Happily Ever After – Egon

Happy news from Maddie’s: both Lulu and Smokey Joe found new homes. I’d like to take credit, but rather take pride in the generous people of my home region. Together we're all supporting this institution that allows abandoned pets to thrive, and seeing the beauty and potential of those creatures someone else might consider to be only second hand.

Maddie’s is a cheerful place on a gloomy day. Holiday crowds gone and just a few people checking out the cats. I pay a nice long visit to Egon, a shy pretty tabby and white boy. Noises worry him, but once he relaxes he's such a sweet and happy boy. He'll make his new people glad to have him every day, I predict.

A middle aged couple appear, pointing out different cats, conversing in quick little phrases of a pair long together and comfortable with each other. They’ve recently lost the second of a pair they’d had since kittenhood. Since the kids still lived at home – they joke about how quiet the house is now, but I know none of us really think it’s funny.

They just want to look around. They’re thinking of getting an adult cat, or maybe two. They know they need some time to pass first, but he had the day off, she works from home, some primal need just drew them to the shelter. And I’m happy to bring them in to meet a few of our sweet kitties, and just observe the simple expressions of pleasure that come from petting and cuddling with them.

It’s fine that they don’t pick their cats yet – I’m confident that they’ll be back. I move on to answer some questions from a young woman and two little children. They’re interested in cats and dogs both, the littler girl squirming in excitement about seeing the dogs. The mom rolls her eyes. Sooner or later one or more pets will be joining this household, she says, laughing.

Another happy household. And looking around at the shy and inquisitive faces peaking out from the condos, I can envision many more of these to come.

I’m signing off the blog again. The powers that be at SFGate have stopped running it (with not so much as a warning, thanks guys), and maybe I’m running out of superlatives for my feline friends. I’ll still be here though. And you can get your online cat fix here: http://www.sfspca.org/adoptions/cats . Thanks for reading!

Family Stories - Taffy

Tons of adoptions over the past couple weeks, so there are a bunch of new kitties available at Maddie’s. As usual, though, the few kittens we have are most in demand. The first woman I encounter chooses hers in near record time.

Lots of other people are more in window shopping mode, though. I chat with a young family visiting from Oregon. The kids seem delighted with the cats, so I ask if they’ll help me socialize with one of our friendly and active young cats. They have a good time playing with him while the moms and I discuss the challenges of their kids and pets at home.

Next up, I read the sad story of Smokey Joe, who was a kitten during a wildfire and was injured. He’s long recovered, but still shy toward people. He’s a pretty orange tabby, a big fellow, with the small round ears that mark him as a burn victim. My childhood cat Mystery survived our house fire by running through it, and had those same ears ever after.

Smokey stands tall behind his cat tree, glancing my way but not ready to come out, even for a hand sniff. Eventually he lets me pet him, and revs up a roar of a purr, leaning into my hand. He ventures out for some food, but hallway noises scare him back. What a sweetie, but one who needs calm and quiet.

Not long later, I'm in with a sweet senior tabby named Taffy, enjoying some quality lap time. I hear a mom and kid discussing the cats, the kid asking names and lots of "why" questions. In hallway 5, the mom reads the whole Smokey Joe story, and the adorable little boy is rapt. And so I find myself telling my cat story to this precocious child.

They have a cat at home, and are just considering getting a second. Still, she’s hoping he can choose just one condo to go visit. I gently suggest that a less anxious cat would be a better choice, and we agree on a pair of barely grown and playful kitties. Darned if the kid isn’t as cute as the cats in his delight with them. He chatters his own family stories as we pull the toys around for the cats to choice, and I think it’s the most fun I’ve had all week.

In with the New – Lulu (still)

The boyfriend gave me the cat update from his mom’s house: she’d lost her precious Persian girl earlier in the year, and decided to "just look" at the local Humane Society. She generally has fancy breeds. But this one particular cat just grabbed her attention, a regular black long hair fellow. And guess what – he’s the sweetest cat ever, an immediate favorite to everyone he meets.

No surprise to me, of course, a big fan of ordinary shelter kitties. Friday before New Years is hopping at Maddie’s, crowded like a weekend. I have customer after customer. I spend awhile with one woman who still misses the dear cat she got here as a kitten a decade back, who recently died. Mostly she’s ready for a new cat, but part of her longs to talk about her boy. We swap cranky kitty stories. I’m pleased that while she starts visiting kittens, she ends up leaning toward a frisky and outgoing adult cat.

I show several more kitties in quick succession, including an adorable kitten who, unfortunately, is timid and mostly hides. She’ll dart out to chase a toy, but dart back at a hand looming over her. One couple stay patiently and lure her out. But the man starts sneezing, as if from allergies. Both say that he’s not allergic to cats though. We move on to another less shy kitten. The woman is pretty smitten, the guys soon sniffling, and they clearly wish they could debate the matter alone.

Meantime another group is hovering, gazing in at the kitten. Situations like this can get awkward, but the first woman lets us all know they think they’d better check her husband’s allergy situation before committing to a new cat. So a mom and two older teens crowd in. The kitten – who’s super cuddly, and just likes to be held – is passed between them.

The younger girl holds the kitten close, whispering that she’s perfect. The older girl tells me she’s headed to college next year, so it’s not really up to her. And I observe to the mom that she should be sure, after all both girls will be gone before too long and it will probably end up being hers. She looks taken aback. But what’s three or four years in a cat’s life time?

Finally, I squeeze in time to visit Lulu, who’s freshly moved to a new, larger condo. She’s checking the place out, sniffing everything. Here’s hoping for a fresh start for this sweet old gal too.