The Cat I Couldn't Name

(The thumbnail image uses a
GIF created by
Ai-san.)

At one point,
on the grounds of the hospital
where I work,

a cat wandered
in.

At first,
I thought it would
go somewhere else soon,
so I didn't pay
much attention to it, but

even after several days,
I kept seeing that cat
on the grounds.

“If
the cat is a stray and
starts living at the
hospital,

it might be exterminated.

I hope it
goes somewhere else
soon.”

That is what I thought
as I went about my days.

Not long after that,
I began to hear

a cat meowing from outside
the psychology room
where I work.

At first,

the meowing was so faint
that I wondered if a cat
was meowing in the distance,
but

after a few days,
I realized that at least
a few kittens' cries
were mixed in.
When I listened closely,

the meowing was coming
from under the air conditioner's

outdoor unit.

Lunch break.


I peek under the outdoor unit.

There were five
kittens there.

I looked around the hospital grounds,
but the mother cat was not there.

The kittens were
three black-and-white cats.
Two were black cats.

When I checked with the hospital,
they said that, as expected,
due to hygiene concerns,
they would be subject to extermination.

That would be
truly pitiful.

Who should I
consult with?

What came to mind was

She was a registered dietitian
who often talked about
her pet cat
during our daily chats.

I immediately
called her on the extension
and explained the situation.

She brought over
a cardboard box and
some old towels.

After that, I asked
various people
if they could look after the cats.

I reached out to
many different people.

“I just rescued five cats,
would you be able to look after them?”

For the time being,
everyone came to see them
out of curiosity.

But,
no one could handle

such a sudden

“Could you look after them?” request.

The occupational therapist's
child was allergic to cats.

The office worker
lived in an apartment,
so it was impossible.

The outpatient nurse and
the pharmacist
simply turned me down.

I asked the ward nurses too,
but a few of them came to see,

made a big fuss,
and then just
left.

I decided to consult
the registered dietitian once more,

“I already have a cat, but
I'll try to make it work somehow.”

She said, and decided to take care of
one of them.

After that,
I also consulted the mental health social worker
who had just returned from her rounds,

“My daughter was just
saying she wanted a cat.”
“This must be fate.”

She said,
and another one
found a home.

Three left. But,

the only ones I could give away
were the black and white cats.
It seems black cats

aren't very popular.

I had no choice,
so I took the three of them
home with me.

My dog at home
greeted the three newcomers
with great curiosity.
welcomed them.

——Since then,
six years have passed.

One of the three, a black cat,
passed away at dawn on the very day
we rescued it.

It was only in our home
for a few short hours.

The remaining two
still live in our home
living their lives
carefree and relaxed.

Since then,
three more rescue cats
that my family took in have joined us,

and now
we have quite a large household.

Every year,
when July 19th
comes around,

we watch
a certain video in our home.

A video of the three cats
when they first arrived at our home,
still inside the cardboard box.

I couldn't even give it
a name,

but on this day alone,
I want to make sure
to remember it.

In that video of just a few seconds,
the kitten

from those days
was

moving around
energetically forever.

——The other day,

on my way home from work,
on the hospital grounds,
I heard
a cat meowing for the first time in a while.

When I looked over,
a black and white cat
was looking at me.

In that moment.

I intuitively
felt that it was the parent
of the kittens
I had rescued.

A slow, spreading
mix of emotions.

The guilt of having
taken the kittens away
from their parent,

With the desire to share that the kitten was not exterminated and
is still living happily today,
and about that cat,

the cat I couldn't
give a name to.

The black and white cat that
seemed to be its parent

stared intently at me, then

turned its face away abruptly,
and disappeared between the buildings.

After watching that
black and white cat go,

I felt that something
that had been lingering
somewhere in my heart since that day

had loosened
just a little bit.