Utter Cat-tastrophe

Today I did something I've never done before. I took Matt (as in "door mat") the cat "to the pound." Matt showed up on our doorstep a couple of weeks ago. At first she would run when we went near her, but eventually she grew used to us, and would do this combination meow/hiss thing, which meant either "feed me" or "pet me", or maybe "there're some leaves stuck in my tail, do you mind pulling them out" (either worked). Of course, I started feeding Matt.

But unlike the feral colony I keep under the porch, Matt was sociable. Not just sociable, but demandingly sociable. She would sit at the front door day and night demanding that someone come out and pet her. It was quite amusing. But Matt seemed ill-equipped to deal with the harsh California Winter, so Ethel and I decided it would be best if we found Matt a new home.

Enter the Humane Society of Silicon Valley. I live in Silicon Valley, they're based here, I even give them money. So this morning Matt hopped (not quite willingly) into my cat carrier and we headed off to the Humane Society. After only one wrong turn (thanks Prius GPS - you said "we were there a mere 1/4 mile away from our destination!) we made it.

Matt and I went in and the nice lady at the front desk explained that the Humane Society of Silicon Valley, in fact, can only take in stray cats from Sunnyvale. As neither Matt nor I live in Sunnyvale, we were not welcomed. Matt didn't quite understand the nice lady's logic; neither did I. The fact that the name contained "Silicon Valley" was perhaps the problem. But we none the less headed off to the Silicon Valley Animal Control Authority, a mere 2 miles down the road; their name seemed more "corporate" or "authoritarian," certainly less "humane" but what else could we do.

When we got there, we met another nice lady who flirted with Matt (who, by now, was just looking to get out of the carrier and stretch her adorable fluffy tail). Thankfully, they didn't send us packing, and now Matt's got a new temporary home at the shelter, and based on what everyone said, is so adorable that she'll be adopted in no time.

So, if anyone is in the market for an absolutely adorable kitty, perhaps someone to put under the tree for that other someone special, let me know, and I'll put you in touch with the animal control people and Matt can be yours. I'll even pay the adoption costs (seriously, I will!).