Page 9 of Brighton

I spent the morning shopping for cat necessities, for a cat I didn’t even have. But I was dead set on getting one and knew it wouldn’t be much longer until I found the one. I read every article online I could on how to properly care for a feline. The takeaway on each was food, water, clean litter and a scratching post, and the cat would guide you the rest of the way. Not in the least bit helpful. After I spent far more than I likely needed to, I dropped the purchases off at home and drove to Ms. Kitty’s, immediately spotting Edward’s truck as I pulled in.

Cats were moody, unpredictable, and finicky yet I was stupidly excited to have one of my own. The carrier I purchased earlier I left in the back seat, not wanting to get ahead of myself or add to the disappointment if the right cat wasn’t there for me. It felt like jinxing the potential adoption if I took it in with me.

“Brighton, you came,” Edward said as I stepped inside. He shook his head as if mentally chastising himself. “Sorry, let me begin again. It’s great to see you. May I take your coat?” I nodded and slid out of it and watched as Edward hung it on a nearby hook. “Would you like a tour of the facility?”

“Absolutely.” I followed Edward to the various rooms as he introduced me to the other volunteers working today. As we entered the dog kennel area it hit me just how many dogs were here. “There are so many of them.” My heart was sad, all these poor souls waiting for someone to love them. Sadly, I knew the feeling all too well.

“Yes, there are. As I mentioned last weekend, I adopted a long-time resident myself.” Now his,I have a dogcomment came to light and made sense. It was a new to him dog and he was blissfully excited.

“That is wonderful. You’re a kind soul, Edward.” He blushed at my words and my heart sped up. What was it about this man that I was drawn to? I’d never had a pull to another. Was I happy being alone? Not necessarily, but alone I knew how to do—a relationship, not so much.

Edward said hello to each dog as we passed through and exited out a side door. “Out here is where Ms. Kitty keeps the large animals such as Sadie, this horse,” she stuck her head over the fence for Edward to pet her. “She was in bad shape when they brought her in. A terrible case of neglect.” That absolutely broke my heart. How could humans be so evil? Tentatively, I reached out to touch her but quickly retracted my hand. “It’s okay, you can pet her.”

“I’ve never been this close to a horse before.” On TV they were beautiful and majestic. Up close they were still beautiful but unbelievably huge. But I didn’t want to be afraid, I wanted to step outside my comfort zone and learn everything I could about these wonderful animals Edward helped care for. Edward smiled and took a pictures as I touched her and she whinnied. “Could you text that to me? I’ll give you my number.”

“Absolutely. Would you like to see the other equine?”

“Equine? There are more horses?”

“There are a couple, but it looks like they’re out in the pasture. We also have pigs. People don’t understand no matter the breed, teacup or a standard pink, American Landrace, they will get huge. They do not stay small.” I’d never been near a pig before either. I was like a kid in a candy shop today, visiting my first rescue and seeing so many different animals. It was wonderful, like an up close and personal petting zoo tour. “They buy them for their kids and as soon as they grow, they get rid of them. Pigs are one of the best pets you can own.”

“I never knew that. I’m learning so much today.” I was…giddy? Was that even a thing? Joy bubbled up inside me, and nearly tipped over the edge. Good lord, would I make a fool of myself as soon as I was covered in cats? Giggling like a child. What would Edward think?

The pigs rolled around in mud as we walked by, joyfully oinking, and having a great time. Just about that time, one of the helpers came to get them. It was far too cold for them to be out doing this and we don’t want them to get hypothermia. We let them be and went back through another side door and into the small animal area. “We have hamsters, rats, Guinea pigs, rabbits. Man oh man, do we have rabbits. Hamsters and rabbits most don’t realize reproduce at a rapid rate, same with rats. Far too many get set free and what the owners don’t realize is a domesticated animal cannot survive in the wild. I can’t begin to tell you how many rabbits arrive at the shelter each week.” Edward knew much about those they cared for. He was truly compassionate and loved them all.

“Is that a chinchilla?”

“It is. Very temperamental animal and not cheap either. The next room I’ll take you to is the reptile habitat.” He led me from one room and into another. I’d already lost track of where the front entrance was. This place was an endless loop of halls and quite a maze.

“Um, I’m good with peeking through the window. No need to open the door.” Snakes were pretty, from afar.

Edward smiled. “Understood. There are also various lizards, iguanas, eye lash crested geckos and bearded dragons in there. Not many as they do better in warmer climates, but people move here from other states and bring them with then decide they no longer want them.” He sighed, “Sometimes it takes all I’ve got to keep my mouth shut when there’s an intake while I’m here.”

“Intake?”

“An owner leaving a pet behind. Breaks me. Dogs feel just as we do, you can see the sadness reflected in their eyes when their human leaves them behind.” I teared up as I pictured that happening and Edward cleared his throat. “Sorry, didn’t mean to bring the mood down. Let’s go play with some kittens.”

“Kittens!” I clapped my hands and cheered. Though I had my heart set on an older cat, I still wanted to play with the kittens. Edward smile brightened at my silliness. “Sorry, I’m a bit excited.”

“Please don’t ever apologize for being your true self.”

Edward’s words stayed in the back of my mind as we entered the room and I nearly squealed. The only reason I didn’t was because I didn’t want to scare the tiny furballs. “So many kitties.”

“Yes. Litters are brought in far too often. There is a catch and release program where feral cats are trapped and brought in to be spayed or neutered then set loose right where they were caught. The only problem with that is if the mother comes in and she’s pregnant or an entire litter is trapped we can’t very well set them free. The mother needs to be allowed to nurse in a safe location. Once the babies are weened, all are fixed and then put up for adoption.” That made total sense, though I was unaware such a program existed. “Here, sit.”

I sat in the center of the floor and Edward opened a cage with four kittens in it. Two black, one black and white, and one orange. One by one they hopped out and sniffed their way over to me. It didn’t take long for them to use me as a jungle gym. I giggled and hugged them to me and set them back down as they ran around the room and attacked random items. “Kitties are fun.”

“Yes, dear boy, they are but they are a handful as well. Are you interested in a kitten or an older cat?” I watched as they batted at a toy, then one of the black ones attacked the orange one and they rolled around. It was the best entertainment experience.

“I think since I work all day that maybe a cat that’s already litterbox trained would be a good start for my first pet.” It was so hard not to take them all but I didn’t want to turn into the crazy cat boy.

“I think that’s a very big boy decision and I applaud you for it.” That was the second time he used the word boy since I got here but I was too happy to think on it for long. Something to reflect on later for sure. “Let’s put these jokers away and head into the cat condo area.”

“Cat condo. I bought one this morning, they aren’t cheap.”

“No, they aren’t but most of these we made from plywood we had onsite. The big cats tend to destroy the cardboard ones in no time. Plus, thereallybig cats knocked them over easily and we needed something more durable and heavier to handle their size and weight.” I stood and brushed off my pants but slid my finger into the cage again for them to attack.

“Ouch!”

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