Eight Years Later - Kincaid

Off to the shelter on 9-11. The weather here feels like the weather there then; I was back east on vacation that day eight years ago (Worst Vacation Ever). Stood on the beach talking to people from the DC area worried about friends.

At Maddie’s, I’m happy to see that three long time kitties, Sharyn, Ernie and Applesauce, have found homes. A lot more where they came from, though.

I hang out with mellow Kincaid, a handsome, dark, long limbed 9 year old tabby. He’s affectionate with people but uncomfortable around other animals, and needs to be an only pet. He rubs around while I pet him, then sits in front of me, staring up while I coo at him, before sinking to a comfortable lounging spot. He seems a bit listless, like he doesn’t want to get too close, knowing I’ll soon leave, poor sweet guy.

Next up, Scooter, a precious soft all black 13 year old, with a bossy, squawky meow. She’s a young 13, small and delicate on her feet, and pleased to have company. She purrs and rubs too. But she hasn’t been eating – there are four full food dishes in her condo, three of them different types of wet food. She’ll deign to eat if I fish out tiny fingerfulls for her to lick, so we proceed like that for awhile. I’m sure she just needs a normal routine to get comfortable eating. Finally, she steps across my lap and settles slowly onto my left leg, glancing back as if to say that I’ll do, I’ve passed her inspection.

I’m across the hall when a young couple pause outside Scooter’s window. They’re a cute contrast, like Burning Man now meets Valencia Street 1980s. I offer to show her, talking up her attributes. But they explain that they’re still debating – the long haired woman wants an older cat, but the short haired one wants a kitten. I have a feeling the kitten will win out – after all, time passes and the kitten will (hopefully) become an older cat but it doesn’t work the other way.

Towards the end of my shift I explain the shelter’s layout and procedures to a middle aged woman who’s teary eyed just contemplating all the homeless kitties. Stories spill out of her fast, as if she’s not used to being listened to, about how she misses her cat that was stolen, what he was like, how therapeutic he could be.

She is so different from me/my world that I have to beat back the impulse to pass judgment. She tours the hallways, and settles on a sweet young gray kitty who’s recently arrived from Lake County. The woman has kind of a dog person mannerism toward the cat, but they seem pleased with each other. The kitty is bouncy and playful, and at least tolerant of being scooped up and kissed.

She says need to take this girl home even though she still desperately misses the other cat. But we both know that time can help heal.

Fun at Home - Clarissa

Well, the fog finally rolled in early this morning. I know because my Montana, who dislikes a too warm flat, got uncharacteristically frisky. He charged up and down the hall a couple times then came to stand right next to my head, giving a delighted squawk when I cracked open an eye to meet his.

It’s brisk and comfortable walking towards the shelter, in case I need more incentive to stay put over the long weekend. (Wildfires, bridge closures, a happy cat at home, why leave?)

I’m pleased to note that Lexie and little Kiwi were recently adopted. Plus a very charming trio of friendly all black siblings got taken together. Hats off to that generous adopter, who I’m sure will have years of fun with those cool kitties. We still have several bonded pairs here though, and I make a point of stopping to check in on Jeremy and Luigi and the Liddys, Big and Little.

A number of cats have gone two or three days without a volunteer visit, so there are plenty of cats to see. I enjoy interacting with charming Clarissa, who reminds me a bit of my boy. She’s a 7 year old long hair black and white, a little cautious but mostly in-your-face friendly (a "Personal Assistant"). Her picture is cute, but doesn’t do her justice; she’s prettier and slimmer in person, with a thick, soft, luxurious coat.

She’s chatty and loves to be petted, and clearly would enjoy being brushed – a good thing with all that fur. As I stroke her, she accidentally dips her tail into her water dish, then swishes it around, not bothered in the least.

Must be a day to get wet. My next visit is with Echo, a sweet and chunky Russian Blue girl across the hall. She’s so excited by having company that she purrs and rubs and drools all at the same time. Close to a ten on a one to ten drooling scale – but for anyone who thinks it’s cute, what a winner. I’ve been around cats like that, and they do calm down after awhile. But she’s still pretty pumped up when I move on.

There are a few people walking around, mostly just observing the cats and moving at a fast pace. A very young couple who look like high schoolers, but probably are on their own, debate the merits of cute little Cupcake. But they wander away, not ready to meet her.

Things pick up toward the end of my shift, and I point three different couples to the kitten hallways. (Maddie’s has fewer teensy kittens, but still plenty of kittens under six months available. ) There are several volunteers on hand, so I take off knowing they’re in good hands.

Outside at the bus stop on 16th, I see a woman with a telltale shelter cardboard box waiting for the 22. Pretty clear how she’ll be spending her weekend. And pretty hard to imagine a better one.

Furry Friends - Lexie

A friend is pet-sitting a chinchilla. Actually she’s briefly watching him for her sister, who’s taking care of him for the duration of her in-laws’ kitchen renovation; Sammy’s making the rounds. Anyway, he’s a little round gray fluff ball with floppy ears, teensy little paws, and a cute, if jumpy manner.

She’d told me he likes to be scratched behind the ears. While my impulse was to wonder if a jittery rodent would really even notice, I gave it a try. He loved it, leaning into my fingers and softly shutting his eyes. Pets are mesmerizing!

I arrive at Maddie’s with renewed enthusiasm for furry creatures big and small – and am rewarded by making the acquaintance of 5 year old Lexie, a gorgeous and loving lynx point mix. She’s shy, hiding when I open her door, but I soon coax her out for some petting. Her face is striking, tabby markings with huge dilated blue eyes. She’s got soft tan faintly striped sides and dark tabby striped paws and tail.

She’s chinchilla soft too (now that I have a basis for comparison). She purrs happily, rubs, rolls on her side, and in every way shows me her favorite ways to be stroked. She retreats again when I leave, but flatters me by creeping up onto her perch to be able to watch me as I interact with Blitzen, a frisky tan and white boy across the hall.

A grandmother, mom and little boy in a batman shirt go by, reading each name and solemnly admiring the cats. A couple different young moms with babies in arms wander through, all just here to entertain the kids.

A very young man and his out of town girlfriend want to check out kittens. He says he’s lonely in his apartment, and I’m guessing he’s not long away from dorm life. We visit an adorable foursome of tabby kittens, and after playing with them for awhile he decides to take the two feistiest, a brother and sister.

Part of me wants to caution him, say what a huge responsibility this will be, does he have any idea how long 15 or more years is to take care of these cats? But the reality is he knows he wants a pet. I’ve nearly always had cats even in my wilder days; for lots of us pets will invariably be part of our lives. So I happily send them all off to their new life together.

Learning to be Brave - Sharyn

It’s audit week at my paid job, so a few hours without numbers or scurrying around in search of obscure financial docs are particularly nice. Especially with tabby cats involved.

Maddie’s hallway 2 offers a fine variety of these pretty cats. Bernie and Nicholas are cute, playful, skinny young brown tabbies with white bellies and paws. They look like brothers but are just pals who hang out and mostly get along ok.

At the end of the hall is little Sharyn, a delicate, sweet faced, slightly fussy ten year old orange gal with a white bib and toes. She’s been here for awhile, and gone from being shy to a bit demanding of attention from passersby. She meows, circles, purrs, and rubs around me. Definitely trying to get a message across, though I can’t tell if it’s about taking her home or just bringing her some kibble.

A group of adults and kids tumble into the hall, startling her for a moment, but she quickly regains her composure. The kids aren’t very interested in or sensitive about their surroundings, and one of them whines loudly to go see puppies. Sharyn barely gives them a glance, and bats a toy around instead, meowing as she plays. Across the hall, young Nicholas stands up, paws on his window, watching us intently.

Next up is Chester, a funny, short limbed, cuddly brown tabby. He loves visitors and wants to swoon across my lap, chase a toy, and nibble his food all at the same time. A pair of nannies holding up toddlers appear at the window. I dangle the toy up there so he’ll go after it, and his antics amuse the kids. Although they’re also pretty fascinated by the cat video squirrels on the TV too. They soon leave, one of the young women exclaiming that it’s time for a diaper change, as if that’s all part of their fun day.

Two different pairs of men stroll by, reading about the cats and discussing size and breeds and markings – but none of them want to meet any of the cats in question.

Not a problem – gives me extra time to get to know a new sweet little orange tabby girl, Kiwi. She’s super scared, and gives a tiny hiss when I enter her room. But soon pokes her head out, and when she decides I’m ok, creeps trustingly into my lap and leans there sweetly. She darts away to hide at pretty much any noise, but I can tell she’ll get braver as the days go by. Sharyn could give her a lesson. I just sit and wait for her to reappear, and enjoy the peace and quiet.

Family Ties - The Liddys

Happily, my time away wasn’t entirely devoid of feline companionship - although I dislike being away from my boy, and missed seeing the shelter kitties. We stayed at a ranch with a super friendly pair of barn cats who were eager for any attention they could get.

The family gathering peaked at 21 relatives, ranging in age from 5 to 92. Getting us all on the road for expedition was like herding cats indeed. But I got a good chance to move at kid time, where each moment must be filled with doing something – playing, sudden boredom, a new game, a made up twist on the game… Fortunately none of the parents are the hovering sort, and were quite happy to have those for whom play time is a novelty hang with the kids. We even found a game of Twister, which the younger ones had never heard of, and found hugely entertaining.

Still, I also like the feline pace of finding a sunny spot to lounge, enjoying a fine meal, running around a bit then chilling for awhile. So it’s good to be home. Back at Maddie’s, it was nice to see that several longer term cats found homes. Plus kitten season seems finally to be slowing a bit, at least to the point where I wasn’t besieged to show a kitten upon arrival.

I’m immediately charmed by a bonded pair of 4 year old litter mates, Little Liddy and her brother Big Liddy. Little is almost all black, small of course, and slightly more assertive. She commands my lap right away. Big is a good sized black and white boy, yellow eyed and precious, and lounges happily next to me. They both purr and gaze up sweetly. They’re good natured, confident cats, pleased with both my and each other’s company, and very much at home with each other in a comfortable family way. Big plays in a goofy way, chasing a toy and toppling off his climbing structure in the process. Little prefers chewing on things with a bit more dignity.

Next door are another bonded pair, all black Luigi and pretty tabby Jeremy. These two are a bit more shy, though they warm up quickly. They wander around nudging my hands for petting and bumping heads in a friendly way. As I sit with them a couple kids, clearly siblings from both appearance and behavior, run up to the window. Hands and noses pressing the glass, they giggle at the cats and casually shove at each other in a probably unconscious ritualistic way.

Their mom moves them along, one hand per available shoulder. I whisper to the cats that they’re lucky to have each other and to stick together. Either of these pairs would make fine additions to a family.

Weathering Storms - Charlie

Got a "dear volunteer" letter earlier in the week. Several paragraphs of recession and low interest rates and difficult decisions, to reach the point: layoffs on the SPCA staff. Big bummer, although not a real surprising one. I can’t think of a friend who hasn’t been dealing with something similar at work, big and small, nonprofit and for. The upshot for a lot of us is doing more work for the same pay and lesser benefits.

I guess I’m glad that things don’t seem noticeably tense when I get there. It’s tough on everyone, I well know. But the needs here haven’t changed, there are still plenty of homeless animals. And a good number of people looking for pets today too.

I take a young woman in to meet Cissy, a pretty and playful little dill tortie. Not sure if she really wants to adopt or is just getting out of the house, but they interact nicely.

Next door is a new pair, a shy long hair tortie, and Prika, a uniquely beautiful girl with a sweet personality to boot. She’s soft with mottled pale gray, pale tan, and white fur, and large blue eyes. She purrs loudly and loves to be petted. Unfortunately, the two girls aren’t very comfortable with each other and both hiss when they get near each other. I stroke them, one on each side, and peace is achieved.

Of the many perks of volunteering here, getting acquainted with an outgoing one-of-a-kind sweetie is a good one. But so is visiting a classic brown tabby who happens to be shy. Charlie’s such a pretty boy, but super cautious. He’s the kind of cat who really rewards you when you gain his trust. At first I just sit near him, talking softly. Then a hand sniff. Some rubs behind the ears. Finally he ventures out and slinks around the room, and enjoys a nice petting session. He makes good eye contact, and I admire his expressive yellow eyes and long sturdy tail.

That’s it for the quiet time though – a bunch of people want to see kittens. I end up showing the same room of six, including the aptly named Tornado and Tsunami, to several people. Typical two month old kittens, either roaring with energy and charging around or collapsed in adorable rag doll sleeping poses.

A lone woman tests out each of the six before telling me she’s leaning toward little Tsunami. Then a guy and his buddy check them out. He’s got an older cat and a mellow dog at home already, and wants a kitten who can hold her own, and he favors Tsunami too.

A couple with a polite and cat savvy boy are next. They each pick a different favorite, laughing about their lack of consensus, but it’s clear they all like all the kittens. I tell all kitten shoppers that the cute active kittens get adopted fast, but that there will be more available as space opens up.

I'm headed east for a family reunion, so I'll miss the kitties next week, even the rambunctious little ones...

One Small Step - Luigi

Can it possibly be 40 years since the moon landing? My memories are blurry as the images on the small black and white TV screen we gathered around to watch, but I do recall the sense of amazement, and the unity of the shared experience. Whole families went outside that night to stare up at the moon.

The TVs in the cat condos are fancier than what we watched back then. But for all the technology now, I wouldn’t trade the wonder of having lived through that era.

Speaking of low gravity, I’ve got a customer wanting to meet kittens as soon as I arrive at Maddie’s, an older woman who’s recently lost an old cat. We squeeze in with three goofy two month olds. As she coos and tries to draw out a shy little black and white girl, the more active brother launches himself onto my leg and starts climbing my jeans as if I’m a tree. The third kitten bounces between us, emitting teensy squeaks.

She needs to think it over, and I urge her to take her time, that this is a big commitment. Then a young couple specifically want a gray cat. I show them a newly arrived gorgeous but shy Himalayan mix, who purrs, cries, and hides all at the same time. Not helping her own cause and too timid for them, but she’s young and cute and I expect her to get snapped up soon.

I hang out with Luigi, the more mellow guy next door. He’s a dignified, lanky black and white 8 year old, with large eyes and a soulful expression. He leans on me, rubbing, as I talk to him, and circles around to also rub across my back. But my voice has alerted the cat in the adjoining condo that there’s a human nearby, and he starts up a loud chorus of meows.

Their window is blocked, but the sound carries. I go silent and just pet Luigi, who stares back at me, seeming a bit put upon, but understanding. He’s a smart guy. He’s just waiting for the right person to come along, take that first step with him.

Around the corner, I check out the noise maker. There are two charming cats housed together, both striking looking but of mismatched temperaments. Hunter is the loud guy. He’s a pretty long haired tabby, newly arrived, and bound and determined to tell the world all about it.

His roomie is Chaka, a darling long hair orange Persian mix. She’s clearly a princess, despite her little ET face. She steps delicately across my lap and graciously accepts my petting and admiration. But when Hunter, who’s also eager for attention, steps too close, she hisses and bats him away. We all know who’s boss here, so I coax Hunter away and pet him on the sly.

A young woman asks to meet Chaka, but as she’s getting acquainted, a staffer hurries in to say that someone else is starting the process to adopt her. The woman leaves, disappointed, but this is good news for both cats. I look back over at Luigi, who’s sitting patiently on a small cushion. He’s more average looking and sounding, but I know he’ll make someone a good companion.