Megan Shoemaker

Mango

After a long day of work, I was finally able to come home and relax. However, once I had gotten comfortable in my bed, I heard my mom calling my name. I was a little reluctant to go at first, but everyone knows it’s not a good idea to ignore your mother. Once I found her, I asked her what she needed. Her response was, “Could you do me a huge favor and take the trash down to the curb?” Ignoring the fact that it was cold and dark outside, I agreed to help her. I grabbed the first pair of shoes I saw and started my task. I was about halfway down my driveway when I heard an unfamiliar whining sound. I’m a very anxious person to begin with, so hearing odd sounds in the pitch-black caused me to become quite alarmed. Scared of what I might see, I slowly turned my head towards the direction of the sound. However, all my fears melted away when I saw a small cat run onto my porch. I quickly brought the trashcan down to the curb and then slowly crept towards the cat, making sure not to startle it. Once I got within ten feet of it, I put my hand out and tried to lure it in. To my surprise, the cat came right to me. Although, my heart broke once I got a good look at it. He was a tabby cat who couldn’t have been any older than two years. He had golden eyes and long white whiskers. His body sunk in under his ribs, alluding to the fact that he was severely malnourished. I immediately ran into my house to get him some cat food, praying he wouldn’t leave while I was gone. Thankfully, he was still there when I got back. I sat the small bowl down in front of him, and he instantly started eating. I spent the next ten minutes watching the cat chow down the dry food. Once he was done, he came over to me and started rubbing against my legs. I could tell that the cat had previously lived in a home because he wasn’t afraid of humans. Every part of my brain was focusing on how I needed to help this cat. I felt as if he had stumbled upon my house for a reason. Fearing that he would give my current cats fleas or a disease, I couldn’t take the stray into my home. I refilled the water and food bowls, and then went back into my house. Before I went to sleep that night, I prayed that I would see him again tomorrow.