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.