five times in her life. And one of those times involved a member of the National Guard and tear gas.
“Can you please forgive me?! OH GOD, MY SNOWFLAKE!!!!!!!”
Her words dissolved into more over-the-top bawling, and she threw herself across Pat’s chest, pulling the woman into a bear hug.
“Uh, that’s okay.” Pat awkwardly patted my mother’s arm as she tried to inch away. “Hey, I’ll let you guys take a look around. Just come get me when you want to see a cat.” The door swung shut behind her.
My father and I walked over to my wailing mother, preparing to console her. As soon as the latch on the door clicked shut, she lifted her head and shrugged us off.
“Is she gone? Give me your purse.”
“What? Are you okay?”
She yanked the messenger bag from my shoulder.
“What are you doing, Mom?!”
“Michael, go stand over there. Look out the doorand tell me if she’s coming back. Kate, you too!” She glanced over her shoulder at the door and hurried to Snowflake Reincarnated’s cage.
My mother was about to steal a cat from the pound.
“Mom, STOP!” I reached for my purse. “No, you absolutely cannot do this!”
“Just guard the door.”
“Kim! Move away from the cat cages.”
“Michael, don’t even start with me. They’re going to MURDER Snowflake!”
Before either of us could intervene, my mom opened the latch, lifted the trembling kitten out of the cage, and gently placed it in the bottom of my messenger bag.
Unfortunately, when my mother closed the flap over Snowflake Reincarnated, we discovered that Snowflake Reincarnated did not like being carried in a small, dark handbag with peppermint gum fumes and spare change. In fact, Snowflake Reincarnated hated that.
We also discovered that the sickly, tiny body of Snowflake Reincarnated housed lungs on par withPavarotti. As soon as the bag was closed, the kitten began meowing at an eardrum-shredding volume.
My mother, my father, and I all froze, impressed as much as we were panicked. For those unfamiliar with the sound of a cat in distress, it most closely resembles the sounds a woman makes during natural childbirth.
We tore out of the cat room, while Snowflake Reincarnated wailed. The only way out of the shelter was through the dog run—a narrow hallway surrounded on both sides by long rows of dog kennels.
Now, as you may have heard, cats and dogs sometimes don’t get along. I have never been more keenly aware of this concept than when my mother grabbed my wrist and pulled me into an all-out sprint down this hallway. My dad followed, and as we ran, Snowflake Reincarnated meowed like no one was watching, and fifty-plus dogs erupted into a symphony of woofing. The deep barks of pit bulls tangled with the sharp yips of terriers to create a truly earsplitting uproar as we charged down the hall.
I glanced over my shoulder as we reached the door.Pat emerged at the far end of the corridor and ran over to the first cage, trying to figure out what had caused all the dogs to riot.
We rushed outside before she spotted us and made it out to the car unscathed. My mom carefully reached down into the messenger bag and pulled Snowflake Reincarnated onto her lap, clutching the kitten protectively against her chest.
“Drive, Michael!”
“Kim! Have you lost your mind!?” He sat in the driver’s seat, dumbfounded.
“She’s an innocent kitten!” My mom looked back at the shelter door.
“Enough!” I said. “We don’t have time to argue right now! Dad…it’s done, we need to get out of here. Mom…you’re a lunatic, we’re never taking you outside again. Now let’s go!!!”
My father peeled out of the parking lot and floored it all the way to our veterinarian. We also stopped to pick up medication, kitten formula, and every accessory Petco had to offer, and I’m happy to report that we did in fact nurse Snowflake Reincarnated back tohealth. The kitten went on to live a long, happy life as a
male
cat named Buster. (Because we busted
“Can you please forgive me?! OH GOD, MY SNOWFLAKE!!!!!!!”
Her words dissolved into more over-the-top bawling, and she threw herself across Pat’s chest, pulling the woman into a bear hug.
“Uh, that’s okay.” Pat awkwardly patted my mother’s arm as she tried to inch away. “Hey, I’ll let you guys take a look around. Just come get me when you want to see a cat.” The door swung shut behind her.
My father and I walked over to my wailing mother, preparing to console her. As soon as the latch on the door clicked shut, she lifted her head and shrugged us off.
“Is she gone? Give me your purse.”
“What? Are you okay?”
She yanked the messenger bag from my shoulder.
“What are you doing, Mom?!”
“Michael, go stand over there. Look out the doorand tell me if she’s coming back. Kate, you too!” She glanced over her shoulder at the door and hurried to Snowflake Reincarnated’s cage.
My mother was about to steal a cat from the pound.
“Mom, STOP!” I reached for my purse. “No, you absolutely cannot do this!”
“Just guard the door.”
“Kim! Move away from the cat cages.”
“Michael, don’t even start with me. They’re going to MURDER Snowflake!”
Before either of us could intervene, my mom opened the latch, lifted the trembling kitten out of the cage, and gently placed it in the bottom of my messenger bag.
Unfortunately, when my mother closed the flap over Snowflake Reincarnated, we discovered that Snowflake Reincarnated did not like being carried in a small, dark handbag with peppermint gum fumes and spare change. In fact, Snowflake Reincarnated hated that.
We also discovered that the sickly, tiny body of Snowflake Reincarnated housed lungs on par withPavarotti. As soon as the bag was closed, the kitten began meowing at an eardrum-shredding volume.
My mother, my father, and I all froze, impressed as much as we were panicked. For those unfamiliar with the sound of a cat in distress, it most closely resembles the sounds a woman makes during natural childbirth.
We tore out of the cat room, while Snowflake Reincarnated wailed. The only way out of the shelter was through the dog run—a narrow hallway surrounded on both sides by long rows of dog kennels.
Now, as you may have heard, cats and dogs sometimes don’t get along. I have never been more keenly aware of this concept than when my mother grabbed my wrist and pulled me into an all-out sprint down this hallway. My dad followed, and as we ran, Snowflake Reincarnated meowed like no one was watching, and fifty-plus dogs erupted into a symphony of woofing. The deep barks of pit bulls tangled with the sharp yips of terriers to create a truly earsplitting uproar as we charged down the hall.
I glanced over my shoulder as we reached the door.Pat emerged at the far end of the corridor and ran over to the first cage, trying to figure out what had caused all the dogs to riot.
We rushed outside before she spotted us and made it out to the car unscathed. My mom carefully reached down into the messenger bag and pulled Snowflake Reincarnated onto her lap, clutching the kitten protectively against her chest.
“Drive, Michael!”
“Kim! Have you lost your mind!?” He sat in the driver’s seat, dumbfounded.
“She’s an innocent kitten!” My mom looked back at the shelter door.
“Enough!” I said. “We don’t have time to argue right now! Dad…it’s done, we need to get out of here. Mom…you’re a lunatic, we’re never taking you outside again. Now let’s go!!!”
My father peeled out of the parking lot and floored it all the way to our veterinarian. We also stopped to pick up medication, kitten formula, and every accessory Petco had to offer, and I’m happy to report that we did in fact nurse Snowflake Reincarnated back tohealth. The kitten went on to live a long, happy life as a
male
cat named Buster. (Because we busted
Similar Books
