Meet Snoball

One summer day in 2007, an elderly woman came to Desert Hills with her daughter and asked to speak to the Executive Director, Trudy Hendricks.

The first thing she said was, "I'm not looking for a place to live."

Taken aback, Trudy asked , "Then how may I help you?"

The woman, Odeene, went on to say that she had a cat that Desert Hills needed. Trudy paused a moment and said, "You know, I have been thinking about getting a cat, but I just can't figure out what to do with the litter box, so the cat can get to it, but the clients can't."

Odeene and her daughter agreed that was a challenge. Then her daughter said, they make some very nice decorative litter boxes, I'll email some designs for you to look at. The next day some options started coming in the inbox, but they were VERY expensive. Over the next several months the dialog continued until one day Odeene called Trudy one more time.

This time, Trudy said, "OK, we'll take the cat. Give me one week to get a litter box made." She then asked Gary Jones, Director of Maintenance, to go to the thrift store, buy a night stand and adapt it to be a litter box accessible only by the cat. She then went and picked up Arthur the cat Odeene had told her about.

When she got there Odeene said, "Well, you took so long to get the cat that I already gave him away, but I have a good cat for you, his name is Snoball." Trudy found out that Odeene is involved with a local group Animal Pals Together that specializes in Pet Rescues and Adoptions.

Since everything was already in motion, Snoball came to Desert Hills on March 12, 2008. For the first month and a half, he skulked around and hid under the beds. Trudy thought, boy this was a mistake and told the team, we probably should find another home for Snoball. The team began to lobby for the cat. The midnight shift shared that Snoball comes out on their shift and escorts them from room to room as they do their rounds. Another team member begged that we give him just a little longer.

Sure enough, Snoball began coming out. He'd sit for long periods of time on the nurses station gazing at the residents as they ate their meals. Meals became a trademark of Snoball, he manages to finagle several meals a day out of the team members. As Snoball has become more comfortable he has revealed his amazing personality more and more. Not only does he continue to do rounds with the midnight shift, he meows in protest if the door to the room is shut and he isn't in there. To that end, he has also learned how to open the door from the business office to the resident area. He simply stands on his hind feet, wraps his hands around the door handle, flips it and walks through. He's actually been filmed doing just this.

Snoball was meant for Desert Hills. We call him the CEO or Cat Executive Officer. You'll know he's about when you hear the little bell on his collar.

Every so often Odeene will call to see how Snoball is doing. We can't thank her enough for her dedication to animals and her persistence in bringing Snoball to Desert Hills. For more information about Animal Pals Together you can call Odeene at 929-5067.