Too Close to Home – Xanthor & Tanya

We interrupt the annual rant about how much I despise the Blue Angels flying over the city with more bad news from the SFSPCA. Another round of layoffs, this hitting the frontline staff and impacting Maddie’s hours – now closed Mondays and opening other weekdays at 1pm.

Stats on unemployment go out the window when it’s people you used to see regularly. Hooray that a total fiscal melt down was averted and stocks are headed back up, but real people are still reeling.

And different sad news – friends lost a dear sweet dog earlier in the week. Here came more perspective, because I regularly talk to people who’ve recently had their pet put down, but strangers’ sad stories pale compared to when you’ve cuddled with the deceased. This hit home too, reminding me of losses of my own.

Still, that painful time is only a fraction of the happy years one shares with a pet. In I go to Maddie’s as usual, ever hopeful of making good matches. I have a nice time socializing with Xanthor and Tanya, a 9 year old bonded pair.

They’re funny in being devoted companions but very different from each other. Xanthor’s a big, lovey, slightly clumsy black and white boy. Tanya’s petite, all gray, and much more cautious. It took all of my first meeting and part of my second before I could lure her out from hiding, but now she’s decided she likes me, and rubs then rolls, all spaghetti limbed, on the floor beside me. The two of them have been here for awhile, and I keep hoping someone will come in search of an older pair.

A young woman’s looking for another kitten as a companion to her first. We check out several, while she texts back and forth with her rather opinionated boyfriend. (I can’t help thinking an actual phone conversation would be simpler, but maybe I’m too old to catch the nuances.)

A more mature couple who recently lost their independent minded 17 year old come looking for someone new. The woman tells me they’re interested in a more friendly, cuddly kitty, though they don’t have a particular type in mind. I can tell they’ll be good cat parents, and I show several sweet and friendly ones.

The woman does most of the talking and interacting, but from observing them, I suspect the man will be the final arbiter. Happily, I don’t see them going wrong with any of several choices. She explains that they’re hoping to choose a cat today but not bring it home until after the weekend. They live in North Beach, and the Blue Angels pretty much buzz their place, which would make for a difficult introduction to the place for a new feline resident.

Can I say it now? They waste resources, scare sensitive animals and people represent violence… even if one can justify it from the tourist income to the city, the planes shouldn’t come so close to our homes and workplaces!