Brandy the Cat

I spent Father's Day weekend in Brampton at Lee-Anne's parents' place. In addition to her father, all three of her brothers are fathers, so they have a lot to celebrate. They hosted a get-together on Sunday, but on the Saturday I, as well as my mom, visited Toronto and saw my granddad.

He's in a section of his retirement community that offers more advanced care. In addition to the human residents, Brandy lives there

My mom had told me about her, but this was the first time I'd met her. Apparently she sits in the window in Granddad's room. He was never a big cat lover, but growing up, our cats always loved him. There's a joke about how they always gravitate toward the person that doesn't like them. I suppose the pattern continues.

When I'd first heard of Brandy, I was surprised that a cat was allowed to roam the residence. It seems like allergies are consistently a concern. For a place with consistent turnover of often medically fragile residents and such an alert staff, it seemed a weird setting for a cat.

I asked my oma if allergies were ever a concern and she gave a few examples of people being unable to host events at places that Brandy frequents. I mentioned that I was surprised they were allowed to have a cat at all, and she said that I'd be surprised at how many of the residents owned cats, and that Brandy's owner had passed away. I asked who was taking care of her now, and Oma speculated on a few of the people who live in the area.

This surprised me for a few reasons. Firstly, that a resident owned Brandy and not the staff. For some reason I thought she was there for some official function, like being a mouser or to improve mental health. Secondly, it didn't sound like she presently had a primary caregiver. I got the impression that someone moved to the section for higher support needs and when that happened, her cat moved with her. Since that area is so much more open, Brandy was able to roam freely to other peoples' rooms. After her owner's passing, she functionally became a street cat of the retirement home.

My granddad and Oma live in a pretty swanky place. I can't imagine the staff have just overlooked Brandy. In fact, from what my oma said, it sounds like they've changed some meeting locations for groups to accomodate Brandy's presence.

I'm not a hater. If they can have a cat, I think that's great. I love cats, and Brandy's a sweetheart. She doesn't seem to be wanting for anything. She's well fed to the point of being overweight, and Mom noted that someone had been brushing her. 

The setup just seems strange. But I've told several people about Brandy, and everyone seems to think this situation is normal. Brandy, an ownerless cat that lives in the section of a retirement home for higher support needs, living off the good graces of people in cognitive decline.