K-State Research and Extension

Candis Meerpohl
Director
785-232-0062 ext. 110
candism@ksu.edu

Margarita Munoz
EFNEP Nutrition Assistant
785-232-0062 ext. 117
mmmunoz@ksu.edu

Stephanie Johnson
785-232-0062 ext. 116
EFNEP Nutrition Assistant

Cheeseburger the Office Cat
This sweet kitty came to our office in the fall of 2019. Our staff heard her crying and ran outside to see if she was okay. She ran away that day and it was many more months before we saw her again. When she showed up again, it was spring 2020. All of our staff were struggling with the on-going pandemic. Unlike the first time we saw her, Cheeseburger didn't run away and one staff member was able to feed her half of a cheeseburger--the only food we had.

In the coming days many staff brought cat food and put out water and Cheeseburger became more trusting--and more demanding. Within a few days of feeding her regularly, we saw that Cheeseburger was getting quite large. We thought she could have worms but it was much worse--she had kittens. One day she showed up dramatically thin and we knew she had given birth. At this point she was much warmer with us all, she had even broken into the office (where she was not yet allowed) multiple times on the day she gave birth. She wanted us to have her kittens. We eventually found all four kittens and when they were big enough to be weaned they were captured by a local cat rescue and Cheeseburger was immediately sent to be spayed. That winter we started letting Cheeseburger in the office on cold nights (she has a lovely outdoor house as well) and she was so well behaved that we decided she could stay forever. 

These days Cheeseburger spends her days playing with toys, catching lizards and greeting clients. There are clients who come to the office only to see Cheeseburger! She has proven herself to be a helpful mouse catcher but also brought a mouse into the office one day and let it run around for four more days before bothering to catch it again. Most importantly, Cheeseburger has brought our staff together with a common love for this tiny cat.