But Wait - There's More! - Simon

They’re having another cat sale at Maddie’s. Maybe hoping to move more adult cats during kitten season? I’m not sure the general public quite appreciates these price fluctuations. It’s like with modern airfares – you’re psyched when you get a good deal, but it kind of ups the anxiety level in general to know the rates may still rise or fall.

There’s also a new flyer posted with info about myths concerning black cats. The powers that be here generally don’t gear towards middle aged eye sight, so I can barely read it, but presumably the word is black cats make fine pets. Agreed!

I visit Simon and Nicki, both mostly black, who have the flyer posted on their door. They’re both timid and have been housed together with the hopes of being good company, but so far they appear to have divided the room in half and taken sides to prevent interacting. More like two thirds, one third, actually, with Simon taking up more space. He’s a sweetie, young, thin and leggy, a mixture of friendly and shy. He rubs vigorously, purring and even drooling a bit, but his eyes stay dilated, just on the edge of fearful even as he laps up my company.

An older woman in a motorized wheelchair wants to meet Gigi, who’s across the hall. Good test of the facility’s access. (It’s designed to accommodate wheelchairs with wide doors and low handles and everything, but reality can be different from design.) Not a problem – she maneuvers in and the cats back away at the sight and sound of the chair, allowing me to reach around and shut the door.

She tells me, in a pronounced Russian accent, about her calico cat that died at 16. She likes the calicos and orange tabbies, and we check out several. The cats split about evenly between being fascinated and frightened by the moving chair. I don’t think she’s actually planning to adopt (she notes that even the sale cost is too expensive), but she's relishing the physical contact. One cat tries, but nobody escapes into the hallway.

It’s not till my last ten minutes that I help a serious customer, a woman around my age who’s brought along another cat person friend. They’ve already met Mack and Mabel, and ask to see Trigger and Fluff, a pair of five year old brothers who are newly arrived. One’s a tabby, the other a lynx point, but it’s pretty clear they’re related. They rub and purr, make eye contact, almost dance around between us. They’re great cats, they have that intangible something that makes me wonder how they could possibly have ended up here in the first place.

The woman still has a roommate to consult, but she’s smitten. We all are. She says these are the ones, and hurries out to the front counter, not wanting to see any others. "Don’t be cute for other people," she tells them as she leaves.

I glance back in at Simon before I take off. He’s sitting up, alert, paws crossed under his chin, kind of emphasizing the little white spot on his nose. He can go ahead and be cute and be on sale.