What a Day for a Daydream - Winkie

Hello sunshine. It's opening day, I've got the Cesar Chavez holiday off work, it's summery as if the floods and slides are distant by weeks instead of days. Got Lovin' Spoonful tunes in my head as I amble through the Mission.

And who do I meet but a dream cat, Jughead. Don't judge by the dorky name, this big tabby boy is a doll. He's a young adult, soft and sweet, with gorgeous striping. He's got a wonderful combo of shy and cuddly behavior. He's new here, and cautious, very aware of his surroundings. But he likes human company, and purrs, and lolls by me, showing off his pretty striped belly.

There aren't many cat shoppers around, so I can spend extra time with the kitties. My buddy Spider Monkey meows for his turn, and rewards me with some extra cute frisky romping after a ping pong ball in his condo.

I help a woman who's touring Maddie's with her son. She tells me he might have allergies, so they're really just checking things out. We meet Dylan, whom I know is good with kids. The boy is bright, but not used to cats; both are amazed to watch him leap up to the top of his climbing structure and back. No sneezing, but it's pretty clear they're not ready to adopt yet. The boy begs to go look at dogs.

Later, a young woman expresses some casual interest in meeting a cat, maybe a petite and friendly girl. As we chat, she confesses she just lost the cat from her childhood days ago. It's so raw that it's painful for her to talk about, and for me to hear. I bring her in to sit with Winkie, a small, soft, chatty 12 year old tabby.

Her meow is comically loud coming from such a petite girl, and she rubs around both of us. Winkie hasn't been eating well, but with our encouragement, she eagerly eats some kibble. She's got a funny way of lifting one of her paws, like a pointer dog, aiming it toward her dish. The woman gently pets the little cat. She's "not in a place now" where she can have a cat, she admits. Eventually she will be, I'm pretty sure, just from watching their sweet interaction. For now, it's just day dreams.