Noriko Rosted - Spencer the Cat

 

My husband and I were very excited about our upcoming trip to Italy. But we had a big issue, which is our cat, Spencer. [audience laughter] He's a two-year-old male tabby cat. We adopted him from a local animal shelter when he was a kitten. We love him. He's like our child. So, we were like, “What are we going to do with Spencer?” 

 

We had just relocated from Japan to New York. We didn’t have any family, no friends here yet. So, the only person we could think of was a 15-year-old American boy who’s living in the same apartment building. We’d see him here, and there doing errands for residents to make a little money. But he’s a little bit cocky, typical teenage boy. Looked like he only thought about girls and football. His hair was loose, his clothes were loose, his attitude was loose. [audience laughter] 

 

And we were like, “Oh, forget about it. We cannot leave our Spencer with the kid. [audience laughter] We have to find a decent and responsible adult.” And one person crossed my mind. She’s Japanese like me. I met her through a library program, and I remembered she mentioned she loves cats. She used to be a vet. She was always looking for volunteer opportunities at animal shelters to take care of cats. So, one day, I walked up to her at the library saying-- It was a really awkward moment, but I said, “Look, I know this is a huge favor and you can definitely say no, but would you be interested in taking care of Spencer while I’m away?” She said immediately, “Oh, I’d love to. This is going to be great.” I was like, “What a generous person.”

 

So, I went to her apartment in the Upper West Side to drop off Spencer. When I entered the apartment, the four walls were pictures and paintings of cats all over. [audience laughter] On the shelves were a wide variety of funny cat figurines. [audience laughter] It was a little bit too much, but clearly she loves cats, which is good. [audience laughter] So, I explained about the food, which is only dry food, two times a day and the amount is one cup per meal, no snacks. And she said, “Oh, that’s quite simple and easy. No problem.” I thanked her and flew to Italy with my husband. 

 

Day one, I got a text message from her saying, “Spencer is doing great. He ate food and he did both things in his toilet. [audience laughter] Everything’s great. No worries. Please enjoy your vacation.” She even attached a picture of Spencer. He is lying on the couch and he looked very comfortable. [audience laughter] And day two, I got another text. I was like, “Wow, is she sending me a daily report of Spencer?” [audience laughter] I didn’t even ask her, but I know this is so typical of Japanese. We are very detailed and hospitable people. 

 

I was very happy I asked her, and I opened the text. She said, “Spencer is a little bit strange. He didn’t eat food. He’s not coming out from under the bed. He’s not moving.” I didn’t know what was going on. So, I was trying to figure out, “This has never happened before, but do you have any idea what the cause might be?” And she defined, “Actually, he ate a tiny part of my socks. So, to help digestion, I gave him chia seed oil.” “What is chia seed oil?” And she continued further, “By the way, the food amount that you give Spencer is too little. So, I gave him wet food that I had at home.” I was like, “Why did she do that?” [audience laughter] We agreed on the instructions. 

 

So, I said in a polite way, “Please don’t give him anything but what he usually eats.” And she responded back immediately, “I know what cats need. I used to be a vet. I have more experience than you.” I was like, “What is wrong with her?” [audience laughter] I exchanged many texts, and her tone was really escalating with every text. She was really attacking me. But it’s like hostage negotiation. [audience laughter] You still have to maintain a certain level of cooperation or willingness. [audience laughter] [chuckles] But at one point, it went out of control. I was really, really concerned about Spencer’s safety. But I didn’t know what to do.

 

I am in Italy. Spencer is in danger. My heart was pumping. First, I was crying. I was so desperate that I had to reach out to the 15-year-old American boy. [audience laughter] And I explained the long story and said, “Sorry, I know this is a lot to ask, but is there any chance that you could retrieve Spencer?” I knew he was still at school, so I waited. An hour later, my phone beeped. It was from him. I opened the text very nervously. He said, “Sure, [audience laughter] just give me her address.” I said, “Really?” I said, “You have no idea how much this means to me. You are my hero.” 

 

Okay. So, her address is this and this. He texted me back with an emoji, a guy saluting, “Got it.” [audience laughter] And he did it. He did. He went up to the Upper West, and retrieved Spencer from the lady, and brought him back to Brooklyn and stayed with him until I came back home. So, the guy who I thought was just a wannabe Justin Bieber, [audience laughter] saved the day, and he’s my hero to this day.