They walked down the hall. There were cats on either side, a glass wall between them and visitors. Larger viewing rooms had three or four adult cats, while some were in small, individual kennels. Some of the cats watched her, but a lot were sleeping. She saw an orange cat alone in a kennel, glaring at her.
He was a big guy, with dark green eyes and serious attitude. There was something about him, Renee thought. Something she couldn’t explain.
A volunteer walked past.
“Excuse me,” Renee said. “Who is that cat?”
The volunteer—a teenager, with her hair pulled back in a ponytail—glanced at the kennel in question. “Oh, that’s Fred. He was surrendered when his owners had to move and couldn’t take him with them. They weren’t very nice about it and didn’t tell us anything about the cats. It was kind of a dump and run. He’s been here about three weeks and isn’t exactly friendly. We’re thinking he needs to go into foster care so he can mellow out.” She smiled. “Have you looked at those calico sisters over there? They’re very affectionate.”
Renee dutifully glanced at the pretty calico cats, then returned her attention to Fred. He made no attempt to hide his disdain for her or his circumstances. She didn’t need her mother’s gift to know he was desperately unhappy, but whether or not that was because he was in a shelter or missed his family or some other reason, she had no idea.
She stayed by Fred’s kennel until Brenda returned.
“What did you decide?”
Renee pointed to Fred. “Tell me about him. Another volunteer said he was surrendered because his family had to move.”
Brenda looked confused, but nodded. “Fred is about eight years old. He’s not really a lap cat. He’s not a bad cat, just not very interested in people and he seems upset all the time. I’m not sure he would be a good match for a first-time cat owner. A kitten is going to bond with you more quickly.”
Renee looked at Fred. There was something about him. Something she couldn’t explain. She pointed to the sign on the wall offering a thirty-day trial on cats over five years old.
“I want to try with him,” she said. “I want to see if we can be a family.”
“Okay. I’ll put him in a room so you two can meet. I wouldn’t try to pet him or anything.”
Renee and Jasper spent an hour with Fred in the meet and greet room. He stayed in the corner, hissed when either of them approached and refused to play with the feather on a stick toy. When Brenda returned, she smiled at them.
“So, a kitten?”
“I’ll take him,” Renee said firmly.
“You sure?” Jasper asked, sounding surprised.
“He needs me.”
“He needs something, but this is a lot to take on. Don’t you want a pet who likes you?”
“He will. Eventually.”
Jasper looked doubtful as he said, “It’s whatever you want.”
It took two volunteers to stuff Fred into a carrier. Renee paid the fees and then shopped at the on-site store where she bought kitty litter, a litter box, food and dishes. She decided toys could wait until Fred was more at home in her apartment.
Jasper helped her carry everything inside.
“Want me to stay for a while?” he asked.
She smiled. “I’m good. Fred and I need to get to know each other. Thank you for coming with me today.”
“You’re welcome.” He kissed her, then glanced at the growling, hissing cat in the carrier. “I guess I don’t have to worry about him if he ever meets Koda. He’ll send that dog whimpering into the corner.”
She grinned and walked him to the door. Once Jasper was gone, she opened the cat carrier. Fred shot out like a bullet, raced twice around her apartment then dove under the bed. She put the litter box in place and added the litter. After setting up a feeding station in a corner of the kitchen, she put out food for him, then prepared her own dinner.
Around ten, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Fred had appeared. He investigated the room, careful to keep his distance. She smiled at him and he hissed back.
Right before bed, she checked and saw he’d eaten most of his food and used the litter box. She wished him good-night and got into bed. Sometime after midnight, she woke up to find him sleeping on the far corner of her bed.
“Hey, Fred.”
He hissed at her, then deliberately turned his back