An Unexpected Adoption

Disclaimer: This is a prequel or backstory for an upcoming book. The character name(s) or other details may change from this short as the details of the novel solidify.

The soft mewling of a cat in distress caught Susan's ear, and she stood, leaving her freshly poured coffee on the counter, unsipped.

She went to her back door and pushed it open. She listened, hoping to hear the meow again. Susan was about to give up when the tiny plaintive cry came from her left, drawing her eye. There in the shadows sat a small black cat.

Susan stepped out onto her porch, fully expecting the cat—or was it a kitten it was so small?—to bolt. When it didn't, she slowly inched her way toward it. Kneeling a few feet away, she clucked her tongue and said, "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty."

The cat took a tentative step closer before backing away.

Susan tried again. And again.

Eventually, the cat came close enough for Susan to rub it under the chin. The cat immediately burst into loud purring and twined itself around Susan's legs. Susan rubbed it's back, and the cat stopped to put its paws on Susan's thighs. "You're such a pretty thing," Susan said, her praise just one of the many inane things she'd voiced since finding the cat in her yard. "You want to come in?"

The cat meowed and moved to the back door.

Standing, Susan's lips quirked in wry smile. It would seem Susan had been adopted.

Susan followed after the cat and let it into her house. "If you plan to stay," she told the cat. "We'll need to take you to the vet. Get you spayed or neutered."

A meow acknowledged her statement.

"Good. Glad, we are in agreement." After a pause, where Susan returned to her now cold cup of coffee, Susan said, "But what do I do with you while I'm at work?" She didn't have a litter box and no cat food. She glanced at the clock and slammed her cup down. If she didn't leave now, she'd be late!

Susan glanced at the cat and the clock again. She could put the cat in the bathroom. If it made a mess in there, it would be easy to clean up, and while on her lunch break, she could pop into the closest pet shop to buy a few things for her new fuzzy friend.

Stooping, Susan scooped up the cat and hustled to the bathroom. "Sorry, baby," she murmured to it soothingly. "You have to stay here while I'm gone." She set it down. "Don't make a mess, okay?"

The cat meowed in response.

Nodding to herself, Susan backed from the small room and closed the door. She hoped the cat would be okay. It hadn't felt starved when she'd pet it, so she hoped that meant it could last a few hours more before it ate.

Susan hustled down the hall, grabbed her keys and purse and left the house for work.

                                      ***

Kicking her front door close, Susan yelled, "I'm home!"

A soft mewl greeted her pronouncement and Susan smiled. The cat still lived!

"I got you a vet appointment," she told the cat as she dropped her purse and keys in the bucket next to the door. "Ready to have your balls cut off or your uterus removed?"

Another meow.

"Good!" Susan said, deciding to take the noise as assent.

She shifted the plastic bag in her hand and went down the hall to the bathroom. "I got you a box and some food. You hungry?"