Kitty Quirks - Kitty Girl

There’s a deep discount for adopting adult cats in June at Maddie’s – and the cats are moving. My very first customer is a guy who wants a bonded pair. This is his second visit, and he’s narrowed down to three pairs including Rory and Crowley and Kelsey and Briscoe. He seems really nice, and he works from home and wants kitty company. I assure him he won’t go wrong with any of these guys, and am happy to see older dudes Kelsey and Briscoe finally go home after several months here. This news shoots happily around the shelter.

I check in on Kitty Girl, a sweet, soft 9 year old tortie. She stands on my lap sniffing for a few moments before settling down, purring and kneading. Up again, she chews on my name tag then leans on me and sinks into a happy curl across my legs. Her paperwork says she started here shy, but she’s now classed as an outgoing "leader of the band."

It’s hard to tell how a cat’s attitude and personality will shift as she gets comfortable in a new situation. That’s something I try to get across to all our potential adopters – that the shy fellow cowering in the corner will probably blossom given enough time in a comfortable home. You just never know what changes or quirks will emerge.

My boy, for instance, has a low wide water dish that he visits several times a day. First he paws the floor around it, as though flattening imaginary grass, then he dips his nose in, then settles in a squat, lapping vigorously. By the time he’s done, there is water around the dish, on his nose, his forehead, dripping from his chin, and often from his chest too, where it has accidentally dipped into the dish.

He doesn’t mind, and comes to offer a damp but enthusiastic head butt. It’s a funny little habit, one I wouldn’t have seen coming while we were getting acquainted at Maddie’s two years back. For that matter, I didn’t know he would be such a talker – he was silent until I put him in his carrier and now he chats with me frequently. You just can’t tell how the cat at the shelter will act once ensconced in a happy home.

A few kitties later, I meet one of our quirkier residents, Judge Judy. She’s an adorable tiny yellow-eyed tabby. When I open her door, she greets me with a low growl. Then she hops down offering a chirpy meow, and circles and sniffs. She likes to be petted, and she chases after a toy. But she’s a little nervous too, darting to the corner of her condo with a growl at strange noises. It could take a little extra time with her, I think, but there’s a real sweetheart waiting to shine along with her funny behavior.