Pride Weekend – Azrael

We’ve had tons of adoptions from Maddie’s over the past couple weeks, and not just truckloads of kittens. Chaka has finally gone home, as have Crowley and Rory. Still, there are a rainbow of cats and kittens to be moved through, as befits this Pride Celebration weekend. (Watch for the SFSPCA float in the parade!)

A steady stream of people keep the volunteers occupied. I show a pair of adorable tabby/calico sisters to a pair of young women roommates. They gush about how cute they are – but these are gushy gals, they’re pretty enthusiastic about every cat they see. I urge them to look around to be sure of their choice.

I take a bit of down time with Azrael, one of our sweet shy seniors. She’s a gray long hair with a beautiful face who’s growing out of a full body shave. Still, she wears her shorn coat well, and loves to be stroked and cuddled. She hops onto my lap, licks my arm a few times, and gazes up adoringly. She tends to hide when she’s alone, so I’m hoping someone will come by and see how sweet she is as she sits happily on my lap, her purr deep and loud.

A father and two kids wander along, admiring the cats. But he’s not sure if they have time to devote to taking care of a cat, and the kids are begging him to see the dogs. Another guy with younger kids comes through the hall, barely stopping, just pointing each cat out to the children before hurrying on. I chat for a few moments with a pair of men who recently lost their 18 year old kitty. They’re just looking around, not ready to adopt.

Back in hallway 4, I visit Macgyver and Haley. He’s a shy tabby, and she’s a super cuddly black and white sweetheart. The roommates from earlier, joined by a third, see sweet Haley on my lap and ask to come in. Haley sells herself well, climbing shyly onto one then another lap. The young woman who will be doing the adoption just melts. It’s like the idea of what she’s here for has suddenly sunk in: she has to have this cat. They’re delighted when I assure them they can take her home today.

One of them says it must be so hard to work here, seeing all these poor lonely cats. But it’s really not. I get to see the happy matches, and know that even the shy kitties will find homes eventually.

Towards the end of my shift, I see Macgyver lounging all by himself in his condo, and the tabby sisters down the hall curled up facing each other, paws touching. A friendly chubby calico named Koala has just been brought down to an empty condo, and I help her settle in. Proud of how the whole process comes together.