Welcome Home – Briscoe and Kelsey

Cats sure like their routines. This point was made several times last week, as we disrupted the households of two different hosts back east. Two petite and nervous older girls mostly hid during the proceedings, utterly horrified at a wedding party taking over their domain. Another friskier and friendlier boy pretty much went about his business as usual despite having company, amusing us with his habit of trotting along after the dogs on their daily walks.

Of course it was nice to get home to our own cats and routines. (Unlike my former kitty, who would follow me from room to room singing her displeasure and sometimes pointedly turning her back on me, my boy forgave my absence immediately and completely. His only wish was that I commence all the cuddling and brushing we had missed right away. He’s stuck by me, like a 19 pound squawking shadow, since I returned.)

Over at Maddie’s, paperwork indicates there have been lots of adoptions, mostly youngsters. My first customer is a woman who recently lost the cat she adopted from the SPCA more than a decade ago. She’s looking for a young, friendly boy, and seems pretty taken with the first one we meet. I suggest that she at least go around and meet a few other cats, and she agrees that this is a big enough commitment to take the time to be sure of her choice.

A group of young people wander by, followed by two fast moving couples. Then it slows down, and I go sit with Kelsey and Briscoe, a bonded pair who are 9 and 11. Both are lanky, long legged, mostly black, and sweet and cuddly. Briscoe has longer hair, and a massive fluffy tail. They both rub around and purr, but neither quite settle down with me. Surely they’re both missing the comfort of a secure home.

I spend some quality lap time with Oreo Cookie, and another big black and white girl, Buffy, who resides directly across the hall. They warily observe each other as I visit, and Buffy stays planted at her door, looking all big eyed and sad, as I make my way down the corridor.

Chaka, Champ, Leta, Nigel and Boots are all still here. But there’s a Walter update, via the grapevine – his prior owner decided she was well enough to take care of him, and came back to retrieve him and bring him home. Talk about happy homecomings!

Cycle of Life - Oreo Cookie

Everybody’s gearing up for kitten season. This early, things seem calm and manageable – a steady stream of kittens are moving through the process, with a reasonable balance of hopeful adopters and adorable adoptees.

There’s been a big push to get our wonderful older cats into good homes too. I won’t try to dissuade anybody who’s heart is set on bringing up a kitten. But for anyone who asks, I’ll honestly state my own preference for adopting cats who are fully grown, and settled into their personalities.

Ten year old Oreo Cookie is one of my current favorite mature kitties. She’s black and white, of course, sweet and friendly, with a perky attitude and strong head butt. Her cute face has an off center stripe, and she makes good eye contact. She jumps down to rub and purr as soon as I arrive, and does well at trotting to her door to check out people in the hall.

Someone looking for a younger adult couldn’t go wrong with newly arrived MacKenzie, a 3 year old tabby Scottish Fold. Her bent little ears give her an expression of permanent concern, but she seems sweet, hopping on and off my lap and even reaching up to give little kisses. I can see she hasn’t been eating much, but she’s willing to have a couple bites if I lean over the dish with her, petting her gently.

A hippie-ish mom and high school age daughter ask to meet Mambo, a super friendly young "personal assistant." They’re having a cat break before shopping for a prom dress. The daughter has a good time interacting with the cat, but the mom waits in the hall. She’s afraid she’ll get attached, and isn’t ready for a new cat quite yet. Both of them seem to like cat shopping better than dress shopping, but what can you do, prom’s a big deal.

An older couple is taking their time, really studying the cats and write ups. They’ve lost two older cats, and are almost ready to take someone new. They like big two tone males, so we have lots of possibilities. I show them Achilles, Tank and Cedrick, all of whom are awesome and show well. The couple aren’t in any hurry to choose though. They’re probably retired, and don’t mind spending lots of time here.

Next, a mom and adolescent son want to check out little Millicent, a super soft young cutie. They’ve also recently lost an elderly cat. The loss is clearly weighing on the woman, and as we sit and chat, I can see that the boy misses his cat terribly too. We talk about how long is enough time to wait, and I give my usual spiel about how any new cat just won’t feel right immediately, that you have to give the new relationship time to grow.

And it hits me again – as it did earlier talking to friends who lost a wonderful former Maddie’s resident quite suddenly and far too soon – that a nice aspect of my volunteer job is that I’m here for the happy first dates. I get to introduce the precious kitties, and see the joy of the family’s homecoming, but miss the heartbreaking end of their journey together.

It’s all part of the life cycle though. Pet people take it all on, from the homecoming to the final farewell. I think any one of us would tell you it’s worth it.

(heading back east for a family wedding… back in a couple weeks)

You’re Never Too Old to Lose Your Dignity – Thomas

It starts out slow at Maddie’s – not surprising on a sunny spring day. But I don’t mind being inside. I managed to get sunburned at the afternoon Giant’s game a couple days ago. (It was raining when I left my office; I was better prepared for cold and damp. But the day turned nice. And the game was awesome, at least for the first 8 and 1/3 innings, till they took Lincecum out.)

Anyway, I’m pinker and itchier than an adult woman should be. (But how charming to realize that I’m still capable of spontaneous dumb behavior.) Speaking of loss of dignity, I pay a visit to our resident Himalayan cat, precious 5 year old Thomas. He’s got a classic square face, smoky blue eyes, long whiskers, low little ears, a wonderful personality… oh, and he’s growing out of a full body shave. His legs, paws, tail and sweet expressive face are luxuriously furry, but the rest of him resembles a shorn sheep.

Still, Thomas wears it well. He’s a friendly cat who knows what he wants. He hops down, purrs, steps up onto my lap for a bit, then back up to his climbing structure to wash. After I leave, he issues a couple plaintive meows, kind of drawn out squawks. He’s a handsome kitty, never mind his coat, and I’m hopeful he’ll find someone (someone who’s handy with a brush) soon.

Moving on, I sit with a great bonded pair, Boots and Nigel. They’re both affectionate and lanky black and white fellows, ages 10 and 6. They get along well, although they wander around independent of each other. Boots has a slight limp, but it doesn’t seem to slow him down as the pair of them scoot after their toys, and bump heads and noses.

A few singles and couples stroll by, most in the just looking phase. After awhile the volume of visitors picks up, but there are also several more volunteers on hand. I help a young couple who have just raced over after having spotted their dream kitten on the SFSPCA website.

We bump the photographer, and the young woman pretty much dissolves over her adorable sleepy kitten. He’s one of a trio of newly arrived kittens, just a month old. More people line up outside, waiting to get in as the couple head out to complete the adoption.

The feistiest kitten, a tiny tabby, dances on his hind legs before tumbling over, to a chorus of oohs and ahs. No dignity needed here. These kittens will probably be gone before their photos can be uploaded.

Say What You Want – Leta

It’s been a good week for adoptions – big fellow Chewey has finally left the building, as has long time resident Cat Benatar, plus a bunch of more recent arrivals.

Plenty of cats still on hand though. I go in to sit with another plus size kitty, Leta. She’s a shy black and white 7 year old, mostly white with some cute black splotches. She has an anxious little meow and a combination of nervous and needy in her expression. Despite her girth she hasn’t been eating here, a bad combo. But she’s very affectionate once she’s used to me, and I coax her to have a few bites of kibble.

She stays alert, and watches me interact with Wallace across the hall. He’s a real beauty, a striking 3 year old orange tabby with large soulful eyes. He’s shy too though, and it takes a few tries before he decides my lap is okay. First he has to give me and my toys the full sniff treatment, then pace around several times. But at last he sinks down, covering my lap entirely, purring and drooling happily. Pretty soon he’s got his paws adorably wrapped around my waist, and if Extreme Purring was a sport, he’d have it down.

A young woman asks to meet Tiny, the cute little tabby and white gal across from Wallace. She’s friendly and demanding, with a cry that’s anything but small, and the woman seems delighted with her. But it sounds like her living situation is a bit in flux, and she’s probably not ready for a pet of her own yet.

A mom and two talkative daughters are looking for a cat who’s young, comfortable with kids, outgoing and affectionate. We meet plump little all black Polka, who fits the bill with surprising ease. But they’re just getting started on their search, the mother says. They want the right fit. (The girls seem pretty excited that this happen really soon, however, and I wonder this will play out.)

We also give Tiny a try, but she makes it clear from the moment she spots the girls that these are not going to be her people. She scoots under her rug and won’t have anything to do with us – night and day to how she acted when it was just two adults.

I glance over at Leta and Wallace, who are also both cowering as if I’d brought by a pair of menacing coyotes rather than enthusiastic grade schoolers. Fortunately, the girls and mom are used to cats, unfazed, and ready to keep looking.

As I check out, I see my big buddy Walter lounging in a comfy bed right out on the front counter. A staffer has him on a harness. "He was bored," she explains. He is one cool customer, and he does seem to enjoy keeping an eye on things and getting extra attention. As I’m standing there tickling under his chin, in comes a group of people with a large cage containing a large, upside down green parrot. A talking parrot, who bellows out friendly hellos, preening and obviously into attention too.

Walter definitely sees the bird. He looks him over. But what he really wants is more petting, and he nudges my hand to let me know.

Say Cheese - Walter

I’m afraid we have a lot of the same old cats at the shelter – but some great new photos of them [www.sfspca.org/adoptions/cats]. And that’s not easy. I’ve been hard pressed to get good snapshots of my boy; he either comes to head butt the camera or rolls on his back with his big paws flapping.

Two charming tabbies, housed side by side, capture my attention right away. Big gray tabby Walter is lolling on another volunteer’s lap, looking blissful. I go in to sit with Ralfie, a lovely 3 year old brown tabby. He’s a former stray, wide eyed and on the shy side, but he soon hops down beside me to purr while I pet him. An enthusiastic woman in the corridor sends him momentarily scooting away, but he quickly bounces back. His paperwork says he likes other cats, which sets him apart from a number of the current Maddie’s residents.

I peek in at Walter. The dude is 16 and newly arrived via the SIDO program, meaning his former person has passed away or is no longer able to care for him. He’s fat, loud, a bit ornery, probably never was the cutest kitten in the litter – but there’s just something special about him. He’s got staff and volunteers swinging by all day to pay homage. I cuddle with him, and he leans into me, affectionate. But I can see he’s just making the best of the situation. He knows something is wrong and he clearly misses his person, poor thing.

Moving along, I show a cute little "cherry blossom" 4 month old to a guy who practically melts on the floor falling in love with him. He’s just moved to a new apartment, though, and is low on funds. I put a note on the kitty’s door that someone’s interested in him, while the young man goes off to hit up pals to borrow money. I see him squatting by the door with his phone, so he can send out a picture.

I’m in with Clinton and Ani, dangling a toy for her while giving him a luxurious belly rub, when I spot an older gentleman in the hall. He looks a bit unsure of himself, confused by the layout of the hallways. But in an instant, his expression shifts completely, to one of amusement and deep pleasure. He’s looking in at one of our entertaining cuties, a young all black kitty who’s romping around her condo.

Never mind the cat photos – that expression of delight is the image I wish I could have captured.

Slowing it Down – Zoe Rock

Good news at Maddie’s – Kentucky, Beans, and senior lady Mask have all been adopted. Disappointing follow up, though – I see that two different mature former adoptees, chatty orange Persian Chaka, and sweet, super-sized black and white Junior, have been returned.

Chaka greets me happily and loudly, immediately friendly and hopping onto my lap. She keeps an eye on the hallway too, and trots to her door to say hello to a couple young women passing by. Still a charmer, I’m glad to see.

Not long later a woman and adult daughter approach. They’ve just lost one of a pair of cats. They seem numb still, a bit overwhelmed, but also anxious that the remaining cat not be alone. We go in to meet a shy young kitty, who seems a bit intimidated. I talk to the daughter a little more, and try to nicely suggest that a brief mourning period might be appropriate for their cat. That’s how I phrase it, but I really mean for the people too. I‘m not sure any of them will be quite ready for an interloper – even an adorable one – quite so soon, and I assure the women that Maddie’s will still have plenty of cats looking for new homes in the days to come.

They keep looking around, and I settle in with Zoe Rock, the shy 6 year old long hair calico. She’s gone from scaredy cat to just quirky, launching herself out to vigorously rub my legs and roll around happily, purring and emitting little purr grunts while I pet her.

I’ve been in a rush all day – laundry and several errands this morning, hurrying here to put in most of my volunteer shift but leave time to catch the end of the Giants home opener. (Go Giants! It kind of reminds me of when the Dead were in town – I’ve seen people wearing the gear everywhere I go.) And this is all on my day off.

But soothing Zoe makes me slow down. And sitting there on the floor stroking her, silent and still, I suddenly recall a dream from last night. Both my parents were alive and well, and driving me through my hometown in our VW mini-bus. They were chatting together about how much better they both felt.

Sometimes it’s sad to wake up from that sort of dream. But last night, it just felt peaceful. My boy was purring, pressing his nose into my hair, and I felt like I’d just had a little visit with the folks. Makes me wonder how much else is missed, what other flutterings of semi-consciousness just disappear, from forgetting to slow down. Thanks, kitties.

Elusive Happy Endings – Jessie

It’s pretty quiet when I get to Maddie’s, so I find some quiet kitties to visit. Jessie is a lovely slender tabby and white 15 year old gal. When she first got to the shelter she was quite shy, but now she’s used to the routine, and squawks a friendly greeting at the sound of the door. She patters across my legs happily, purring and rubbing, and gazes up with her big expressive eyes.

Across the hall, Mikey has a similar look, but he’s a 5 year old shy boy with more white than stripes. He generally hides completely under his blanket unless there’s a human with him to expressly invite him out for a cuddle. (Not the best strategy for finding new people to take care of him, I’m afraid.) Once emerged, he’s sweet and affectionate, though a bit wary of hallway noises.

We have a number of harder to place kitties these days. There are several bonded pairs, in addition to the shy guys and seniors. Plus a newly arrived trio, Lizzie, Shoyo and Rascal, who ended up here when their prior owner lost his home. The three of them, all big vigorous looking cats, are curled up together in their climbing structure, looking adorable.

I help a young family – who present challenges of their own – looking for the right cat to join a rambunctious little boy. He’s a cutie, and super enthusiastic, but that’s not something a lot of cats can handle. We meet Clinton and Ani, just to see how the kid does, although the parents understandably don’t feel ready to take on two cats. (Too bad, because Clinton and the little boy have a great time playing together.)

Unfortunately, several of the mellowest cats are out on Outreach duty this afternoon. I take the mom and kid in to meet Beans, another laid back young male cat, but the dad decides he doesn’t like him. By this time the boy is getting a little squirmy, and I’m kind of relieved when they decide maybe they should come back fresh another day.

I ease in to greet Blanche Du Bois, a soft and dignified snowshoe mix. No happy ending, not yet at least, I whisper to her. But hey, if my matchmaking was as simple as a Hollywood movie, where’d be the challenge?