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Alanna closed the door. “Thanks, but I don’t need luck.”
Roger laughed, his silver ponytail shaking with the motion. “I had that amount of moxie once. Can I buy it off you?”
“Never!” Alanna called as she walked toward the shelter. A small sign taped to the front door announced its hours. She had 30 minutes until closing. Plenty of time. Alanna set down the case and dug into her purse. In well-practiced strokes, she reapplied her scarlet lipstick and smacked her lips.
Now she was ready.
Pulling open the front door, she stepped into an empty reception room. A huge, hand-printed sign shouted WELCOME FUTURE PET PARENTS! from the front of the desk. Little plush dogs and cats of all colors lined the counter. Alanna nudged one out of the way in order to tap the silver bell on the front desk. “Hello?” she called. “Ready to adopt a cat here.”
“Hi, welcome to… oh, Alanna! Oh my gosh!”
Of course.
Of-friggin-course, it was Layla who popped her blonde head out of a back room. Her little sister seemed to volunteer for every good cause in town. In fact, Alanna vaguely remembered a few posts on Layla’s Instagram shilling pets from the local shelter.
A wide, uncertain smile broke out on Layla’s face. “I didn’t know you were still in town.”
“I’ve decided to stay a couple of days, you know, to help Mom.”
Layla clapped her hands together. “That’s so wonderful of you, Alanna.” She paused. “But aren’t you busy at work?”
Alanna gritted her teeth. “I’m leaning in. Hard. So hard, that I’m also gonna adopt a cat.” She held up the new pet carrier.
“That’s…” Layla seemed to be recovering from some amount of shock. “That’s wonderful… though, honestly, I didn’t even know you liked cats.”
“Love ‘em. Can’t get enough of ‘em,” Alanna stated. Then, feeling defensive, added. “I’ve been doing very well with my plant, you know.”
“Of course.” Layla looked slightly chagrinned. “That shows what I get for assuming. Well, then, I’m glad you’re here. Usually, our director, Val, would take you back for a short interview to make sure you have the right disposition to be a pet guardian, but she’s actually in Tijuana right now. We have a partnership with several TNR groups down there to bring street dogs and cats to our shelter.” Layla’s eyes practically shone. “It’s such an amazing program. We’re able to help so many worthy animals find—"
“That’s great,” Alanna cut off her sister. “Super happy for her. Heart emojis galore. No need for an interview, though. You know that I’m a great person. So, let’s go check out some cats.”
“Oh… um… we’re really supposed to…” Layla murmured.
“Which way are the hairballs?” Alanna strolled past the front desk into a short hallway. She picked a direction and started walking.
“Actually, the cats are down this way,” Layla said. Her long, Rapunzel-like braid swung from side to side with her steps. “Our dog wing is over there, and our exotic animal room is farther down the hall. And this is what Val likes to call our Catararium.” Layla opened a door into a wide, airy space. Rows of large, plastic enclosures filled the room. Several emitted long, hopeful meows. A painted cat collage on a side wall added a splash of color to the room. The back wall, Alanna noticed, was divided into four large rooms, each with clear front walls through which Alanna could see cat toys, climbing towers, and benches.
Raising her voice slightly above the noise, Layla explained, “That’s where prospective pet parents interact with the cats and kittens they’re considering adopting.” Two of the rooms were occupied by women surrounded by several cats.
“Volunteers come in every day to socialize and exercise the cats,” Layla said. “As soon as the shelter closes, we’ll start feeding the animals and cleaning their enclosures.” She waved at the two women. One woman, seemingly unperturbed by a kitten climbing up her pant leg, waved back enthusiastically and gave Alanna a cheerful smile.
“People clean up dog shit and cat shit… for free?” Alanna was utterly flummoxed.
“Well, a lot of us find it very rewarding to care for animals,” Layla answered.
“Good for you,” Alanna mumbled. These people obviously needed hobbies. Best not to air that thought out loud, though. They might hurl a kitten at her eyeballs.
“You know, Val says I’m a total softie,” Layla confided to Alanna. “She usually doesn’t let me process the adoptions by myself, because she thinks I go too easy on prospective pet guardians. She says I always see the best in everyone.”
“She has a point,” Alanna noted. She gazed around the room, her eyes scanning the plastic enclosures. Each contained a small litter tray, dishes for food and water, a few toys, and a round plush cat bed. Some occupants prowled their limited territory, but most enclosures contained rounded puffs of sleeping cats. One kitten even dozed in its food dish.
“So, what type of cat are you looking for?” Layla asked. Her hands unconsciously tugged on her braid. “I’d suggest an older adult cat for you. They’re much easier to care for than kittens. If you do want kittens, we strongly encourage pet guardians to adopt at least two at a time. Kittens do better with companionship.”
“I want your worst cat,” Alanna stated
“You… what?”
“The absolute worst one. Stinky. Fugly. Missing teeth. Maybe an eyeball dangling out of its face?” Hope lifted Alanna’s voice.
