Stray Cat | Short Story

When I got home, my wife beckoned me over, saying, "Hey, hey!"
"It wandered into the garage."
On my wife's lap, a small, fluffy white creature was lying on its side.
—A kitten?
It was wearing a blue collar. It must be someone's pet. When I brought my face close to the cat, it turned its head toward me, looking a bit lethargic. The small bell on its collar gave a "tinkle." There was a little bit of eye discharge, but its pure white fur was spotless.
"It has a nice coat, doesn't it? It must have been well cared for."
As my wife stroked the cat's body affectionately, the cat closed its eyes as if it felt good. It seemed quite used to people.
"When I took it to the vet, they said it was about three months old. It doesn't seem to have any injuries or illnesses. It's eating plenty and is healthy. I've filed a lost property report with the police and contacted the animal shelter, too."
As expected of someone who grew up with cats, her efficiency was terrifying. Taking a cat to the vet, filing a lost property report, and contacting the animal shelter... there aren't many people who could do all of that at once.

The next day, when I returned home, my wife was playing with the cat. At a glance, you wouldn't think they had only met for the first time yesterday.
"I bought some cat food."
"Thank you!"
I don't know when she bought it, but there was a bowl for the cat food. As always, she acts fast. My wife and I watched as the cat gobbled up the food.
"I need to upload the information about the stray cat."
My wife pointed her smartphone at the cat, which had finished eating. However, the cat was playing around, and she didn't seem to be able to get a good shot.
"I'll take it."
"Make sure you take a cute one."
"Of which one?"
My wife said with a straight face, "The cat, obviously."

The day after that, when I got home and handed over the cat food, she pointed to the computer monitor, saying, "Hey, look, look!" There, along with the photo of the cat I took yesterday, a website titled "Protecting a Stray Cat" had been created.
"You're as meticulous as ever."
When I said that, half-impressed and half-dumbfounded, my wife puffed out her chest and said, "Of course, right?"
I think that for information about a stray cat, taking a few photos and posting the date, time, and general location where it was found would be enough, but the page my wife created was already at the level of a website introducing a pet cat.
As expected of a graphic designer. The fact that she creates high-quality work even subconsciously means her concept of "normal" is already different from an ordinary person like me.
"I hope the owner is found before we get too attached."
I replied, "Yeah, I hope so," to my wife, who muttered it like she was talking to herself.
—Before we get too attached.
Watching my wife play with the cat using a cat toy, I felt like it was already too late.
Four days have passed since then, but there has been no contact. There were no posts that seemed relevant in the "Looking for" section of the stray cat information site either.
I inwardly thought that the owner probably wouldn't be found. We had filed a report with the police and contacted the animal shelter. In other words, if the owner were seriously looking, we should have heard something relatively early on. The fact that we haven't means the owner has no intention of looking... or perhaps there was no owner to begin with.
"If the owner doesn't show up, should we make it our own?"
I said this while looking around the house, which was now filled with cat supplies.
"That's not allowed."
I was surprised, as I had expected her to say, "Let's do that."
"We have to return it to where it belongs."
"But maybe it wandered into the garage because it ran away from its owner?"
"Hmm, maybe, or maybe not. Anyway, it's not for us to decide on our own."
I could only reply, "I see."
We had decided long ago that we wouldn't keep pets. Because when we were single, we both experienced the loss of a pet.
Perhaps the uninvited guest who suddenly arrived at our home had shaken that "rule" of ours. Even so, my wife, and I, surely couldn't have just left the cat that wandered into our garage alone.

When I returned to my room and sat at the computer, perhaps bored of playing with my wife, the cat lay down "plop" on top of my computer keyboard.
"Where on earth did you come from?"
When I asked that, the cat answered with a big yawn.
"You have to go back to where you belong, okay? If you stay here too long, my wife will be sad."
Whether it was listening or not, when the cat rolled over, meaningless characters lined up on the word processor screen.

—One week later.
When I got home, my wife was sitting on the sofa. On her lap, as if it were its designated spot, was the cat.
"They're coming to pick it up tomorrow."
I reflexively asked, "You're returning it?" and my wife frowned and replied, "Of course."
For some reason, an emotion close to anger welled up.
Since we were only keeping it temporarily, it's natural to return it when the owner appears. I know that, I understand that, but... the cat has already become a full-fledged member of our household. The feeling of it being suddenly taken away makes my heart reject the idea, even though I know it's selfish.
Looking at the cat food I had bought on my way home as usual, I made a decision.

The people who came to pick up the cat were an elderly couple. They said that while they were moving to live with their son's family, the cat had disappeared before they knew it. While they were searching for it themselves, their son saw the stray cat information online and arrived at my wife's website.
I took a deep breath and rehearsed in my heart.

—Um...

At the same time I said that, the couple started with, "Actually, we have a request..."

"Suzu! Dinner time!"
The name was decided as "Suzu." I was the one who named it. I took it from the "bell" (suzu) that was on its collar.
My wife, who had contacted the police and the animal shelter with a cheerful voice, laughed and said, "I have to make a website for Suzu."
I pointed the camera at my wife and said, "I'll take a cute one. Of both of you," and pressed the shutter.

(End)

A while ago, a white cat wandered into my parents' garage, and because we thought "it would be terrible if it were attacked by a stray dog," we let it "evacuate" into our house, and it just became part of the family.

It was a tiny, tiny kitten that could fit in one hand, but it ate well and played well, and grew into a big, fluffy cat in no time.

Its name is "Chacha." (I was the one who named it.)
*The top banner photo is free stock material.

I received a "CONGRATULATIONS" for the theme "Happiness with a Cat"!

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