“Thanks,” I grumble.
The cats don’t have any answers, and neither do I.
5
MAEVE
“I love orange cats!”Taylor exclaims. “They’re so unique!”
I grin in reply. “Yeah, there’s a theory they all share one braincell,” I laugh. “But I’m not sure about that. I thinkmaybethese guys have three between them.”
Coral, Ginger, and Pumpkin have all needed good homes for a while, now.
I made a video about the three of them that went viral—three rare orange girls and all their shenanigans. Instead of being a bonded pair, they’re bonded triplets.
We had five million views on the video and more than two hundred applicants to take the three of them home in less than a week.
Now, after narrowing the candidates down and a few interviews, the cats officially have their new mom, who stands in front of me with orange hair that matches the fur on her newest family members.
“They do,” Taylor laughs, holding Coral in her arms. The cat nuzzles into her grey sweater, closing her amber eyes in bliss. “I can’t believe I get to take these cuties home. Thank you so much for choosing me,” she says softly. “Your organization does great work, and my house has been so empty without my Butter and Noodle. I think I saw the video at the right time.”
I beam. “That’s the goal with the posts. We try to find people that care about the cats as much as we do.”
“You’re a great advocate for them,” Taylor says kindly.
I shrug. “Piper and Blair are the women that run this. I’m just happy to be along for the ride.”
My friends are nowhere to be found yet. They don’t work for another half hour, and I came in early specifically to meet with Taylor and say goodbye to the girls personally.
Piper and Blair spent all day with them yesterday, and I’m sure a few tears were shed.
I try to hold back my own while each orange feline hops into their carriers, sweeter and more well-behaved than I could have imagined.
Taylor is the perfect fit for them. But, if something ever happens, she’s agreed to contact us immediately and we will take the girls back.
We always make sure any cat adopted from the rescue will have a roof over their head, either in this building or by a willing foster.
I think I do a decent job of hiding my blurry eyes while I pet Pumpkin and Ginger one last time, telling myself this isn’t a goodbye, just asee you later.
Taylor is willing to share videos of the girls with us so that we can post them to our social media accounts and give our followers an update.
“Aww, are you okay?” Taylor asks, and I shake my head and chuckle.
“Of course,” I say, even as tears stream down my face. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Soon, Taylor is crying too, each of us laughing awkwardly and wiping at our faces.
“It’s always hard to say goodbye to a cat,” she croaks.
“It is,” I sniffle. “But it’s tears of joy and grief, you know?”
It’s a bittersweet feeling in my chest. I’m thrilled that Pumpkin, Ginger, and Coral will have the lives they deserve, but there’s also an ache with the knowledge that I won’t be able to snuggle them anymore.
“Can you help me get them into my car?” Taylor sniffs.
I nod. “Of course. I don’t mind a couple more minutes with these three.”
Mari is in the building, so it will be fine for me to assist Taylor with transporting the cats to her car.
