Animal rehabilitation centre
1848 Words
I went to the animal rehabilitation centre after taking Felix out for a ride, and I walked inside. The building was small, and simple, but the animals inside was what counted. The animals were all rescues. Some had been neglected, abandoned or abused. There was a variety of animals. From cats, dogs, to reptiles like snakes, lizards and even a dwarf crocodile named Toothless.
“Hey Margo.” I smiled at the receptionist, and she sent a friendly smile my way, giving me a small wave.
“Hey Luna.” I walked past her towards the animals, and I opened the doors that led to a corridor with some dogs in the cages. I walked past them, and I opened some more doors that led to the cats. The cats always broke my heart specifically because they would sit usually longer than the dogs.
“Good afternoon my little angels.” I knelt in front of the one smaller cattery, and a whole bunch of kittens ran to me, meowing and falling as they ran to me, their little legs still having to get used to running around. Their little, and innocent meows always broke a piece of my heart. I wanted to take all of them home and just be able to smother them in love and care.
I stuck my fingers through the thin piece of steel in front of me, and they all fought for my affection and touch. I stroked their small faces, and I smiled as they rubbed their faces against my fingers.
Too cute.
I got up and I walked over to the cattery next to the kittens that was a bit bigger, and that’s the cattery that hurt me the most. The older cats were in there, and they almost never got adopted. I just wanted nothing more than to be able to take them and provide them a good life. A life full of love and care.
“Hi my preciouses.” I took the keys from my pocket that I brought with, and I opened up the small gate, and I walked inside, shutting it behind me. At least they all had comfortable beds, food and water I suppose. That’s what I told myself anyway if I need to make myself feel better.
The one black cat that always came to greet me before anybody else was Shadow. She was a young adult cat that had been brought in because she was attacked by a dog when she was a kitten, and she’s been here ever since. She was by far the most loving cat here, or at least, she showed it the most.
Shadow walked to me, and she rubbed her body against my legs, and she began to purr when I hunched down, and I began to stroke her soft body. She was so loving.
Since I had just recently got my own place, and I had just settled down, I was ready to adopt a pet now. I was waiting until I was ready before I adopted an animal. I just didn’t want to adopt an animal if I wasn’t sure if I was able to take proper care of it, but it turns out that I could afford a pet or two... or three. I missed having an animal around me. The comfort an animal an bring is crazy, especially when you’re living alone in a cabin in the woods.
“Do you want to come home with me?” I looked down at Shadow, who meowed and purred, reaching for my hand for more attention, which I happily gave her.
“Guess it’s settled, huh?” I giggled, and she seemed satisfied.
I suppose I needed to go fill the adoption papers in. I walked out of the cattery, making sure that I closed the door behind me, and I walked back to Margo.
“I need your help.” I smile, and she lends me a soft smile in return.
“Of course, Luna, what can I help you with?” She turned her attention completely to me that was originally on the computer in front of her.
“I want to adopt a cat, and I just want to fill out the forms of adoption for her.”
Margo gave me a knowingly look, and she reached to her drawers, pulling out a few pieces of paper.
“Let me guess, it’s not by any chance a black cat that goes by the name of Shadow?” She smiles and I giggle, shrugging.
“You guessed it.”
She hands me the papers, showing me where to fill out my information, and where to sign, and she hands me a black pen.
I begin to fill out my information, and I signed at the bottom.
“Congratulations on your new baby. Would you like to take her home after work, or what?” She asks, scanning over the papers.
“Yeah, that’s the plan.” I smile, and she nods.
“Perfect, then that’s sorted.”
I walk over to the door and walk back to the corridor, walking past the cats that were meowing at me, and I walked over to the other corridor that was locked, and I unlocked it. One of my most favourite rooms were the reptile rooms. I oversaw the care of the reptiles.
There was a variety of reptiles. Lizards, snakes, and a small dwarf crocodile. All these animals had been neglected terribly by people who had no idea on how to take care of these exotic animals.
I walked over to the enclosures, and I made sure the all the reptiles had water, and that there was no mess in the cages.
We had a variety of snakes, from venomous to non-venomous. I had to do extensive training to be able to work with the venomous snakes.
“Hi pretty baby.” I opened the glass doors, and I pulled out a red tail boa constrictor who was our latest rescue. He was severely underweight, and he was very skittish around people, and sometimes a bit nippy.
I thawed out a rat for him, and I let him back into his cage.
Seeing so many animals being neglected broke my heart. I wanted nothing more than to protect them all and give them the love they deserved.
For the rest of the day, I cleaned up cages, and catteries. I ended off the day by giving the animals food and fresh water.
At the end of the day, I bought Shadow a bag of cat food, and a litterbox. I borrowed a cat crate from the work, and I went to fetch her. As soon as I opened the cattery’s cage, she came running up to me and began to purr once I had picked her up.
“You’re coming home with me, sweetheart.” I took her out the cage, and I locked it behind me. I put her in the cat crate with the blanket I had bought her, and I shut it.
“Enjoy your new baby, Luna.” I heard Margo shout as I walked through the doors to get to my car, and I waved back at her, putting Luna in the passenger seat with her cat food. I climbed into the driver’s seat, and I started the car and began to drive home. Shadow was meowing all the way home.
Once we got home, I took her out the car, and I unlocked the house door, setting her crate inside, and I ran back to the car, grabbing the cat food, and locking it behind me. I walked into the house, and I closed the door behind me, locking it and I yawned. I set Shadow’s litterbox down and put a bowl of cat food next to it. I let Shadow out, making sure that all the windows were closed.
Shadow walked out carefully, looking at her surroundings with her tail down, and I petted her.
She just needed time to settle in, and maybe some space too. I couldn’t have been happier to have her here with me, I missed the company of an animal.
I walked over to the small bathroom, and I opened the shower, allowing the water to stream out, and I set the water to hot as I needed some heat. It got so cold in the cottage. I mean it was the beginning of winter, and soon it would start snowing here. Lucky for me, I had a small heater packed away that I had to dig out the cupboard. I stripped naked, and I shivered at the cold air, climbing into the shower, I moaned at the feel of the hot water on my cold skin. I began to wash my hair, and I put some conditioner in it, allowing it to soak, and I began to shave my body.
I don’t even know why I bothered to even shave anymore, I wasn’t with a man, and I hadn’t been with one for ever. So be it, I suppose. I still hated hair on my body nonetheless. I lathered shampoo into my hair, and I washed it out, putting some conditioner in, and I allowed for it to sit in my hair for a bit before I rinsed it out.
I rinsed my body from the white bubbles that was on my skin, and I moaned at the smell of the body wash. I just loved to feel clean, and hygienic.
I turned the water off, and I wrapped a towel around my body, and I climbed out of the shower, climbing onto the fluffy black floor mat, and I began to dry myself off, getting most of the water off me.
I got on my silky pyjama pants, and I got on a matching shirt. I brushed my teeth, not even bothering to eat dinner. I just was too tired to even try. I had no energy currently.
I looked for Shadow, and she was sitting by her food bowl, eating quietly. I was glad to see that she was eating. That’s always a good start.
“Are you going to come sleep by me tonight baby?” I petted the bed, and she looked up at me and she meowed. She walked over to me with her tail in the air, and I picked her up gently and I set her down next to me. She immediately climbed onto my lap, and I petted her, hearing her purrs fill the room.
This was probably her first time ever being on a bed, and that made my heart sore. Well, at least now she was on my bed, and she gets to live comfortably for the rest of her life with me, feeling safe and loved.
I turned the lights off, and I climbed under the blankets. Shadow didn’t hesitate to climb onto my pillow, and she began to curl up, and she slept. Purring into my ears. I smiled and I closed my eyes, allowing the darkness to consume me.
- Writer
