Page 62 of Grumpy Pucking Orc
Except Bwat did not look particularly gusto-filled right now. He looked bored. Until he saw me, that is.
“Ozar!” His face brightened and he rushed toward me, still carrying the broom he’d been sweeping the floor with. “Is there something important I need to do for the team? Right now, that is?”
“No. I’m here to look at cats. I didn’t expect to see you.” That might have been a little blunt, but I was irked that Bwat wasn’t practicing like Ugwyll and I were. Not that it would matter since Jordan and I would be returning home soon.
“The cats are in another area since the dogs’ barking scare them,” he told me. “I’ll show you.”
We walked past the long row of cages with the loud, excited canines who jumped and battered their front paws against the fencing. The enclosures were well made, and none of the dogs were in danger of escaping, but the noise and the excitement was excessive. Poor Judy would have been terrified.
The cats were separated from the dogs by twodoors and a hallway. I could still hear the barking, but it was suitably muted. Still, many of the cats seemed alarmed, huddling at the back of their cages with raised fur and big eyes.
“Have you learned much about these human pets?” I asked Bwat as I surveyed the available cats.
“No,” he snapped. “I am only allowed to sweep floors and clean empty cages. I don’t talk with the humans who come to adopt animals. I don’t interact with the animals. I am taught nothing about their care or what makes humans love them so.”
No wonder he was bored.
“Jordan has a cat,” I told him. “Judy-the-cat is a fierce hunter and a judger of character. I believe I am winning her over.”
“How?” Bwat looked at a large gray cat that stared back at him.
“Chicken. Feeding the cat makes them happy. And they enjoy games that simulate hunting. I reflected light from a mirror and Judy joyously chased it around in an attempt to kill it.”
Bwat stuck a finger through the bars of the cage and rubbed the gray cat’s cheek. It purred, and he yanked his hand away in alarm.
“That is a happy noise.” I’d been similarly frightened when Judy had made that sound, thinking she had some sort of respiratory infection that might require emergency care. “If they no longer want you to stroke them, then they will either walk away or bite your finger.”
“Bite?” Bwat sounded uncertain, but he stuck his finger into the cage again to pet the cat. “I can’t believe a small animal like this would be considered a fierce hunter.”
“Their teeth and claws are very sharp.They have the ability to jump up to six times their height. And they can employ an impressive burst of speed. I do believe that Judy can easily take down an animal her own size, but Jordan says she prefers to hunt insects, birds, and mice.”
Bwat seemed impressed by that. “Their fur is very soft. Maybe I’ll come back and eventually be trusted with additional duties.”
The door opened, and the older human woman with her short silver hair in rows of curls approached. “Bwat, you should be sweeping. I know you’re a volunteer, but we’re counting on you to keep the dog kennels clean.”
Bwat sent me a pained look, then left with his broom as the gray cat meowed in protest.
“Are you interested in adopting a cat?” the woman asked me once Bwat was gone.
I nodded. “The human woman who will soon be my wife has a cat, and I thought it might be good to have one of my own. That way when we return to my home, her cat will not be lonely.”
“Some cats are very particular about sharing their home with others,” she informed me. “They are territorial animals, and it can take a long time for them to get used to another cat in the home. If you introduce them slowly and carefully, and keep your expectations low, they can learn to coexist.”
I stared at her for a moment. “I…I don’t understand any of that.”
She patted my elbow. “We have booklets to guide you in introducing the cats, but basically you need to keep them separated for a while. The new cat can stay in a bathroom where it will feel safe and the current cat will become familiar with its scent. Like I said, it’s a slow process. And some cats never really become friends with the newcomer.Some bond and will play and enjoy each other’s company, but some just tolerate the new cat and stay as far away as possible.”
“That does not sound ideal,” I mused. “I hoped to provide company and a playmate for Judy. I don’t want her to be lonely living somewhere without cats.”
“Most cats don’t care about having another cat around. They’re not herd animals like sheep or horses, and they do just fine living independently. As long as you provide Judy with human companionship and interesting toys to keep her mind sharp and her body fit, then she’ll be happy. I would be concerned about predators wherever your home is, though. I’d recommend not letting Judy outside the house when you and your fiancée move.”
“Judy is not allowed outside of the house now, and I would take her safety very seriously. Jordan loves her, and I am already fond of Judy.”
The woman beamed. “You sound like you’d be a wonderful cat-dad. While Judy might not need a feline companion, you still might want to consider adopting one so that you and your fiancée each have your own cat. We have so many that are looking for a good home.”
I looked at the stacked cages that held what seemed like dozens of cats. It was overwhelming. And while Iwouldenjoy a cat of my own, I didn’t want to alienate Judy or do anything that might annoy the cat.
“I sometimes travel for work,” I told the woman. “Our hockey games are not always in Baltimore, and I wouldn’t want a cat to suffer while I’m gone.”
