Two Hours is Too Short

Over the past week I've had dreams about the pair of cat brothers Ethan and Joel. The first dream I was having this adventure where I was on a giant building in New York City, and I really wanted to photograph the setting sun, so I darted to my home in Drummond, Wisconsin to grab my camera. While I was waiting for my boyfriend to get ready, I saw the two cats in a laundry basket in the living room. The dream ended as I sat on the floor petting them. (Perhaps my parents should adopt them?) I had another dream where I was at the shelter, and I checked in on them and they were sharing a cage with a tiny pug puppy. All three seemed terrified.

At the shelter, the first thing I did was to check on Ethan and Joel. I hurried over to their little side room across from the supply room. Their names were no longer on the door. I peered inside just to make sure. Not in there. I hurried over to the large whiteboard with all of the shelter cats names on it. Both Ethan and Joel's names where on there still. There was only one room left to check. As I walked in I prepped myself- if they've been adopted that's wonderful for them and I should be happy they are in a loving home. But I knew the real problem was that I wouldn't have gotten a chance to say goodbye.

As I peer inside, sure enough, Ethan and Joel were in the large back room, where about eight cats roam freely, and another three are in cages. I spotted Joel right away. He was sniffing around, happy to no longer be in a cage and given the freedom to stroll around. I bent down and he came over for some petting. I spotted Ethan curled up in an open cage. This is what he did when I went to pet him:

(Perhaps I should adopt them?)

Ethan poked his head out of the cage and I picked him up and sat in a chair cuddling with him until I realized how much time was passing and I needed to get to work.

Joel wanting to help out

After another volunteer and I cleaned out the entire back room there wasn't a lot left to do, so we were given the instructions from the Shift Manager to go around and give the cats attention. Gladly!

Taormina was the queen of the large back room. All of the cats seemed awed and frightened of her:

A lot of cats in the back room have similar markings- calico and gray tabby. I kept having to refer back to their tags to get their names straight, but even the sometimes I wasn't certain. This is Bon Bon... I think:

This is Annabelle, a tiny, round, soft and sweet cat. She shares a room with Huey:

I stopped back in the front to say hi to some of the cats I'm more familiar with. Licorice, the black cat pictured below, is normally very timid and jumpy, but today he rubbed against my hand and purred and purred:

Licorice (black) with his mother Mama Lu watching from behind.

As I was petting Licorice and Mama Lu I heard a familiar mew. I looked over and there was Mason back in her cage. I opened her door and snuggled for a little bit. Why was she back?

I met a new cat, Ole, in the cage where Ethan and Joel had been. Part Siamese, part fluffball, Ole was very happy to lay and be petted.

I ended my night by snuggling with Flute. She practically climbed into my arms, so I picked her up and she curled up in my arms, nuzzling my nose and chin and playing with my earrings. I think she's getting adopted this week, so I'm glad I had the chance to cuddle with her before she's gone.

My shift is from 6pm-8pm, but I always end up leaving late. Two hours isn't nearly long enough to spend quality time with all of the cats.

Where do they come from?

The first room I clean out today belongs entirely to Waffle, a new girl full of energy and curiosity. She climbs up and down her cage, and up and down my leg.

Waffle climbing my leg

At one point she even surprises me by climbing on my shoulders. She's so small and energetic, and I'm curious as to how old she is, so I check her tag.

The tag on each cat's cage or room has a photo and a variety of useful information. It shows the name, age, gender, whether or not he or she is neutered or spayed, and the date, food information, roaming specifics, the date that they arrived and History: where they came from, or how they came to arrive.

Waffle and her tag

Waffle is at least 3 years old, even though she looks 10 months. The note next to History catches my eye. "Owner's missing." It's quite illegible, so there's a really really good chance that's not actually what it says, but now my imagination is going wild. What happened to them? If this were a mystery novel it would be one where the cat assists in solving the puzzle. It's not long at all before I find out that's it's not nearly so exciting. "Owner's moving" turns out to be the actual reason. How sad. Can you imagine, leaving your family cat behind if you move?

As I clean other cages I pay more attention to why other cats are here, or where they came from. "Animal Control" is the most common one. Sadey's owner died when she was ten. Alexia, a new girl, has "Dropped off at shelter" written next to her. I didn't think Feline Rescue accepted cats that owners just drop off. In fact, they write "Our mission does not enable us to accept owner surrendered animals." But of course, if one turns up at their doorstep, they're not going to just leave it there.

As I'm cleaning out the side room I hear the door open and the sound of someone walking to to one of the front cages.
"Excuse me, can I help you" asks the woman stationed in the front.
A man's gruff voice mutters something incomprehensible.
"Is that a cat in there?" asks the woman. "I'm sorry, you can't bring him in here. Are you trying to leave him?"
I stop my mopping to listen.
"It's all we can do," grunts the man.
"I'm sorry, but we don't accept cats that are just dropped off. You're going to have to leave."
"But what are we going to do with him? We don't have a car, we took the train here for free. For free."
"Bring him to Animal Control, we can't take him here."
The man stomps off, muttering that it doesn't say that anywhere on the website.
"Ooh, I hope he doesn't leave him in the parking lot," the woman wails.
Oh, I hope he leaves him here, I wish.

I'm mopping up the man's muddy boot tracks when I hear the woman swear. I look up. Someone else asks, "What's wrong?"

"He left the cat in the front."

Yes.

Through some confusion he gets named Wyatt (although I think he looks like a Henry) and is placed in the back room to get checked out by the medical staff. Before he can be assigned a cage or room, he needs to be checked out for sicknesses or any other potential problems.

I didn't want that cat going home with that man. What would the chances be that it would end up in Animal Control, or that the man would find it a good home on his own? By being left at Feline Rescue, at the very least he has a warm home.

Today I'll let the cats have the final word:

Junius hanging out in the supply room.

Taormina tolerates a few chin scratches. 

Ethan (part muppet) was desperate for cuddles.

Alexia being oh so cute. But don't be deceived- she doesn't actually want to be woken up just to have her belly rubbed.

A (Slightly) Brief Overview

The first time I visited Feline Rescue, just two weeks ago, I was in awe that room after room after room were filled with cats. Today I was finally able to take the time to visit each of the rooms, and meet some new, sweet cats.

But first, I had to say hello to Buzz, the office cat of the week with a purr that can be heard behind closed doors.

Buzz

The entry room contains about six cats, all which stay in their cages. They're a little shy, a little wary, and a little uncomfortable with certain cats.

The second room is the large one that I've cleaned each week now. It houses my buddies Tux, Licorice, Sadey, Mama Lu, Kia and Jack Benny. Formally home of sweet Bryn, and mischievous Chip- both were adopted since last Monday! Two new residents fill their cages- Junius and Mason. Junius is a cute boy with fluffy cheeks, a hearty appetite, and a kind and gentle disposition.

Junius

Mason is the only non-roamer in the room and she's locked up in her cage throwing a fit when I walk in.

I'm a little hesitant to pet her, but the second I open the cage she rubs her head against my hand affectionately. I've found a new friend.

Mason

Next door to the large room is Frida. Miss Frida had been in one of the cages in the main room until Lou Lou was adopted two weeks ago. Since moving, she opened up, relaxed, and was carried away to a forever home by the end my shift. All of the volunteers crowded around her, saying their goodbyes. "She's going to a good home," assured the man. "We adore her."

Next to this room houses four lovely FIV+ cats. These cats are healthy and happy, but do have weaker immune systems, and need to be careful around non-FIV cats, as they could spread the virus through bites that break the skin. Olivia Benson and Hamburger are curled up together on the bottom shelf. I hope they get adopted together.

Olivia Benson and Hamburger

The corner room houses four calm ladies that are all content keeping to themselves. I snuggle with Winter for a while before peering into Bailey's cage. Bailey isn't comfortable with other cats or humans, and was just moved into this room so she wouldn't be bothered by bullies like Penelope. I let her sniff my finger for a moment, and am quick to pull away just as she snaps. I play with her a little, hoping that the aggression towards the toy I wave in her face in just a form of play, and not annoyance.

Winter

Next door lives Misty Morning, Paolo, and Benji. I fall in love with all three cats. Benji is a wild eight month old kitten. He makes cleaning difficult, as all he wants to do is bat at my hand whenever it is in reaching distance. He comes up with a fun game where he starts at one end of his cage, leaps over the litter box, and slides into his cat bed. Misty Morning lets me pet her, even rolling over so I can stroke her soft belly. But Paolo tops them all as he willingly snuggles on my lap.

Benji in his cat bed.

Down the hall and across from the bathrooms and cleaning area in the medical room, but I'm not allowed in there. Next to that is a smaller room, housing several cats with a giant range of personalities. Jaeda is young, wild and affectionate, Ethan is sleepy and shy, and Penelope is standoffish, beautiful, and kind of a brat.

The large room in the back is known as the trouble room. I haven't spent much time in it, but nearly all of the cats in there are roamers. They all seem playful and friendly, and don't seem like much trouble to me. Maybe next time I'll get to clean that room and find out for myself.

A Big Mistake

Boris, the office cat of the week.

After putting away my things and saying hello to Boris, my first task is to greet the cats in the back room. Gladly! A gray and white cat with some hints of calico markings, Tawret, is sitting right on the food bin when I enter. She allows me to pet her for nearly half a minute before jumping down and strutting off to a different section of the room. I let a few more cats sniff my fingers (Tawret approaches me a few more times, clearly playing it cool) until I find Betty. We bond over her love of being petted, and my love of petting, before I head back to the front to clean the front side room with the same volunteer I worked with last week.

As I gather up my supplies, the shift manager is scolding another volunteer who is taking her time gathering up all of her things. "You have to be faster." I find this a little cruel, as the woman is rather elderly, and to top it off is wearing a cast boot.

The shift manager says this a few more times and the volunteer leans back against the sink, clearly upset. It then occurrs to me that the shift manager might not be referring to the speed of her preparation. Perhaps the woman had not been fast enough to adopt one of the cats from the shelter. "Did a cat you wanted get adopted?" I ask.

Sure enough, a cat she had fallen in love with, Kit Kat, has an adoption pending.

I head back to the side room. All of the cats in this room last week are still around. Chip is a little less rambunctious today, and Licorice is feeling more brave. Kia is a little more timid, and spends the entire time sleeping. Mama Lu is as soft and cute as ever. Sadey stays out of the way, but Goose tries hard to get in the way of everything- especially for the volunteer I'm working with. As Tux sleeps, his adorable, pink nose is crunched into a frown.

"The Black and White Cat Club" Licorice, Jack Benny, and Tux

Bryn in her favorite spot.

Bryn is in her roast in the top corner of the room again. I stray from my cleaning every few minutes to pet her. She pushes into my hand with her face, her butt high in the air until she flops over onto her side, purring like crazy. Later, when I'm sweeping I hear a loud purr from above. It's Bryn. I set down the broom. "Of course I'll give you attention," I coo. She rubs into my hand again, a smile on her face.

Bryn in mid purr

I begin to daydream about coming to Feline Rescue each week, and bonding closer and closer to little Bryn, until I can no longer resist and when the time is right I'll adopt her. "Wow, she sure loves you," the other volunteer notices. I just smile.

Soon after, the two of us are mopping the floor when a young man pokes his head in. "Hi!"

"Hello." He doesn't enter the room, so after a bit I look up, forgetting that I am sort of here to direct visitors in the right direction.

"Is it okay if I come in?"

"Oh yeah, sure."

"Great! We're adopting one of the cats in here."

The other volunteer gasps. "Ooh, which one?"

He grins. "Bryn."

I hope he doesn't see the flash of dismay in my eyes. "Wow, great," I say. "She's so sweet."

He pulls up a step stool and spends awhile petting Bryn. You're not allowed to be sad, I have to tell myself. It was a big mistake becoming so attached so soon. The whole point of this place is to help cats find homes. You can't take home everyone.

The room is clean by this point so I head out, in search of other rooms to clean.

In the meantime I bond with Frida.

And Jadea.

And Winter.

When the time comes, I shouldn't have a problem finding a cat that I can bond with enough to call my own. And in the meantime I have to remember the mission of the shelter, and why I'm here- to help these deserving cats find good homes.