Page 25 of Approved

“Meow.. Meeeeooooww.. Meow.” It sounded like it came from the woods. Was that the neighbor’s cat? I was pretty sure they had cats.

“Meow. Mew. Mew.” It sounded small.

It made more noise, and I knew the only option was to try to find whatever was so upset, it sounded trapped or worse. As I stomped through the soggy leaves and mud, I attempted to pinpoint where the sound came from. After thirty minutes, I was confident that it was a cat, most likely a kitten, and by now I would have assumed it would have moved, but the cries seemed to stay in the same place, but I couldn’t find where it came from.

Finally, inside a hollowed-out log, there was a ball of orange fluff—it looked terrible. The fur was wet, matted, and covered in mud. There were cuts on its shoulders and neck, and blood coated the area. Carefully, I picked up the tiny creature and wondered where it had come from, and by the size, knew it was too young not to be with its mama.

“Mewww. Mewwwwwwwwww.”

“I know little guy. It looks like you have had a rough go of it. Let’s go find your family.” I hoped I could fulfill that promise because he looked at me with so much trust. Immediately, I knew I didn’t deserve it. I had no idea what to do with this tiny animal, yet he had his little life in my hands. “You got this,” I mumbled while hoping the kitten didn’t sense my fear. While putting the trembling kitten in my hoodie pouch, I spent another fifteen minutes looking through leaves and trees, ensuring there weren’t any brothers or sisters around. When I was satisfied they were alone, I took them back to the house.

I found a box and put it in the kitchen, then got one of my fluffy towels for them to snuggle in. Once they were settled, I took several pictures. I was sure they belonged to someone in theneighborhood. My plan was to go to the houses around me, show the image, and find their home. They couldn’t have come too far, maybe three or four blocks from me. After I reminded their owner about taking care of their pets, I would return the furball and head to work.

Two hours later, I had knocked on every door around the neighborhood that the kitten could have come from. Nobody knew the creature or knew of anybody who had recently had a cat that had given birth. It was time for plan B. Seventeen veterinary clinics were in the city limits, so I would go to their offices and see if they knew anything about a missing kitten. Before I got started, I looked at the clock and knew I would be late for work.

“The Dapper Duck, thanks for calling. We don’t take reservations. How may I help you?” I smirked. Spark had apparently added a little to how they answered the phone.

“Spark. New greeting?” They laughed.

“Why are you calling me on the house phone, not my cell?” To be honest, I wasn’t sure.

“I’m scattered. I found this tiny kitten and didn’t want to leave it in the woods, so now I am trying to find the owner. I will be late.”

“Good thing you have a highly trained staff and a well-paid manager to handle things while you deal with this ‘kitten’. Is that a euphemism for a man?”

“No, Spark, I didn’t find a wet man in the woods and bring him into my home. It’s actually a kitten.”

“Oh, one of THOSE animals. The wet man sounds a thousand times better.” Spark was taking a piss out of me and it made me laugh. I appreciated my friend and that they could take care of the bar without me around.

“Spark. It’s so tiny.” My voice rose a few octaves.

They chuckled. “Are you scared of a kitten?”

I thought about it. “Certainly not.” I didn’t sound nearly as confident as I had hoped. “Okay, call me if you need anything. I have to call some vets and try to find its owner.”

They laughed again like they knew something I didn’t. “Good luck with that.” Then hung up.

For three hours, I drove to the clinics around the city and showed them the pictures. None of them knew of a client who had kittens, especially one with an orange kitten, which was rare in some ways. As I said, thank you to the last business, my only option was to go home, with no plan about what to do next.

In my kitchen, the small ball of fur was still there. “Mewwwww. Meowwwwww.. Mew.” The sound was much smaller now. It must have been very distressed when it was in the woods. I knew enough about animals that this guy needed food, and I did too. My bagel had been abandoned hours earlier, and my stomach now grumbled at me. This situation was above my abilities, because I knew nothing about pet ownership or caring for something that clearly still needed its mother. What if it died while I was responsible?

I grabbed a bag of Cheetos and then sat on the floor next to the cardboard box. “I don’t know how to keep you alive, buddy. Which means I am well and truly fucked.” It blinked at me. “We need to find your mother.” In my heart, though, I knew we would probably not find her. Suddenly, my body flushed because I had an idea and knew I would get the help needed.

I tapped my finger while I waited for the phone to ring. “Calling me in the middle of the day. You are showing your cards, West.”

“Help!” Then I word vomited all over him. “I tried to find its owners, but I couldn’t. It’s going to starve. I don’t have any idea what to do. The neighbors don’t know who it belongs to. I think I made it warm, but it’s still mud-covered and hungry. It was alone in the woods. It can’t die, I would feel terrible. I went toseventeen vets. And I went to all the houses in a three-block radius. It’s so tiny and keeps crying.” I stopped talking, then threw in one more time, much quieter. “Help.”

“West?” Tyler hadn’t interrupted while I dumped all that information. “Let me unpack some of that and see if I can help. You found an animal in the woods?”

“Yes. It’s wet, muddy, shivering, and has cuts.”

“Is it a dog? A cat?”

“It’s so tiny, and it meows sadly. Yes. A cat.” I had no idea why this tiny kitten had unhinged me so completely, maybe because I had never dealt with a baby anything other than my niece, and that terrified me, too.

“Okay. So you asked all the neighbors and local vets. Nobody knows whose kitten it is?” I nodded, then realized he probably needed words.

“Yeah. It’s not very old. I think it needs milk still. Tyler, what if I kill it?” My heart started to beat hard.

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