Tootsie, the first resident vet clinic cat

    This is a painting of a little yellow kitten, Tootsie, our resident veterinary clinic cat.  One  busy surgery day, a client came in holding a tiny yellow kitten.  It seems that her barn cat had had a litter of kittens and this one was the runt.  The kitten was half the size of her litter mates had only one toe on both back feet (hence the name Tootsie).  She was not getting much milk since the other, larger kittens didn't give her much nursing time.
     The technician on staff took Tootsie and put her in her lab coat pocket for the rest of the day.  She nursed her from a bottle periodically when time permitted.   This is where Tootsie spent most of the following days until she grew stronger and started to eat on her own.
     Well, this little yellow cat thrived from that time on.  She grew strong and brave and proceeded to rule the office.  She loved to be where the action was, would cuddle next to the warm dogs recovering from anesthesia, she would sit on the front counter when clients came in the front door (our greeter).  She sat on the printer at bill printing time (jamming up the reels of paper).  She kept me company on many late nights and early mornings while treating sick dogs and cats, paying bills, doing payroll, balancing accounts....
    She lived in the vet clinic happily for many years and stayed to show the new owners how to run the place when I sold the practice.
     Tootsie was a great example of how to overcome a handicap to become Queen of the jammed printers and scattered files....