Love of cats spans lifetime
By Victoria Smithee
For the many cats without a home in Denton, a place to sleep and a nice meal are provided by kind people willing to save an animal’s life.
Cathy Wenger with the Denton Humane Society said the organization rescues about 100 cats a year from the area.
Wenger said the group tries to provide medical care and food for the cats they find, but private individuals do a lot to take care of cats and kittens that need homes.
Nancy Viens does what she can for animals that are in need of love and care and has adopted many strays over the years.
Viens, a reference assistant at Willis Library at the University of North Texas, currently cares for three furry friends, the most cats she’s ever had a one time.
The family- Viens and her three pets Henry, Elizabeth and Mabel- lives in a comfortable apartment close to campus.
Her cats stay inside all the time, and she said they have plenty of toys and climbing posts to stay entertained, most of the time.
“They’ve already destroyed one end of the couch,” she said.
Mabel, a shy calico, hardly ever comes out to play with visitors. Her favorite place to hide is under the bed, and she enjoys chewing on plastic, Viens said.
The dark gray tiger cat, Elizabeth, is a little braver and enjoys sniffing purses and looking out the window.
“She’s very feisty,” she said.
Henry came to stay two years ago when a neighbor’s cat had a litter of kittens.
“He came in and decided he was the boss,” she said. “The girls were very upset.”
Viens said she grew up in a small town in Vermont and can remember having cats all her life.
“My grandmother who raised me, let me have one cat at a time in the house,” she said. “When you grow up with them, you tend to miss them.”
Viens said her favorite cat passed away about two years ago: a pure bred Siamese named Oliver.
“He was the nicest cat, with blue eyes, which are very rare,” she said. “He was just a dear.”
Viens said she also loves dogs, but since she’s not at home during the day because of work, cats are better pets because they can entertain themselves while she’s gone.
“Each has their advantages and disadvantages,” she said. “They’ll play with you…when they feel like it, or they’re bored, or hungry.”
Viens said her cats are a great joy by keeping her company when she’s not at work.
She also works with the Feral Cat Rescue Group at UNT. The group provides shelters and for homeless cats in the area.
Recently, there was a black cat around campus, and the group named him Obama.
“Everyone liked that name,” she said.
The organization also acts as a network to find adoptive homes for cats, but Viens doesn’t know if Obama was ever adopted.
Viens said Denton residents are very cat friendly, and she has noticed that they will usually adopt strays.
Molly Yocum, an 18-year-old UNT student, said she has adopted at least 20 stray cats over her lifetime.
“I begged my family to take them in, and we found them homes,” she said. “There have been times I have had one cat, and times when I have had five, but I always have a cat.”
Yocum currently has a small calico named Patches but has had many different kinds in the past.
“Cats are very loving,” she said. “They can always give you a good laugh.”
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