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.

Adapting to Change - Cherokee

I've had that cold that everyone's had, but feel sufficiently recovered to return to Maddie's. Good thing, because there are plenty of cat shoppers there.

Right off the bat, I help a friendly but no nonsense woman with a specific type of cat in mind. Her husband is recovering from a stroke, and wishes for a shy and cuddly tabby to keep him company. We check out two possibilities. She's leaning toward sweet and pretty Aurora, who totally fits the bill, and heads to the front to finish her paperwork.

A woman and her grandson are anxious to go see Fanta, a lovely mostly black 6 month old. Turns out she fostered him as a kitten, and she's worried that he's lonely and scared all alone in his condo. He does seem shy at first, but as they descend on him with coos and cuddles, he warms up and rubs between all three of us, purring. Although she's worried that his shyness is preventing him from being adopted, he's only been on the floor for a week.

I continue on to socialize with a bonded pair, Domino and Checkers, for whom shyness is not an issue. Domino dominates, head butting, rubbing and purring, while Checkers circles, competing for petting. Both these sweet girls have been declawed, but they play as if they're claws are just fine, making the best of their situation.

Across the hall, lovely 10 year old Cherokee is flirting with a pair of guys in the hallway. I ask if they want to meet him but they say no, they've already picked out another cat. They leave, as if afraid they'll be tempted to bring home the whole hall full of cats. Chekokee's prior owner died, and he's clearly missing his home. But he's good at making new friends - I'm instantly charmed. He rubs around and belly flops, luxuriating in having his soft fur stroked. Then he curls like a rag doll into my lap, happy and relaxed.

I feel bad breaking it to him that we won't be spending the rest of the day lounging together. He's a special boy who needs a new situation. Even as I shut the door to his condo, his cat face seems to have a smile. He's got a positive attitude, much like the lady from earlier, who's focused on her husband's recovery.

I peak back into that hallway, and am happy to see that Aurora is already gone, and formerly shy Fanta is right up at his door, ready to flag down his new people.

Watch. Me. Now. – Odetta

After a morning of errands and post office, it’s nice to ease into a slow shelter shift. I enjoy some quality time with Odetta, a plump, pretty tabby and white 5 year old. She’s all about cuddling, and as long as she’s got a lap to lounge in and a hand to rub her head, she’s happy. It’s disappointing for both of us – and a bit challenging as she really doesn’t want to leave the lap – when I have to roust her to continue my rounds.

There are several volunteers and not many possible customers, so I spend awhile with a woman and her precocious granddaughter, who’s maybe 5. She’s bright, bilingual, adores cats and likes to tell stories. Her pre-school visited the Macy’s SPCA windows downtown, and apparently she’s talked of little else since.

We go in with Potsie, a mellow, friendly and gorgeous 10 year old lynx point. The girl is most into playing with the noodle toy, but we cover hand sniffing, petting down the back, and watching for signs that a cat has had enough. Potsie is fine with the kid – she plays a little, and rubs around both of us. Pretty soon, though, she puts her paws firmly onto my knees, demanding my full attention.

The girl continues down the hall, telling stories about what the cats might be thinking and asking lots of questions. I like interacting with little kids like this, the same way I like cats. They’re so focused on the here and now. This is what I’m thinking. Pet me now.

The grandmother asks about age limits for becoming a volunteer, and I have to disappoint them by saying it’s older than 5. I mention the summer camp – the girl would surely enjoy that eventually. But clearly to her, something that might occur months from now is such a distant future as to be meaningless. Like a good kitty, she wants what she wants now.

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Window Shopping – Ashe & Empire

Good news from the volunteer coordinator – we’ve had a banner couple weeks at Maddie’s, with dozens of cats and dogs finding new homes, including a couple senior kitties who had been challenging to place. Empty condos!

I’m a little surprised to see bonded pair Ashe and Empire are still here. If you know anyone looking for an adorable and loving matched set of cats, these are the boys. They’re devoted 3 year olds, sweet, soft, pretty, friendly and bright. Though they have two sets of food dishes and two litter boxes, they clearly prefer to share.

Golden eyed solid gray Empire settles on my lap, while gray tabby Ashe stands nearby, enjoying head rubs. His little pink tongue pokes out in pleasure, as both of their purr motors rev.

Apparently they smell interesting too, as two different calicos I go visit, Vicky and Lulu, insist on a full sniff down of my apron before agreeing to be petted.

It’s quiet, so there’s quality time for the shy kitties. I’m in with a couple timid all black youngsters when a pair of young moms arrive, exclaiming over the gorgeousness of every cat they see. They’re taking a little break before picking up kids from school, just window shopping. One has a ring tone that sounds like an old fashioned phone, which startles both me and the cats both times it rings.

Later on, I introduce a soft spoken, burly dude to a precious little tabby named Bit. He gently strokes her, his big hand a contrast to her delicate head. I try to draw him out a little as far as cat experience, and he admits that he can’t actually have a cat just now. He’s living in a room in a small share, soon to be evicted. I can see he’s wondering if I’ll now ask him to leave, but I don’t. The little cat is blossoming with his attention, and this is the kind of window shopping we can all understand.

Giving Thanks – Alexandria

Happy Thanksgiving! Ate a lot and stayed up late, but managed not to seriously overdo it. My gang of friends have been doing this for so long that homes have downsized. Former babies are debating Marx in high school or grown and living on their own. This year’s hosts’ resident dog made lots of new friends and scampered around licking the floor. The cat managed one peak into the crowded kitchen and fled, appalled.

Personally, I’m more like a cat, but have learned to be dog-like sometimes – it’s how you turn strangers into friends and new acquaintances into the people you raise a glass to in your toasts, giving thanks for being part of their lives.

Volunteering at Maddie’s makes us cat people be more outgoing and social. Black Friday is as usual packed. Right off the bat I make a nice match of a shy kitten and a likable young couple who take the time to get to know her.

I manage half a visit with pretty and playful Alexandria, a young gray and white long hair sweetie. She goes from shy to paws on your knees friendly fast, and she’s learning to interact with people passing by - so hopefully she'll be headed to a new home soon.

In quick succession, I facilitate visits with several sets of people and cats. A mom and gentle little boy see several kittens. A woman who has two cats and is only contemplating a third falls under the spell of an adorable tabby. An older woman with her adult son looks for a replacement for her beloved and recently departed cat. She says her house is too lonely now, and I recall with her the pain of coming home and not being greeted by a kitty. I’m pleased that she chooses Faun, a beautiful shy long hair sweetie.

Toward the end of my shift I help a girl and her grandmother, who are there to choose a new kitten. We go in with a trio of mostly black kittens, all similar in looks and frisky personalities. The grandmother seems tired, but she patiently gives the girl time and space to pick out her favorite.

Finally, she decides, and skips off toward the front desk to complete the adoption. The girl is just excited about her new kitten today. But years from now, I bet she’ll look back on this day with gratitude toward grandma too.