September - Junior

Autumn manifests itself at the shelter not with the city’s standard summer-like heat, but by a dearth of campers, and fewer kittens and fewer volunteers. They put little plastic hearts on the condos of cats who haven’t had visits recently, and over a dozen have gone three days without a volunteer visitor.

First up, though, a young couple (appearance suggests high school, but the fact they’re living together and looking for a kitten has me guess just out of college) are waiting anxiously in hallway 1. Though Maddies has only been open fifteen minutes, the first kitten they chose, from a group of adorable orange tabby and calicos, just got snapped up by someone who had gone straight to the front desk.

The remaining bunch are cuddly-cute, so it’s not too hard for them to select another one. (I’m thinking, first, that I can barely tell the difference between these tiny creatures, and second, hey guys, do you realize your new cat will most likely still be your baby in the year 2020? Can you imagine your life that far from now, wouldn’t an older cat make more sense?)

But it’s their choice, and they pick a sweet medium hair calico fluff ball. I head off to see what are unfortunately some regulars. Sweet soft Kitter, who really craves human companionship, and shy Becca, and even shyer Helen.

Junior watches from across the hall, waiting patiently for his turn. He’s a massive 22 pound black and white boy, ironically named yet it suits him. What a sweet, fat lovey guy. Really, it’s pretty rare for me to find a cat who makes my boy look small in comparison – but where Montana is short legged and chunky, Junior is even fatter plus long limbed.

He’s on the shy side too, and on the old side at age nine. But he still likes to play, and he bats my toy around as well as rubbing, purring and delicately licking my hand. His motor is loud enough to hear out in the hallway, and I keep hoping someone will come by and see him, be drawn in by his older guy charm.

No such luck; the kittens are still the most in demand. After awhile a vivacious model-like young woman asks to see another set of kittens, saying she likes orange ones and tabbies. When I mention the other room with the orange kittens she says no, that that whole group has been adopted just in the last couple hours.

Like the first couple, her initial choice was already selected by an earlier adopter. This woman has grown up with cats and her mother shelters feral kittens – she clearly gets it about the responsibility and everything. She settles on a striking 2 month old orange tabby boy and a smaller but slightly older golden eyed all black girl. Halloween kittens, she calls them, calling her husband to urge him to get down right away before anyone else sees them.

I point her towards the front desk where she can get her paperwork started, and stake her claim. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled that the kittens are finding homes. Just wish they all could be as lucky.

Volunteers of America - Becca

No volunteering for me this week. The boyfriend and I spent the week touring Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons (which I heartily recommend). Looks like NPR did a series on Yellowstone [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94114095] while we were gone, so don’t just take my word for it – very cool place. I guess I was expecting a few geysers and occasional glimpses of wildlife, but there is amazing hydrothermal/ volcanic/water shooting and mud spewing stuff all over the place. And we saw herds of bison right on our hiking trails, as well as hawks, elk, coyotes and a moose.


Anyway, as a volunteer, I was especially appreciative of all the volunteers around who helped us out. Visitor centers had volunteer rangers who were knowledgeable and helpful in recommending sights and hiking trails, and at one point we joined a geyser tour led by this woman from San Diego who knew pretty much everything about geysers, hot springs, fumaroles, etc. She did a good job keeping things moving and offering insights even in the face of one tourist who asked some amusingly dumb questions.

But boy did I miss the cat. This was my first significant time away from Montana since I brought him home last February. I longed for his presence, his head butts and adoring gazes, and I worried about how he was doing with a once a day sitter (was he regressing and hiding, would he remember me when I got back?) It got to the point where I stopped at a visitor center display of various animals including samples of their fur to touch, and I stood there all sad and stroking some soft red fox fur.

And on one hike where we saw a bunch of bison, this massive one who had been sleeping roused himself and wallowed in dirt, his legs flailing spectacularly in the air. While the boyfriend took pictures, I found myself just reminded of my boy, who does the same sort of thing on the rug after his nap.

It probably won’t come as a shock to learn that my Montana survived while I was gone. He mostly hid and didn’t eat that well, but was ecstatic to see me when I got back. He’s trying to get all his butting and kneading, playing and eating that he missed last week in today, it seems, and he’s a happy – if still the tiniest bit anxious – guy. He got over his anxiety pretty fast the first time, as I recall.

Just checked the SPCA website to see who might have come and gone at Maddies. I see Becca is not only still there, but the featured adoptable cat. Sweet little 6 year old tabby girl, who’s taken awhile to come out of her shell. I’ll be happy to visit her and hopefully show her next time I’m there, but would like to see her gone.

Anyway, it’s good to be back. The air here feels heavy and wet after the high desert. It’s a relief to be back in a blue state, back in the city where I can get quality organics right at the nearby market and go places without needing a car, nice to catch up on the Chron. We heard just snippets of the economic melt down news out there in vacation land.

One more observation, though, speaking of the economy (which folks really should be speaking of this election cycle!) – we drove a big loop from Salt Lake City, spending time in Utah, Idaho and Wyoming. Sure, a lot of it was in the United Nations-like national parks, but even spending the night in Kemmerer WY (home of the fish fossil and also mighty down home; we did not blend), I saw some stickers and billboards for local county commissioners and such, but no McCain signs. Just saying.

Cat People – Meet People Cats - Vigo

I like shy little girl kitties, but today it’s pretty much all about the good boys. Carlos catches my attention right away, all but flagging me down from his window as I walk down the main hallway.

He’s a large tabby and white boy, super friendly (“leader of the band”) but also a little anxious. He’s got a curtain up blocking sightlines from his door, because he’s “uncomfortable with other cats in a shelter situation.”

But he’s very comfortable with people – he rolls around my lap, purring and kneading and still trying to catch the attention of anyone else passing by in the hallway. A PR person leads a group of a dozen or so on a tour down the hall, and Carlos leaps up to start pawing the window.

Once I manage to tear myself away (or pull my lap out from under the very affectionate and determined to stay seated Carlos), I meet Vigo. He’s a precious 4 year old orange tabby, a bit more shy but very loving. He’s basically scared of the world but has a very strong wish to be stroked every minute, and it’s a cute little slinky balancing act. I pet him, get him to chase a toy around and admire what’s got to be the cutest little spotted nose in the place.

Hulk Hogan watches us from across the hall. He’s a big lovey boy too. A young couple moving quickly along the corridor pause to comment on how big the Hulk is, and wonder to each other if having a fat cat would reflect badly on them. (How shallow, I think, although almost simultaneously I have to admit I've had such thoughts on occasion myself.) But really, any of these guys would be a welcome addition to a home.

I saw a bunch of people I hadn’t seen for awhile earlier this week (happy 50th, Greenbelt Alliance!). Lots of comparing notes about jobs and kids growing up and pet updates. Saddly, some losses there. It’s part of the cycle. To a person, though, the pet people have gotten or plan to get new animal companions. It’s the kind of thing you just can’t do without for very long once you're used to having a pet around.

Middle of the Road - Nandina

Well, I started out the week all amused by the Republican world, the timing of the Katrina reminders, the day to day revelations about the surprise VP to be (my first reaction, no doubt like many San Franciscans: I just found my Halloween costume!). And I’m a firm believer in keeping a politician’s family out of the limelight and off limits to mockery, but that’s been a challenge… and I’d like to suggest that it’s time for the politicians to not run on their families but on their proposed polices, please.

But Gustav proved lessons had been learned and then went away, first excusing Bush & Cheney from appearing within 1,000 miles of St. Paul. Palin delivered the Bush speechwriter’s speech well, and swing state suburban women seemed to like her. Even assuming the standard cheating – er, shortage of polling places, etc. – those middle of the roaders will be decisive. Yep, most air’s seeped out of my bubble.

Off to Maddie’s, where deflated moods can be at least temporarily lifted. Not nearly as many people there this week, but there are a few. First thing, a fellow volunteer helps a pair of friends locate their perfect kitten, a tiny shy all black fellow. The woman doing the adopting posts her friend at his condo door to ward off any competition.

I’m watching this from my visit with Mack and Mabel across the hall. Partly they rub around and bat at toys, partly they watch the action in the hallway too. These people look average. Would they be more swayed by a feisty hockey mom or by the potential of a decade of right wing Supreme Court decisions?

Anyway, average is a poor term applied to living things. My next visit is to Nandina, a Sidekick, according to her "feline-ality" testing. That’s the cat middle of the road, average sociability and average braveness. She's a young, multi-hued long hair, a bit of a drama queen, but cuddly and nice. She likes having company but also wants to know what's going on in the corridors around her.

Then I spend time with Giselle, another Sidekick. Giselle is also so much her own kitty. Unusually beautiful (and sure to be adopted fast), she’s a two year old light tabby with large swirly markings, and a couple little freckles to keep her face from perfection. She’s bright eyed, active and chatty. Ears perked, she stands tall on my leg and kneads, then darts off to chase a toy with abandon.

Mack also tested middle of the road Sidekick. Any of them will make a fine pet, but they will act pretty differently from each other in their new homes. Which points out a flaw in other sorts of testing, polling or assumptions based on a few questions to a few people. Gotta hope there’s some independent thinking out there in the middle America.

(One more thing? Why do people want a VP who might be elevated to the Presidency to be like someone they’d meet at the PTA? I mean, no matter what your political views, wouldn’t unusual brilliance and vision be more laudable?)