Yes We Can! - Tony

What a week, wow. There was dancing on my quiet little street at 8:01 Tuesday night, along with joyous screams and honking horns. It was so fast and decisive! I admit I expected funky stuff in the swing states right up till the end.

Then came the let down the next day with the passage of Prop 8. I just don’t get the religious angle – I mean if you’re coming at it thinking gayness is a sin, wouldn’t you still want the sinners in committed loving partnerships? It’s been an odd, emotionally draining few days. Many people admit to feeling a bit adrift or even let down after all the anticipation. (But every time I hear "President-elect Obama," I feel myself smiling again.)

Good news for the animals, with Prop 2 passing handily. No politics at Maddie’s though, just lonely homeless pets. A woman and little boy are already waiting for a volunteer when I start my shift. She introduces herself as the nanny and explains they’re just testing things out as far as his family getting a cat.

He’s a sweet looking little boy, but I ask him if he knows how to act around animals. He answers yes very seriously, and the nanny explains they regularly visit her cat. (In my head I’m spinning out the movie – there’s such a closeness between these two, she’s got a great combo of affection and simple discipline… is the mom jealous? Will she put her foot down about getting a cat?)

Anyway, they’re interested in Monkey Boy, who’s housed with four other active young males in the large condo you first see upon entering the shelter. They put cats with good attitudes here, since they’re so much on display and have to cope with people and dogs walking by their window.

The five kitties swarm us when we enter. The youngest and sweetest, Cisco, hops onto my lap, the two brown tabbies rub around us vigorously, and all black Monkey Boy makes a beeline for the dangle toy. The kid behaves just fine, if anything he’s a bit intimidated by these confident cats. He circles the room a couple times, and soon frisky tabby Tony is trotting after him thinking it’s a chase game.

The nanny and I agree that these are the sort of cats who would do well in a household with a kid, and we watch them interact – cute on cute. She thanks me and ushers the boy out to go look at kittens. I reach up to pet Stanley, a lovely orange tabby who’s been watching from above. Tony doesn’t want me to forget him too, so he leaps up, practically bowling over Stanley, and they purr and rub for pets even as they start nipping at each other’s ears.

I can see people out in the lobby smiling, watching the show. These guys could entertain me all day, but there are definitely more needy kitties who need some company. Several other people are roaming the hallways, so I leave the boys and go make myself useful.

Oh yeah, President-elect Obama? Your speech rocked, it was so inspiring. Loved the bit about getting the girls a puppy. Why don’t you pick one from the local shelter?
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/08/ DDDP13VRPS.DTL&hw=obama+puppy&sn=003&sc=607