Volume 10 - Issue 1, February 15, 2008 - Lake Chapala Review
Volume 10 - Issue 1, February 15, 2008 - Lake Chapala Review
Volume 10 - Issue 1, February 15, 2008 - Lake Chapala Review
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Page 28 <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Chapala</strong> <strong>Review</strong><br />
<strong>February</strong> <strong>2008</strong><br />
Interview with<br />
Barbara Hess<br />
by Jacob Berkovitz aka “The Cat Lady”<br />
Jacob Berkovitz is eleven years old, lives in the <strong>Chapala</strong> area,<br />
and is an animal lover who has six cats and a dog. His cats were<br />
all adopted from the Animal Shelter under the recommendation<br />
of the Cat Lady, Barbara Hess. He has always wanted to write an<br />
article for publication and this is his first interview. This interview<br />
is in memory of “Rumpy”.<br />
Jacob: Barbara, when did you get your first cat?<br />
Barbara: I got my first cat when I was three years old.<br />
J: Do you remember its name?<br />
B: Yes. It was “Fluffy”.<br />
J: Is the shelter privately owned?<br />
B: The owner is Geoffrey Kaye, and although it is privately<br />
owned it is a registered non-profit charity. The store<br />
supports the shelter. It has a wide selection of petfood and<br />
supplies. We have just opened a new satellite store on the<br />
other side of Ajijic. There was a previous shelter run by the<br />
<strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Chapala</strong> Humane Society. This current shelter building<br />
opened in 2001.<br />
J: There is a veterinarian next door. Is there a relationship between<br />
the shelter and the vet?<br />
B: Yes, the vet does our animal care and his name is Dr.<br />
Ladron. Did you know his father was one of the first vets in<br />
Guadalajara and he founded the veterinarian school at the<br />
university there?<br />
J: What exactly do you do here?<br />
B: I run the Cat House. I work with the vet regarding all<br />
the cats’ health issues. I weigh the kittens and cats when<br />
they come in, treat for fleas and worms, and cut their nails.<br />
When needed, I give them their medication, supervise<br />
their isolation period and then their care and treatment in<br />
the kitten and main cages. I have charts on the walls on<br />
every cat: worming, vaccinations, leukemia tests, surgeries,<br />
whether to they need spaying and neutering and so forth. I<br />
also supervise and approve adoptions.<br />
J: How old do the cats need to be to be spayed or neutered?<br />
B: We do them at six months old. You can tell how old they<br />
are by the teeth .<br />
J: How do you remember all of the cats’ names?<br />
B. They’re my children! They tell me their names. I also<br />
name the cats in the same litter by the same first letter.<br />
For example, Barnaby and Benson; Cailtlin, Celeste and<br />
Cassandra; or Tristan and Tallulah.<br />
J: What is your adoption goal for <strong>2008</strong>?<br />
B: I can’t know how many will come in, how many will be<br />
healthy; of course as many as possible. However, we do get<br />
a higher percentage of adoptions through here than in the<br />
north because I can keep them here a long time if they are<br />
healthy and if they are happy with the other cats... that’s very<br />
important. Mordecai was here for 199 days. A cat normally<br />
cannot live in a group forever - they do get to their breaking