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Member, Beacon International Group, Ltd.
Washington is full of trade associations and advocacy groups few people have heard of, dealing with issues few people have thought about. But there seems to be an interest group for such just about everyone.
A case in point is the Animal Health Institute, which represents the makers of medicines for pets and farm animals. Even though I've had several cats during my lifetime, cats that have occasionally needed medication, I really hadn't paid much attention to animal medicine.
Nonetheless, earlier this week I found myself at AHI's Pet Night on Capitol Hill, courtesy of an invitation from a source of mine. He knew that a journalist would be highly unlikely to turn down free food and drink.
What I didn't realize was that I would be able to get very close to a celebrity . I've dealt with the famous and would-be famous before, from A-list authors to E-list rockers, but I'd never dealt with anyone the likes of Raleigh.
Raleigh happens to be a cat. She appears on the NBC comedy "The Office." Along with a canine actor named Rocky who plays Ahnold on the HBO show "Entourage," Raleigh was the center of attention at the event.
But unlike some of the bipedal celebs I've met, Raleigh didn't let the attention go to her head. As a matter of fact, she was quite possibly the calmest cat I've ever seen, particularly given that she was siting at one end of a room full of strange people, many of whom had their picture taken with her. And all throughout, she was truly a picture of grace under pressure, exhibiting a steadiness of character some denizens of Capitol Hill would be wise to emulate.
—Mark A. Hofmann mhofmann@businessinsurance.com