The SPCA and Me

I finally got around to applying to be a volunteer at the SF SPCA a few months ago. I attended an introduction to the agency, filled out an application to volunteer, took the first two classes to be a cat volunteer, and promptly came down with a tenacious cold that lasted nearly four weeks.

Then I got well and started working a weekly shift of three hours socializing cats at Maddie's Adoption Center. I bought a short footstool after struggling to get down to the floor and back up while visiting a cat whose condo did not have suitable human seating. By making every possible mistake, I am gradually getting the hang of relating to cats with different dispositions.

Also, I've started taking additional classes to add to my skills. My first class was beginning feline bahavior, which qualified me for the "Green Team," volunteers who are allowed to visit cats with behavior problems. After another week or two, I took the course in Shelter Medicine. That makes me part of the "Purr Posse," volunteers who have learned the protocols of wearing gloves, gowns, and booties to visit kittens and cats who are in quarantine, ill, or waiting for space in the adoption center. So now I'm qualified to visit any cat in Maddie's and most cats in the hospital wing (another class is needed if I want to visit the poor souls with ringworm).

So now I can visit cats at Maddie's or in the hospital wing, or both (but only in that order). But I also noted on my volunteer application that I might be available for office and other types of work as well. So I get periodic emails about particularly pressing needs.

I got one email last week outlining some special tasks in the office, including one that required an "extremely detail oriented person." That sounded a lot like me, so I replied and volunteered. Wound up going at my usual shift time yesterday, but went to the administrative offices instead of Maddie's. There, instead of donning an apron, locking up my purse, and sitting with cats, I  went to an actual office. My task was to page through about 60 years' worth of the SFSPCA's monthly magazine for pictures of the hospital building as it existed during a certain period of time. I'd imagined using Post It notes to mark the pages with pictures, and they did indeed provide me with a new pack of multi-colored Post Its.

At the time, I really enjoyed the task because I got to look through so many issues of the magazine and to glimpse what they thought worth recording at that time. The SFSPCA cared for horses that drew streetcars and fire engines, for dogs that were used for racing, and for countless cats who climbed up trees or telephone poles. The magazine also serialized the novel "Black Beauty," reviewed films for their treatment of animals, and awarded an annual prize to the best animal actor in a film. I liked the praise I got for finding a half dozen good exterior shots, pictures of various parts of the building, and a few articles about the various waves of renovation.

The contents of the magazine were fascinating, but, in retrospect, I also enjoyed being back in an office of my own, with a swivel chair, good lighting, and an enjoyable task to perform.