days.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hank made a notation on his sheet as Daphne updated the computer system, \u201cWe can do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
They continued through the day\u2019s Intake until they had discussed and assigned them all to what seemed like he appropriate house for their needs.\u00a0 Kitty City welcomed all cats and housed them according to their needs.\u00a0 If possible, they found a new home, but every kitty checking into to Kitty City had a forever home right in the City.\u00a0 Established in 2003, Kitty City currently housed 3,823 cats or kittens.\u00a0 It it weren\u2019t for the Kitty City partnership, Kitty City would have been Edton, Texas, ghost town.\u00a0 Daphne was thankful they\u2019d been able to rescue the town before it had deteriorated too badly.\u00a0 They were now legitimately on the map as Kitty City, and business was booming.<\/p>\n
Hank would take care of making sure the admissions for the last twenty-four hours were safely and securely settled in.\u00a0 Every kitty arriving in Kitty City for residency was given a thorough medical examination.\u00a0 Adults were spayed or neutered if necessary.\u00a0 During this time, they were assessed for temperament and whether they were a good candidate for a home with humans.\u00a0 If they were, they earned residences that were easily accessible by people seeking pets.\u00a0 If they weren\u2019t, they earned residences suitable for their temperament or needs.\u00a0 Kitty City was fully fenced with 8 foot high fence, but clearly, if a kitty wanted to escape, Daphne knew they weren\u2019t going to stop them.\u00a0 Escapes happened rarely.\u00a0 Most kitties liked Kitty City.\u00a0 City Hall was open to the public and had plenty of accessible parking out front in an unfenced area.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
Daphne\u2019s job was to oversee the full operation and to ensure interactions with the public went smoothly, including the touchy job of declining to allow someone to adopt one of her kitties.\u00a0 She thought of them all as her kitties \u2014 as did most of her employees.\u00a0 Each residence had a house parent who knew each resident intimately.\u00a0 The number of kitties per residence varied, because it depended upon how many the house parent thought he or she could handle.\u00a0 People who could handle fewer cats were assigned to residences that needed fewer residents \u2014 either due to physical or mental health reasons.\u00a0 In some cases, the house parent lived on site, but that wasn\u2019t a criteria for employment.\u00a0 Daphne didn\u2019t want the problems of too many people living in Kitty City to manifest itself.\u00a0 In some cases, the residences weren\u2019t up to standards for human habitation, but they served kitties just fine.\u00a0 In some cases, it didn\u2019t seem like a good idea to have additional family members living on site.\u00a0 Despite that, Daphne employed a full public works crew for the Kitty City Water Department, the electric company liaison, and, of course, trash pick up.\u00a0 The trash pick up crew was the grounds crew \u2014 they kept Kitty City mowed, trimmed, and litter free, all while looking out for kitties in the grass.<\/p>\n
She also had a full staff of city administrators.\u00a0 She was on her way to a meeting with the City Treasurer to check on the Kitty City finances.\u00a0 Some months were better than others for fundraising, but the treasurer had a proposal for her to consider, and Daphne wanted to hear it.\u00a0 She snagged a fresh cup of coffee in the break room and sat down in front of her treasurer\u2019s desk to wait for her to finish the phone call she was handling.<\/p>\n
The treasurer hung up the phone and turned her attention to Daphne.\u00a0 \u201cDaphne, I\u2019m so glad you had a few minutes.\u00a0 I have this idea for recurring income, and I think we can make it work.\u00a0 We can sell honorary deeds and tax them each year based upon the value of the property.\u00a0 It\u2019s kind of like those zoo adoption programs you see, but this would give them honorary city resident status.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u00a0 What do they get for the privilege of being an honorary Kitty City resident?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve come up with a few things, but I\u2019m happy to entertain other ideas.\u00a0 They\u2019d get an 8X10 color photo, suitable for framing.\u00a0 We\u2019d video the inside of the residence, and each year, upon payment of their \u201ctaxes,\u201d they would receive a new photo album including that year\u2019s residents and their biography, including the photo and first name of the house parent.\u201d<\/p>\n
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