Kitten Season - Jackson

The boyfriend has family in from out of town, so I’ve rearranged my schedule a bit. No matter – it’s the start of kitten season, so the shelter’s full of felines and adopters both.

The kittens used to be mostly housed in locked cages in large separate rooms. That made finding them and handling them easier, although it was sad to see those tiny faces and hear their squeaky voices from behind bars. The thing is, though, the kittens go fast. They’re fuzzy and cute and much in demand, plus most of them are pretty content rolling around a small space with a sibling or two and then curling up in a litterbox for a nap.

Now they’re staying in regular condos, four or five to a room, in different hallways. This gives them more running around room, and boy do they use it. From a more sedate condo across the hall, I watch a group of two month olds just tearing up and down their climbing structure. They must be from two litters (or else mom-cat really got around), a couple little black and whites and three other larger variations of tabbies.

One of the tabbies tumbles down with a squeak, and another takes this as a cue to jump on him and roll together in a head to tail ball, both making the least threatening growling noises you can imagine. The smallest one is mesmerized by the TV, which is showing the usual video of birds and squirrels. The kitten crouches, as if stalking a televised pigeon at least twice her size.

They’re adorable all right. But I prefer the adult cats. Ever seen the Puppy Bowl? It was on cable during the Superbowl. Simplicity itself, just a football field decorated room with puppies playing and an insipid song repeating, "puppies… puuppies…" I thought it was very cute, and hats off to whoever came up with the idea. But after 5 minutes? Jeez, back to the game.

That’s kind of my attitude toward the kittens. When I show them – another challenge, escorting three adults in and preventing five tiny beasts from exiting the same door – I have a few stock phrases to repeat, that they’re little and cute, will need extra care the first few months, and so on. But it’s hard to say a whole lot more about any individual kitten.

I don’t particularly like being around babies either, for the same reason. (Sorry. Maybe I’m a Cylon. Don’t tell the BF’s family.) But I prefer children once they can talk and use their imaginations and don’t need diapers. And cats once they have established their own unique personalities

All that said, however – Jackson? He’s awfully sweet.

KITTENS! http://www.sfspca.org/adoption/index.shtml