Lindsay's Backpack

I teach out of my own home and during exams I have what I call large group sessions. Large groups are anything from 3 to 12 students. Sammy Jo is not impressed with big group sessions especially when they have to spread out into every room. During one session last year when I had students in every room practicing old provincial exams he managed to squeeze himself between a 4 inch space between boxes packed and ready for the Salvation Army. He sat with his fur all fluffed out and glared out at me as if to say, "This is the only space available for little old me! Send those kids home now! How dare they take over my house!" The fact that they pay for his cat food is completely meaningless to him.


Well, one night I had three long time students in working on chemistry 12 and we had been going at it pretty hard. Suddenly I heard a funny sound and said, "What's that? It sounds like a cappuccino maker." We all turn to try and locate the odd sound and there is Sammy Jo peeing on Lindsay's backpack!I couldn't believe it. I was horrified! He had never done anything like that before. It wasn't a little bit of pee either. Oh, no we were able to pour about a cup of the deadly, yellow liquid into the sink. I was just utterly mortified. I was trying to apologize, not laugh, clean the bag and kill my cat all at the same time. Luckily for S.J. I was more concerned with saving the backpack than strangling him! The girls thought the entire episode absolutely hilarious. They were laughing so hard they were crying and Claire fell out of her chair which of course made them laugh all the harder. I don't know if it was the studying, the extra hyper feelings one has before exams or what but man we laughed. I still teach two of them now that they are in university and every once in awhile Claire will say, "Remember when Sammy Jo peed on Lindsay's backpack?" Of course this sends the two of us into ridiculous gales of laughter.

This fall I started a new student from UVic. The first time she came, I was showing her to the table where we'd be working and suddenly she squealed, "Oh my God! Is that him? Is that the cat that peed on Lindsay's backpack?" I think I let out a groan. All I could think was, "Great! My cat's famous!"


I'm happy to report Lindsay survived the whole backpack fiasco and is now studying medicine at the University of Calgary.


Helpful hint: vinegar works great at ridding backpacks of any lingering smells of cat pee