Lesson 88- Always clean up after your pets!
I wake up with fur in my mouth and the light weight of Crash curled up on my neck with his little paws resting right on my lips. This would be a lot cuter if I knew where he had been previously. Maybe I should give him a bath or something, just to make sure he’s okay. Should I be getting someone to take him to the vet for a check up? I’ll talk to Torin about it later. I can just imagine this giant of a man taking the world’s tiniest kitten into the vet. It would totally make someone’s day. There is something so funny about large men with tiny animals. I move Crash off of my face only for him to dig his tiny claws into my arm and meow pathetically. I yelp and sit up, pulling him off of me and dropping him onto the bed.
“Ow! Kitty!” I complain, checking at the red scratches on my wrist, there are a few spots of blood. Luckily he’s so tiny that he can’t really do all that much damage yet. What’s got him so cranky? I eye him warily as he sniffs around on my bed and continues meowing. What’s wrong with him? He’s acting so strange, it’s like… Oh. I bet this is the kitten version of the peepee dance. Shit. I don’t have a litter tray for him yet. It was on the list Torin and I made. But he’s a kitten, it’s not like I can just tell him to hold it. I can’t really take him outside or anything either. I could just open the door and let him out, but he’s so tiny and he might not come back. I don’t want him to get lost again. Okay, plan B. I take him to the bathroom. Obviously the tiny kitten isn’t going to use the toilet, but maybe I can at least limit the chances of him making some huge mess. I put him in the shower cubicle and close the door. At least this way if he relieves himself I can just kind of… Wash it away? I don’t really want to leave him in there, but he doesn’t seem too upset by it, and Torin should be here fairly soon. Poor little guy, hopefully he wasn’t suffering too much while I was sleeping. I DO appreciate that he didn’t pee on me or anything. I’m pretty sure that cats are supposed to be fairly tidy. I’ve never actually had one before, but a couple of my coworkers did and they never complained about their cats being messy or anything.
Now… What to do with myself, because I can’t actually take a shower and get ready for the day yet because there is a kitten in my shower. Well, Crash is adorable. So I guess I’ll just sit on the bathroom floor and stare at him. He might have to get used to that. I don’t think I’ll be able to tear my eyes away from him unless I absolutely have to. He’s just so LITTLE and cute and fluffy! I hear a knocking from the back door and jump to my feet.
“Be right back kitty!” I rush to answer the door. Laura comes tumbling in with an excited smile on her face.
“Where’s the cat! Catcher texted me, I need to see him IMMEDIATELY!” She demands. I laugh and lead her through to the bathroom.
“Why did you lock him in the shower?” She asks, confused. I shrug.
“I didn’t want him to pee on anything. I don’t have a litter tray yet.” I explain.
“Oh, that makes sense I guess. Can I hold him?” She asks and I nod.
“Sure, oh I named him Crash by the way.” I add. She gleefully picks up Crash and cradles him in her arms. He meows and squirms around.
“Sorry, I think he needs to pee or something and isn’t sure where to go. He’s all wiggly.” I don’t want her to feel bad and think he doesn’t like her. That would be awful. I hear a clattering sound in the hall and poke my head out of the bathroom. Torin has just gotten here, his arms absolutely LOADED with cat supplies. He definitely got more stuff than I asked for.
“Woah, what’s all this?” I ask, excited. Torin shrugs as he places it on the floor.
“Stuff for your kitten.” He responds. I roll my eyes.
“This a lot of stuff. What did you GET?” I ask, eying a huge box. Torin shrugs.
“I did some research on things cats like. I got everything I could think of.” He answers. Without hesitation I throw myself at Torin and give him the biggest bear hug. Seriously, the guy just went on a shopping spree for the kitten I impulsively decided to take in. He definitely deserves all the hugs. I step back with a huge grin on my face.
“This is going to be so cool. I’ve never had a pet before, have you?” I ask. Torin tilts his head.
“Well… No. But this is your cat.” He clarifies. I shrug.
“Living in your bar. You’ll get to see him every day too. So it’s sort of like he’s yours too. You think he’s cute, admit it.” I demand. He nods.
“Of course I do.” He agrees easily and I smile brightly at him again.
“Oh! Did you get the litter tray and stuff? I think the poor kitty needs to go and he’s doing such a good job of holding. Probably because he’s nervous. I thought I’d set up the litter tray then give him privacy and a break from us for a bit.” I explain. Torin nods and starts rifling through the bags until he finds the right one. I thank him and take it to the bathroom where I get it all set up. Laura lets Crash out of the shower and he tentatively begins exploring the bathroom. We give him a little privacy and close the bathroom door so we don’t lose him.
Laura stares wide eyed at all the shopping bags from Torin.
“Woah.” She seems amazed. There’s a knock at the back door and Torin lets Kyle in. Kyle stops in his tracks and narrows his eyes suspiciously at the piles of cat items. He lets out a groan.
“I had hoped that the text from Catch was a joke. PLEASE tell me you didn’t adopt some creature you picked up off the street.” He pleads. I frown at him.
“What do you have against cats?” I cross my arms over my chest and Kyle rolls his eyes.
“They leave fur everywhere, they pee in a box and they have literal knives attached to their fingers. They are not nearly as cute as everyone thinks they are.” He complains. I gasp in mock horror.
“How could you?” I demand and he shrugs.
“Easily.” He answers flatly. I rush to the bathroom and grab Crash.
“Good news, he has successfully used the litter tray!” I announce. Laura cheers and Torin gives a pleased nod. Kyle scoffs in disgust. I hold Crash up for him to see.
“Look how cute he is. Surely you can’t hate this little face.” I try to convince him. Kyle scrunches up his face and takes a step back.
“Just keep the damn thing out of the kitchen. He’s unhygienic.” He insists. I sigh and nod.
“Sure, I’ll keep him out of your way as much as I can.” I agree reluctantly. I don’t share Kyle’s opinion of cats, but I’m not going to force my affection for them on him either. I’ll just have to accept it and do my best to accommodate him. At least he mostly stays in the kitchen, it shouldn’t be too hard to keep Crash out of his way, right?