Memoirs

Paw Prints

Paw Prints


“Tiiigerr. Here kitty, kitty.” I was almost hoarse from calling that darn cat.

“Hey, Connie. Can’t you find Tiger?” My next door neighbor’s head popped above the fence.

“No, I’ve been calling and calling. He’s always home at suppertime.”

“I had the same problem with Blue Eyes one day last week, and you won’t believe what happened to her.”

“What, Betty? Or do I really want to hear this?”

“Well, I thought I heard her meow on the other side of the back fence, so I got my little step ladder to look over, and, yep, there she was. In a cage!”

“No kidding. What did you do?”

“I jumped in the car and went right over there and pounded on the front door of the house. This young girl came to the door, and I asked her if she knew she had my cat in a cage. She looked around me, saw Blue Eyes, and had the nerve to tell me she finally caught the little bastard who was tracking up her Beamer! I swear, Connie, I felt like choking that woman right there on the sidewalk!”

“Did you get Blue Eyes back?”

“Course I did. I walked over, took her out of the cage, put her in my car and came home. You wouldn’t believe the nasty mouth on that girl. She said she got the cage from Animal Control, and Blue Eyes had better not come back in her yard again. I’m afraid to let her out of the house now.”

“Geez, I hope that’s not what’s happened to Tiger.”

“Come around through the gate. I’ll get the ladder, and we’ll take a look.”

When I pushed open the gate, Betty was already on the ladder peering over the back fence.

“See anything?”

“Nope. Looks like the cage is gone.”

“Wanna take a walk with me and see if we can find Tiger?”

Betty and I walked up and down the streets of our development, calling for the lost cat, but we did not have any luck. Tiger seemed to have vanished. I knocked on the front doors of people I knew to ask about Tiger, but no one had seen my orangey-yellow tom.

“It’s getting dark. Maybe he’s come home while we’ve been looking for him.” I sounded optimistic but my gut told me otherwise.

When I returned home, no sign of Tiger confirmed my fears.

“Let’s go over there and ask.” Betty pointed at the cat-catcher’s house.

We drove over in Betty’s car and knocked on the door, but no one was at home. Back at my house, I called the shelter to see if anyone had brought in an orangey-yellow tom with a red collar on it. No answer there either. It was after hours and the message said they would not be open until nine the next morning.

“I’m not going to be able to get a wink’s sleep tonight, worrying about Tiger.”

“Well, let’s go over to the shelter. Maybe somebody will still be there.”

“Oh, Betty, do you think so?” Hoping Betty was right, I grabbed my purse, and we took off, shelter-bound.

When we arrived, the inside of the main building was dark. We both got out and walked around but found no one to ask about Tiger.

“I’ll come over in the morning. They wouldn’t do anything to a cat that has a collar, would they?”

“Nah. I’m sure he’ll be okay. We’d better get going.”

Betty drove back down the lane from the shelter to the main road. Turned away toward the window to hide my teary eyes, I noticed a dirt road to the right with a metal gate swung open on its hinges. I reached over and put my hand on Betty’s arm.

“Wait, Betty. Look. Maybe we can find somebody in there working late.”

Betty backed up and turned in at the gate. We drove down the dirt lane until we came to a long, low building with a door standing open. We looked at each other as Betty stopped. Getting out, we walked up to the open door. Inside, stacks of rows of metal cages held cats and kittens of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Most turned their expectant eyes toward us as we entered.

“Geez, what a bunch of cats. I had no idea the shelter had this many.” I looked around, then started looking closer. Several of the cats were orangey-yellow toms and resembled Tiger. I peered in and went from one cage to another. Then I saw him. Tiger saw me first and pressed his little pink nose through the metal bars. He meowed as loud as he could. I had his cage open in two seconds. My arms wrapped around him before I even thought of what I was doing. By then, it was too late to let go.

“Hadn’t we better try to find somebody first, Connie. You’re not just going to take him, are you?”

“You’re darn right, I am. Let’s go.”

Betty and I ran to the car without looking back. Inside, I hugged and petted Tiger as he rubbed his little head against my cheek and purred loudly.

"I may go to jail, but it will be worth it." I snuggled my face in Tiger's thick fur, certain now I would sleep well. Apparently, no one at the shelter ever missed Tiger.