Getting Along - Porter, Freewheel

I was watching the early evening non-riot in Oakland on TV Thursday. Relieved that there was no acquittal, and remembering the King riots from years back. The Mehserle case hits home a little bit, since I’m a regular BART rider (though my experience as a white middle aged woman commuter is quite different from anyone’s on the platform that night; I can’t think when I’ve last seen a BART cop).

Anyway, this doesn’t have much to do with the animal shelter, except that sometimes societal problems seem both long lived and overwhelming.

Early in my shift at Maddie’s, a pair of young women, friends or possibly sisters, are checking out the cats in the back hallway. They tell me they’re still looking around, seeming taken aback at how many halls and rooms of cats they’ve encountered. I tend to forget, but we do have an awful lot of homeless animals here, every age, color and temperament. Even with all the adoptions in June, there are many more cats in need of new homes.

I get acquainted with new roomies Porter and Freewheel. Porter’s young, all black with golden eyes, friendly and frisky. He’s charming with me, lounging on my lap and playing happily, although his exuberance is a bit much for shy guy Freewheel. He’s a gorgeous orange tabby who’s sweet but a little nervous about hands (or other cats) touching below his shoulders. As I softly stroke his head, Porter scampers after a stuffed mouse, picking it up firmly in his mouth and dunking it into their water dish.

A woman escorting a group of talkative kids pauses to point at the pair. Freewheel hides while Porter preens at the door, not bothered by the children's voices or tapping on the door.

Down the hall, big black and white Leta is still here waiting for someone to notice her and bring her home. Freewheel’s opposite in terms of petting preferences, she meows at me for some company. She loves to be petted anywhere, enjoys having her fur fluffed up, and rolls onto her back, paws flailing, for belly rubs.

Later, I express my enthusiasm for sweet tortie girl Gertrude to a woman who had seen her on the website. The cat is a lively outgoing "party animal," and the woman is looking for someone friendly and cuddly. I’m glad to see an adoption pending notice up on Gertrude’s condo a short while later. Progress is slow but steady.