Revolving Doors – PJ

Whether from rain or Halloween prep or recovering from post 9-0 Game 2 delirium, it’s ghostly quiet when I arrive at Maddie’s. (And a welcome respite from dodging around candidates at transit stations and the drone of robo calls; want a sure winning initiative? – ban those calls!)

Anyway, I settle in with PJ, a big, soft, fluffy all black 7 year old long hair fellow. He’s part cuddly, part independent, and all handsome. Smart too – there’s a bungie cord holding his door shut because he knows how to open it. This is an infrequent but not unheard of talent at the shelter. Rumor has it that one cat awhile back not only opened his own door, but also that of a buddy cat across the hall.

But PJ’s content to crawl across my lap, play for a bit, and have a snack. He remains alert for noises coming from the hall though. Probably plotting his next move.

I chat with a young couple who are just looking around. They’re cat lovers but not allowed to have pets in their apartment. Another pair hurry through the halls as though on deadline, barely glancing at the cats.

Several longer time residents are in new condos, a strategy to get them noticed. Tortie girl Daisy surprises me by pawing vigorously on her door when I approach. She hops on my lap with a friendly nuzzle, and dances around rubbing and purring, before dashing after a toy for a play session. This new brighter condo seems to have brightened her outlook.

Across the hall, pretty tabby Archie is roused from his nap, and watches the toy intently from his door. He’s a small 5 year old brown tabby, a "love bug," an endearing combo of shy and affectionate. He perches on my lap with a concerned expression, sniffing around. Then he settles down and purrs while he awaits a play session of his own. Hopefully he won’t be here long enough to need to be shifted around.

Meantime I’m looking forward to the long last end of this election season, and a victory for Boxer and the rest… and hoping the tea party folks have stumbled far enough to the extreme/ hypocritical right on their own. (Gotta ask: if a bunch of rabid anti-government people do get elected, will they fire themselves as part of the problem next time around?)

Orange Friday – Pollyanna

Well, even the SPCA is on the Giant’s bandwagon, with a "playoffs special" on orange and black cats [http://www.sfspca.org/adoptions/cats/adopt-giants-fan]. They even came up with a Maddie’s kitties roster. (Good news already – there’s an adoption pending sign on orange tabby Spike’s door.)

Which gives me a chance to pitch a recently renamed favorite who’s listed as the pitcher on the team, now known as Pollyanna. She’s pretty, she’s bright, she’s soft, she has ball-gripping extra toes, and I’m puzzled as to why she’s been here so long. Pollyanna’s an 8 year old all black girl who was quite shy at first, but these days she sometimes waits at her door for company. She needs a mellow human to step up to the plate!

Another would be player down the hall is her personality opposite. Turtle is a 7 year old super cuddly, drooly, and outgoing "personal assistant" tortie girl who’s anxious for attention. I sit quietly with her, stroking gently, while she wriggles around before settling onto my lap, purring. Predictably, she does everything she can to prevent me from later standing up, curling on one leg while I twist yoga moves with the other.

A woman who recently adopted a youngster is showing an out of town friend around, and we visit a group of bouncy energetic kittens, all of us marveling at how tiny and feisty they are. I show the same group to a young man, who decides maybe an older cat would be a better match.

When things quiet down, I check in on Fog, a sweet and very cautious little tabby girl. First I just sit and whisper to her while she stays hidden, but gradually her head and paws emerge for petting and playing. Finally she hops down for some kibble – she’s dainty and sweet and has perfect little cat feet. But a pair of woman with a noisy kid (cute, but they all think it’s funny when she play roars at the cats) scare her back into hiding.

Next, a trio of young people have some questions about cats and cat behavior. Basic stuff, like why do their tails twitch and how to tell if they’re purring or growling. But I’m suddenly reminded of trying to explain what an inning is to a friend who grew up in Europe – some things are so much simpler if you grew up with them.

Roomies – Smartie

Like everyone, I was fascinated and cheered by the rescue of the Chilean miners earlier this week. What a thrilling end to the brutal ordeal. Thinking about it, I tend to get stuck on the less talked about aspects, like suddenly living with 32 other dudes and no shower, and whether they’ll be buddies for life or never want to see each other again…

Anyway, off to Maddie’s, where everybody has a fresh litter box and a window on the world. It’s busy at first. I help a pair of women with an active household who are looking for a kitten. They have another cat at home, but recently lost a beloved old fellow raised since kittenhood.

They pretty much fall for the whole first batch we meet, three darling gray tabbies and an all white girl, exclaiming how much the tabbies look like their departed cat as a kitten. I delicately suggest that it’s hard to really replace a cat based on looks, but they assure me they get it, that these are totally new beings. All the kittens are "all stars," meaning well adjusted and adaptable, a good match for a busy household. Hopefully the older cat will like the new girl as much as she likes everything around her.

I meet a new bonded pair of 4 year olds, Wade and Evan. Wade is a pretty, wide eyed tabby, more assertive and the first to approach me. Evan is black and white, super soft, and he endears himself by standing next to my head and shyly nuzzling. You don’t need to read the write up to know these guys have been together forever – they’re completely relaxed in each others' company.

Across the hall, a sweet little black kitty named Chai is getting acquainted with a new addition named Smartie, just brought downstairs. Smartie, a cute and friendly black and white 2 year old, had two roomies who just got adopted, so they’re trying her out with a new potential pal.

Neither cat seems much bothered by the other. They both check out the room, then when fresh wet food is set down, they settle side by side, eating enthusiastically. I sit with them for a bit, petting one with each hand. Smartie’s already comfortable enough for a quick play session, and when I leave, she perches by the window to look out, with a precious take-me-home-please gleam in her eye.

I move on to talk to some more people about kittens. But not long later, I notice another volunteer showing Chai and Smartie to an interested couple. Checking back, I see an adoption pending note on Chai’s name card. Looks like Smartie will need another new roomie. Good thing she’s so adaptable and clever.

Peace & Quiet – Sophie & Sarge

It’s pretty quiet at the start of my Maddie’s shift – a relief given all noise elsewhere, from pounding downstairs at home to tearing up nearby streets to the Blue Angels (here for their annual waste of fuel and frazzling of sensitive creatures small and large).

I enjoy some stereo cuddling with Sophie and Sarge, an all black 2 year old pair. He’s a bit bigger and she has a tiny white spot, but otherwise they are near identical, both lanky, friendly and sweet. They stand at shoulder level, each purring and nuzzling. They’re playful too; Sarge is particularly adept at scouting out toys.

A mom and teen daughter are looking for a new kitty to go with their cat at home, whom they describe as standoffish. Sounds like a normal cat, in other words, but we discuss which of several half grown kittens might alienate her the least.

I spot a young woman with no paperwork but a palpable longing interacting with several kitties in the hall. I ask if she wants to help me socialize a frisky kitten who’s gone several days without a volunteer visit, and she happily agrees. She’s recently moved here and misses the cat she left with her parents, but can’t have a cat in her apartment.

Several noisy families and talkative groups converge, most not serious adopters. It’s a little challenging for our shy kitties, like sweet Daisy and Durga. But the general enthusiasm in contagious. This is just my regular volunteer gig – but for the young couple here to take home their first kitten together, it’s a red letter day.

I chat with some adults and kids about favorite cats before getting ready to go. I came for the peace and quiet, but leave the place buzzing with activity as I head out for the evening’s hopefully noisy-in-a-good-way Giant’s game.

Decisions, Decisions – Lester

If you heard someone yelling thank you, thank you out the window when the fog finally rolled in, it might have been me. Me and my boy have not been digging the heat wave.

Now the weather’s cool, the Giants are in throwing distance of clinching the West, dozens of amazing acts are coming to play at our local amazing free show, LitQuake’s getting underway… it’s a wealth of entertainment options for the weekend.

Over at Maddie’s, I’m happy to see that big Buffy has finally been adopted. The first person I see asks if we have any tabbies. So I take her in to see my new favorite, 8 year old Lester. He’s a lovely, sweet, soft, green-eyed tabby, with a white bib and toes, a crooked little tail and a near constant purr. He’s a bit shy, but mostly a loving lap kitty. The woman thanks me and moves on, but I settle in with Lester, who curls happily on my lap. When my attention wanders, he gently mouths my arm to ask for more petting.

I get more lap time with gorgeous long red haired Kiyoshi. He’s cuddly and sweet. A new guy, 10 year old Spike, watches from across the hall. He’s also an orange tabby, but otherwise quite different – an outgoing "leader of the band" with loads of personality, who zips to the door when anyone walks by. I like each of them, but would be hard pressed to choose between them – they both have good cat qualities.

A woman comes looking specifically for a friendly long haired kitten. We visit with a cute set who have Star Trek names. She’s initially interested in Sulu, but decides Chekov is the best of the bunch. (Kirk and Spock are apparently out on a mission, or hopefully have already beamed up home.) In chatting, the woman reveals that she has a fiancé who’s away for the long weekend but who should probably be consulted about this decision. (Um, yes indeed.)

Meantime, an older gentleman has been going in and out of several condos with a staffer. He seems to have a long list of characteristics he’s looking for, and lots of questions. I’m not surprised when he eventually settles on little Melody, who’s such an ideal cat.

Sometimes it’s hard to know when the time is right, whether an even more perfect (cat/fill in the blank) is still out there somewhere. Sometimes you’ve just got to take the plunge.