Smokey’s House
Meet Smokey, our unofficial mascot here at SPVFC.
About six years ago, crews noticed this small mangy cat hanging around the station. She came up every other night after, we assume her days of adventuring through the wilds of Stony Point. She’d strut right into the living quarters and find a nice lap to crawl into for some restful bliss.
Life member Tom Lance decided she was a keeper. He followed up with the local SPCA and other shelters in the area to see if Smokey was just lost from home. No one had reported a feline of her stature missing. He then took her to a local vet to see if she was chipped. Again, nothing was found. Tom paid out of pocket for a check up at the vet and for all her shots. Just like that, we were adopted.
Smokey, a Russian blue, is a bit of a brawler in her spare time. In the first couple years she lived with us. She would leave in the morning, like many of us going to work and school, and come back in the evening just in time for supper. Sometimes bringing back something of her own she had caught during the day.
We really feel we lucked out with Smokey. She’s a very low maintenance gal. When she’s hungry, she’ll tell you. When she wants a door opened, she’ll persistently let you know. When she just wants to relax, believe me she does. Smokey is always there for us after a hard call when all you want to do is decompress. We’ve never had an issue with this indoor-outdoor cat. Which is pretty amazing with the amount of different folks coming and going. I assume she knows how good of a deal she’s got.
As a fire department, change is something we’re all familiar with. New equipment and tools are bought, new tactics are released and people come and go. But the one constant everyone can depend on is that SPVFC is Smokey’s House.