Bud E. Cat recently marked eight years of service as facility manager of rodent control at the Nyrstar Zinc Plant in Clarksville.
Mr. Cat, better known to his work colleagues as Buddy, is the most senior cat working on site. He hails from the feral community that lives and works in the greenspace surrounding the Nyrstar grounds.
Buddy and his departmental co-workers have all been spayed or neutered thanks to the trap and release program through the Humane Society Clarksville-Montgomery County and dedicated trapper Jamie Martin.
On the rare occasion when another cat moves in to join them, or decides that Nyrstar is a great place to deliver kittens, Payroll Supervisor Kellye Hudson comes to their aid.
Meet Kellye Hudson
Hudson has been with Nyrstar since 2013 and graduated from Austin Peay State University with a degree in accounting.
“I like that Nyrstar is a very fast-paced work environment. There is always something going on here,” she said.
Hudson said she’s an animal lover and regularly fosters stray and abandoned shelter cats and kittens for a local foster group, Puurrrfect Paws Rescue.
“There is a large population of stray animals in Clarksville, and try as they might, most municipal shelters are struggling to keep up with the demand for housing and feeding them. These shelters are getting overcrowded, and many of these animals are put down because there just isn’t enough space available,” Hudson said.
“Groups like Puurrrfect Paws Rescue are dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and re-homing of cats and kittens. We aim to reduce the euthanization rate by spaying/neutering and fostering animals until new homes can be found.”
The rescue holds weekly adoption events, and Hudson, who has fostered over 400 cats and kittens, encourages others to adopt from them or otherwise get involved.
Working at Nyrstar
In addition to Hudson and that informal feline crew, Nyrstar employs nearly 270 people and plans to add 30 more positions by the end of September 2022.
The company offers many benefits including paid time off, opportunities for advancement, competitive wages with opportunity for a bonus, immediate participation and immediate 100% vesting in a company 401(k) with Safe Harbor and contribution matching, an excellent safety boot program, prescription safety eyewear, extremely competitive employer share toward medical, dental and vision insurance premiums, uniforms provided and laundered and more.
Medical plan options for employees cost as little as $25 per month, with Nyrstar depositing up to $1,200 in your Health Spending Account (HSA).
For more, go to the Nyrstar website.