ASPCA Kids

by Rachael Upton

  “Purr-fect Pairs,” Janey corrected him. “And once it’s over, I’m sure there will be room at the shelter again.”

  “Could we keep her until then?” Lolli asked, hopefully. “She’s so sweet. Even Roscoe likes her. I could keep her in my bedroom, and I know how to make a temporary litterbox, and it would only be for a few days…” She gave her dad a pleading look. The kitten mewed and looked up at Mr. Simpson with big blue eyes.

  “Okay, okay,” Mr. Simpson chuckled. He was usually pretty easy-going when it came to fostering—he’d once even let Lolli foster a pony on the farm. “We’ll have to take her to the vet first to see if she needs vaccines or deworming. But you know I can’t resist your puppy-dog eyes. If I can’t find her owner myself, we’ll keep her here until after the Purr-fect Pairs event. But!” He pointed at Lolli firmly. “You have to be completely responsible for her until then, Lolli. Can you do that?”

  “Absolutely!” said Lolli.

  “No fair,” said Zach. “You get a kitten and a baby goat?”

  Lolli laughed, picking the kitten up again. “Just lucky, I guess. Speaking of which! C’mon guys, meet Buttercup.”

  Janey was happy to see that Buttercup was finally in with the other two goats, and no one seemed to be fighting at all. Adam and Zach oohed and ahhed over her beautiful black and white coat, feeding her clover and scratching behind her ears.

  The kitten, it turned out, was friendly to people and dogs, but had no interest in goats. She seemed happy to stay snuggled in Lolli’s arms and fall asleep. She stayed that way until the Pet Rescue Club parents came to the farm to pick each member up an hour later. Janey thought that the kitten must have been on her own a long time, to be so tired. It didn’t seem likely that she came from anywhere nearby.

  Instead, Janey had a feeling she would be seeing the kitten again soon, at the Third Street Animal Shelter.

  Purr-fect Pairs

  It had been a busy week for Janey and the rest of the Pet Rescue Club. In addition to keeping up with all of the regular stuff they had to do, like school, homework, and chores, they’d been preparing nonstop for the Purr-fect Pairs event.

  Lolli also had the new kitten to take care of—she’d even e-mailed some photos to Janey, knowing how much Janey loved to look at pictures of cute animals. Lolli had named her “Elsa,” and Janey thought the name was sublime. They both thought the name suited the kitten somehow.

  Janey had also gotten a lot of messages from the blog about the shelter’s cats. It was almost more than she expected. Even people who said they couldn’t adopt still e-mailed and promised to donate so that the shelter had extra support while it was extra full.

  All of this made Janey really hopeful that the Purr-fect Pairs event would go well. She woke up at the crack of dawn on the morning of the event and could barely eat breakfast. She hadn’t felt this excited since the Walk and Wag.

  Her mom drove her to the shelter an hour before it opened. Janey and the rest of the club had agreed to come a little early to help set up for the event. An hour was probably not “a little,” but Janey was too impatient to wait any longer.

  Kitty and another shelter worker were already inside, setting up chairs and tables when Janey came in through the volunteer door.

  “Hi!” Janey said breathlessly. “Is anyone else here yet?”

  “You’re the first,” said Kitty cheerfully. “But I’m sure your friends won’t be far behind. In the meantime, can you sweep the cat room?”

  “Of course!” Janey bounced back toward the first cat room, unable to keep from skipping a little in her excitement. The cat room was full, of course, and there was a lot of hair and litter to sweep.

  As Janey cleaned, lots of cats ran around her feet, chasing toys or begging for attention. Chester circled her leg, and Janey couldn’t resist bending down to hug him. Some of the other cats from the Lakeville shelter had been moved to the cat room, too—including Blackberry, Zach’s favorite kitten.

  “Hi, Chester,” Janey said to the cat. “We’re going to find you a home today! Aren’t you excited?” Chester purred and licked her chin, and Janey giggled.

  Truthfully, though, Janey was a little worried about Chester. Although she’d gotten a lot of messages about the cats, only one message had been about Chester. And it had been a comment by someone who said his missing eye made him look “mean.”

  “But you aren’t mean,” Janey said to Chester, who purred in her arms. “You’re the sweetest cat I’ve ever met. I’m sure someone will see that today.”

  “I thought you were supposed to be cleaning,” said Zach. He had come in without Janey noticing, and was already making a beeline for the little black kitten that he was so fond of.

  “I am! I was just taking a kitty-cuddle break.” Janey grinned at Zach. “Any luck convincing your mom to let you adopt Blackberry?”

  “No,” Zach sighed as he picked up the kitten and held her under his chin. “She said that Mulberry gets plenty of attention already, and I need to be older before she’ll let me have my own cat. So Blackberry will have to find another home.” He sounded so genuinely sad that Janey felt sorry for teasing him before.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I know we can make sure Blackberry gets an amazing home, too.”

  “Definitely,” Zach agreed, nodding as Blackberry put her paws on Zach’s nose. “It’s okay, buddy. We’ll make sure you get a great home.”

  It wasn’t long before Lolli and Adam arrived at the shelter. With all four of them working together, the cat room and cat kennels were quickly cleaned and ready for potential adopters.

  The Pet Rescue Club emerged from the back of the shelter. Kitty waved to them and pointed out the glass front door. To Janey’s surprise, there were already people lined up outside. Some were even holding printouts of cat photos Janey and the others had taken.

  “It worked!” Janey squeaked excitedly.

  “I’d say it did,” Kitty agreed. She glanced up at the clock on the wall. “And it’s nine o’clock. Let’s get this show on the road.”

  She walked to the doors and unlocked them to let the waiting people inside.

  Zach was sitting in on the adoption process for Blackberry, just to make sure that she was going to a good home. He had been sort of hoping that no one would come to adopt Blackberry, and give him another chance to convince his mom to let him adopt the kitten.

  Unfortunately for Zach, Kitty’s prediction that the kittens would be adopted most quickly turned out to be true. And, Zach had to admit, the family interested in adoping Blackberry seemed great. The Davidsons had seen Blackberry’s picture on Janey’s blog, and had come to the shelter specifically to adopt her.

  Right now, their daughter Cassie was sitting on the floor with Blackberry, waving a piece of cloth back and forth for her to chase.

  “We’re so excited,” said Mrs. Davidson. “We saw the blog and she just seemed perfect as a companion for our cat Marshmallow.” She looked up at Zach with a wistful smile. “We actually adopted Marshmallow from the Third Street Animal Shelter a few years ago, before Cassie was born, and he’s been absolutely wonderful. But he’s getting older, and a kitten might be just what he needs to make him feel young again.” She smiled down at Blackberry. “And we’ve always wanted another cat for Cassie to grow up with.”

  “Kittens can get along well with older cats,” said Kitty, who was helping Mr. Davidson finish the adoption paperwork. “And I’m so glad you came back to the shelter to adopt from us again! Just make sure to introduce them slowly. It’s good to start them in separate rooms for a week or two so they can get used to each other’s scent before they meet face-to-face.

  “I looked up some tips online,” said Mrs. Davidson, smiling. “Blackberry will stay in Cassie’s room for the first few days. Marshmallow is a pretty easy-going cat. I think he’ll do just fine.”

  “Cassie has been asking for a kitten for a while,” Mr. Davidson admitted. “She saw Blackberry on the blog and just fell in love. We thought we
should at least come to see her.”

  “And seeing them playing together… I’m convinced she’s the right cat for us,” Mrs. Davidson agreed. “We’ll take good care of her.”

  “I think you guys will really love Blackberry,” Zach said. “She’s a really sweet and gentle kitten.” He didn’t say that he would have liked to be the one taking Blackberry home, but the Davidsons seemed like the next best thing.

  He bent down to pet the little black kitten. “Goodbye, Blackberry,” he said softly. “You’re gonna love your new home.”

  “I promise she will,” said Mr. Davidson, smiling, and Zach felt a little better.

  He got up to see how the other members of the Pet Rescue Club were doing. So far, it seemed like the event had been the success they had been hoping for. Some cats and kittens were getting adopted alone, like Blackberry, but many of them were getting adopted in pairs.

  Zach found Janey sitting on a chair in a corner of the room. He followed her gaze and saw that she was watching a couple play with Chester. The big cat was rolling on his back in front of them, meowing his loud, happy “purr-row!” The couple seemed entertained, but when a kitten ran in front of them, they quickly lost interest in Chester, picking up the kitten instead. After a moment, they walked to one of the adoption tables, the kitten in their arms.

  “No one will give him enough of a chance,” said Janey, sadly. “Every time I think someone’s about to adopt him, they choose a kitten.”

  Zach sat down next to her. “There are a lot of kittens,” he pointed out. “Maybe we just need to be patient.”

  “Maybe…” Janey sighed. “I just feel so bad for him. He’s really trying his hardest.”

  “Hey,” Zach said, poking Janey’s shoulder. “You tried your hardest, too. And if they can’t see how awesome a cat he is, then they don’t deserve him anyway, right?”

  Janey looked like she might cry for a minute. Then she rubbed at her eyes, sniffled, and poked Zach back. “Yeah. You’re right.” She let out another long sigh, then looked around. “Did Blackberry get adopted already?”

  “Yep.” Zach pointed out the Davidsons, who seemed to just be wrapping up the paperwork. “To a good home, too.”

  “I know you wanted her,” said Janey. “I’m sorry”.

  “It’s okay.” Zach shook his head. “As long as Blackberry is happy, I’m happy.” And he was surprised to find he meant it. Being in the Pet Rescue Club meant meeting lots of animals he wished he could adopt himself. But working hard and seeing an animal go to a loving home was a great feeling, too.

  Special Chester

  By the end of the day, lots of cats and kittens had been adopted into new, loving homes. The cat room wasn’t empty, but it was definitely a lot quieter than before.

  Except for Chester, who was purr-rowing loudly and happily as Janey rubbed under his chin. Despite her best efforts, and despite Chester being his very extra-friendliest self to every person who’d come in the door, he was still at the shelter. No one had come to adopt him.

  “I’m sorry, Chester,” Janey said quietly. “I thought for sure we’d find you a home today.” She bit her lower lip.

  “Don’t be so down, Janey,” said Lolli, sitting next to her. “Just because Chester didn’t get adopted doesn’t mean the event wasn’t amazing. We helped find homes for so many cats today.”

  “Kitty says it’s a record number of cat adoptions for a single day,” called Adam, who was helping Kitty fold chairs.

  “I just feel like I did something wrong,” Janey said unhappily. “Maybe if I took better pictures, or tried to hide his missing eye…”

  “Nah, we should emphasize it,” said Zach, rubbing Chester just above his tail. “Give him an eye patch, and change his name to Captain Chester. I bet everyone would want a pirate cat.”

  Janey hesitated, and actually thought about it for a minute.

  “I’m kidding,” Zach said, raising an eyebrow.

  “I know, I know,” Janey said, feeling sadder. “I just wish he’d been one of the cats who found a home today, that’s all.”

  “Janey, you guys did an amazing thing for the shelter,” said Kitty, walking over to her. “Don’t blame yourself for Chester. He’ll be fine. He hasn’t been here all that long, and like I said, it can sometimes take a little longer for older cats to get adopted. Especially ones with a little extra wear and tear.” She smiled down at Chester affectionately. “He’ll find a loving home soon enough.”

  He will, thought Janey. Because she wouldn’t give up until he did.

  The Pet Rescue Club finished helping clean up, and then waited for their parents to pick them up. Lolli’s dad was the first one to arrive, and to everyone’s surprise, he had a cat carrier in his hands when he did.

  “Is that Elsa?” Lolli asked, running up to her dad.

  “Who’s Elsa?” asked Zach, following her. Janey supposed Lolli hadn’t had time to tell him—they’d all been really busy.

  “Remember the kitten who turned up at our farm?” Lolli said. “We couldn’t find her owners after all. We even brought her to Dr. Goldman to have her scanned for a microchip. Nothing.”

  “I talked to Kitty on the phone,” said Mr. Simpson. “She said you guys helped lots of cats get adopted today. I’m guessing that means there’s finally room for this little one?”

  “There certainly is, Mr. Simpson,” said Kitty, waving him in and peering into the carrier. “What a little beauty!”

  “I have vet paperwork for her, too,” said Mr. Simpson. “I hope you don’t mind that I went ahead and paid for her to have her vaccinations.”

  “We don’t mind at all. And she’s been kept in quarantine at your house, so we can put her into the cat room right away,” said Kitty. “You’ve saved us a lot of trouble by doing all this.”

  “Well, with all that my daughter does, I feel like I have to help any way I can,” said Mr. Simpson, putting the carrier down on the floor and starting to fill out paperwork.

  “You didn’t want to keep her?” Zach asked Lolli, as Kitty and her dad chatted.

  “Well, yeah,” said Lolli, “of course I did. But we have so many animals on the farm, and we just got Buttercup. It’s already a lot of work. A new kitten would just be too much.”

  “I guess that’s true,” said Adam. “You guys, you have to think carefully before you add a new animal.”

  Lolli nodded. “I’m sad she’s going, but I know she’ll find a loving home with someone else.”

  Probably before Chester does. The thought popped into Janey’s head before she could stop it, and it made her feel sad, despite all the good they’d done that day.

  Picture Perfect

  Days passed before Janey could go back to the shelter. She wound up having to go by herself—Lolli and Zach had chores to do, and Adam had dogs to walk. But Janey couldn’t stay away. She wanted to see how Chester was doing, and Lolli had also asked her to check on how Elsa was settling in. She got permission from her mom to walk to the animal shelter after school, and almost ran all the way there.

  Kitty looked up from the desk when Janey came in. She didn’t look surprised to see her. “Hey, girl!” she called, winking. “Ready to scoop some litter boxes?”

  “Sure am!” Janey replied. Even the stinkiest jobs at the animal shelter were still a chance to spend time with the animals.

  “I swear you’re the only kid I know who doesn’t mind cleaning litter boxes.” Kitty chuckled, waving Janey back toward the cat room. “I’ll give you a hand, come on.”

  Janey followed her. When Kitty pushed the door of the first cat room open, she looked around, seeing if she could spot Chester or Elsa.

  To her surprise, they were together by one of the cat towers. Elsa lay on her side next to Chester, his long tail in her paws, grooming him happily. Chester looked happy, too—his one green eye was closed and his purr was loud enough to hear several feet away.

  As Janey watched, Elsa nipped the end of Chester’s tail, and then ran away. Chester
chased her, pouncing on her and pinning her to the floor with one big paw. For a split second, Janey was scared that he might hurt her, but he only licked the top of her head and then flopped over onto his side.

  “Wow!” Janey said, eyes wide.

  “Yeah, I’m surprised, too,” said Kitty, beaming. “The first day Elsa got here, she went right over to Chester like they were already best friends. They’ve been basically inseparable ever since.” She took her phone out of her pocket and showed Janey a few photos she’d taken: Elsa and Chester eating together at a food bowl; Elsa and Chester sharing a toy; Chester grooming the side of Elsa’s face while Elsa closed her eyes happily.

  “Too bad my phone’s camera isn’t that good,” she added. “Otherwise I’d send them to you for your blog.”

  “Oh my gosh, those are awesome!” Janey looked from the camera to the two cats. They looked back up at her and meowed. Chester got up, put his paws on her knee, and rubbed his head against her leg as Elsa chewed on her shoelaces. Janey giggled, almost falling over.

  “I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Kitty. “It’s like they’ve known each other forever.”

  “Lolli’s dad said you have to introduce animals to each other slowly,” Janey said, watching in amazement as the two cats began to wrestle playfully.

  “Usually that’s the case,” Kitty agreed. “Most cats have to learn to get along, just like people. We’re careful not to let anyone fight, but usually a new cat will avoid all the other cats in the cat room for a while. But sometimes two animals can just… click. I’ve never seen it happen this fast, though.”

  Janey nodded and petted both of them for a minute more. If Chester didn’t have a home yet, at least he’d found a friend. She could be happy about that.

  Finally, she stood up and brushed off her hands on her jeans. Time to get to work. As always, there was a lot to do. Kitty helped her scoop litter boxes, then left to finish up some paperwork in the office. On her own, Janey swept the floor, refilled the water bowls, and wiped off the cat furniture.