Today is Memorial Day here in the United States. I hope that you are able to take time to enjoy your day, celebrating the freedom that has come and continues to come at the cost of so many. Perhaps you even took a moment to reflect and give thanks for the people and sacrifices they have made. I have seen so many things posted on Facebook and I get teary-eyed with each one that I look at. In 2012 I posted Three Day Weekends and Memorial Day’s National Moment Of Remembrance which has a bit of information about Memorial Day. It is past 3:00 pm, but if you didn’t do it then, perhaps you can pause now. Since I wrote that post with information about the day, I just thought I would mention the day and send my thanks out, but then post about something else.
If you are interested in cats or you read my blog you may have seen that my hubby and I adopted cats in July of 2015. Not quite a year ago. It all started after it had been a year that our cat had died. My husband was patiently waiting for me to be “ready” to get another cat. I had always wanted a kitten so I had it in my head that is what we needed to get. But, then the idea of a young cat dawned on me. There are always cats that need adopting. About that same time my husband’s boss mentioned that her friend opened a “cat cafe” in San Jose.
I decided to go check it out. It was opened by two women, who ran it with the help of volunteers. So in addition to booking an hour of visiting, I was inspired to volunteer. As I mentioned in a few post this place was only going to be open for 4 weeks. I am not even sure how they ended up staying open for 6 months. Perhaps it was the begging and pleading of all of us that had visited it and loved it. Ann and Mary, to two women previously mentioned, realized that the community wanted and needed such a place. But really, since they had only planned on being open about a month, they went ahead with closing it down. I believe they were going to take some time to figure out what to do next.
Well, they are still looking for a bigger place, but for now they are open again in the previous location, which is in the Julian-St. James area of San Jose. The first day open was Saturday, May 28, 2016. I had nothing planned this weekend so I volunteered both Saturday and Sunday. They are not normally open on Mondays but they are open Memorial Day this year.
To start, they have ten cats. They range from small to large. Aside from the two who are taking their time adjusting to the new space (they are hiding under the couch) they are all very pet-able. Pretty much very friendly. Some of them seem to get along with other cats and some of them seem like they would be best as the only cat in the household, but that is what is so great about a place like this when looking to adopt.
This type of space helps you get a glimpse into what the individual cat’s true nature will be. Yes, there is always a chance that it might emerge entirely different when you get the cat home, but in general you can see who is bossy and who is timid. Who will let you approach them and who will play with the toys. We love our two cats. I think I saw pretty much their true personalities there. If you are not looking to adopt this is still a great place. You can just go and hang out with cats.It is a nice place to be with cats.
This time around the cats are being obtained from The Silicon Valley Pet Project which is a group of volunteers that save at-risk pets by placing them in foster homes or The Dancing Cat. In addition to saving the pets through rehabilitation and finding them homes, the project also works to educate the community in order to reduce the number of animals that end up in an “at-risk” situation.
If you like cats and you like to help out organizations that are helping the community, then make your reservations and go visit The Dancing Cat. You’ll be able to sit and visit with cats. And more-than-likely other people who like cats. I am hoping that this will be a huge success and a permanent fixture in San Jose.
I am thankful for the people who make the world a better place.
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