Heartaches - Maybelline

Yay Thanksgiving – food, family and friends. Even managed not to totally overeat, which makes the day after nicer. I expect a crowd at Maddie’s, and I’m not disappointed. I recall bringing home my dear cat Pepe on a Thanksgiving weekend back in the late 80s.

So I make a point to visit a nice little tabby, just as a remembrance. Even after 18 years, I have many fond memories of my girl. Precious Maybelline is young, sweet and shy – much more so than my Pep – but also bright and alert. She very pretty, with a cute white bib and paws. She ventures out to my lap, and squirms around for petting, bravely holding her own even when I talk to admirers in the hall.

A couple who recently lost an old cat have scoped out the place and want to meet two half grown kittens who are housed together. One is shy, the other goofy (the kittens, I mean). After just a few cuddles, the man raises a brow at the woman, then says they want them both. A fellow volunteer has a similar situation in the next room, and before long there are yellow "someone wants to adopt me" notes on most doors in the kitten hallway 6.

Meantime, I talk to another couple. The woman does not know a lot about cats, though has very particular coloring and age in mind; the man seems more cat savvy but also deferential to her preferences. We check out a couple possibilities, but neither seem quite right, and they decide to keep looking.

I chat with a man and his daughter, both decked out in full Giant’s regalia, who are watching the antics of Crafty and Keiko. They’re all black kitties who share a window, and they’re pawing away at each other in a mock fight. The dad says they’re just here to window shop, since they already have cats at home. (Just my opinion, but this pair is cuter than most anything available at the mall!)

An older woman asks me questions about the volunteer program, but soon confesses she’s mostly just missing her beloved cat who recently died. I can easily read the sorrow in her eyes and her posture, and I invite her to join me in visiting Ishi. He’s a volunteer favorite, a lovely, intelligent and warm 15 year old from the Sido program. Ishi hops down and squeaks hello, then climbs trustingly onto her lap. She strokes him gently while we swap cat stories.

You reach a point, and you’re bound to have some bittersweet memories of cats who were once such a huge part of your life. It’s nice to tell someone about them, even a total stranger. Ishi stands up, and does a dignified stretch. The woman smiles, thanking me. It wasn’t a cure for heartbreak, but at least she’s had a small respite.