• Tiny Tabby

    By Mahogany Sunset


    I walked into the pet store, my buisness card in my hand. The glare on the linoleum floor hurt my eyes; I looked up, to my right. I nearly dropped my card.

    Sitting there in a huge cage all by herself, was a four month old kitten. I fell in love.

    I asked the cashier if I could take her out of the cage. After she said yes, I nearly ran over to the cage. I had to figure out how to open it before I could take her out.

    I finally unlatched the cage. She poked her nose out of it, and I reached inside the cage and picked her up. She felt as light as a feather.

    I heard a voice behind me say, "Do you want to take her home?"

    I spun around, and saw that my friend, Debbie, was standing near me, leaning on the cashier's counter. She had her Pomeranian in her arms. "Hi Debbie," I said. "Did you bring this kitty?"

    "Yep," she said. "I was actually going to bring her home tonight, but if you want her..."

    "Of course I want her! But my dad... Ugh..." I looked down at the kitten, who I was holding like a baby. And she was completely fine with it. "She's so sweet. I've never known a cat like her. By this time, if she was my cat, there'd be blood up and down my arms because she'd scratch me so much."

    "Oh, I know. She's so affectionate and cute."

    "Did you name her?"

    "No," Debbie replied. "I never thought of a name for her."

    "Well, I could name her. If you want, I could give you a bunny, too."

    "I'll only take the rabbit if you take the cat."

    And so I called my father. That was the worst part of my day.

    Still holding my -she was my kitty now, she loved me as much as I loved her- kitty, I heard my dad say flatly, "No. I don't need another cat wrecking my floor."

    "We could have her declawed!" I said desperately. Even the kitten, who still didn't have a name, looked a little shocked at that.

    "No."

    "But she's adorable, and she has her first shots, and she lets you hold--"

    "I said no!" he yelled into his cellphone, and hung up.

    I finished my sentence quietly. "And she's only thirty-five dollars."

    Sulky, I put her back in her cage. She reached her little white paw through the bars and just stared at me. I took her paw in two of my fingers and said, "I'll put you on hold."

    I pledged to visit her the next day, and to bring my own thirty-five dollars. My dad will stop by and look at her, and he'll say yes.

    I hope.