Olive and the Shelter Door

Olive was the cat nobody picked. She sat at the back of her cage with her face turned to the wall, and every visitor walked past to the kittens.

I was there because my daughter wanted a kitten. But I kept looking at the gray cat in the corner. A volunteer said she had been there for five months. She was not unfriendly, she said, only waiting.

We took her home in a borrowed carrier. She spent the first three days behind the sofa. We put food and water close, a blanket from our house, and we sat on the floor and read aloud. We did not try to touch her.

On day four, a nose appeared. On day six, a paw patted my hand. On day nine, she climbed into my lap and fell asleep, purring like a small engine.

Olive is two now and she owns the house. She greets us at the door and follows my daughter from room to room. Sometimes the best pets are the ones who needed the most patience.