Simba's Reign

My name is Simba, and I’m very upset. For some reason, my humans chose to put me in this jail. It wouldn’t be so bad, except that these people aren’t my humans… they’re nice enough, but they only pay attention to me for a bit, and then they move on to some other poor kitty who’s stuck here.

To think that my humans would send me away is something I believed would be unthinkable. They declawed all four of my paws and took me to the Vet when I got sick. I guess when the Vet told them something was wrong with my kidneys, they decided not to take me home.

Today, the humans, who are just temporary, put me in one of those kitty carriers. I’m such a big cat; it was cramped for me. I guess these folks aren’t accustomed to caring for Norwegian Forest Cats. Now that I’m out of that small space, I can stretch a bit and take a bath.

Putting my feet as far in front of me as possible, I arch my back and feel the bits of my spine crackle and pop. I’m only five years old, but my weight pulls on my spine daily. The only good thing about being this big is that most cats won’t dare to challenge me.

And that’s an excellent thing. I couldn’t do very well in a fight with these massive paws, which are missing the needles that should be there. Confrontation isn’t my game, and whenever some Tom thinks he needs to prove what a great fighter he is, I wave him on.

My black coat shines because these humans brush me daily. I don’t think my coat has been in this good of shape since I was a kitten. My former human never brushed me. They were good about feeding me and ensuring I got enough water, but that was it. And I guess the challenge of providing me more expensive food and supplying me with a better water system than the toilets in the house was just too much for them.

My heart hurts, but it’s getting better every day. Now that I’m in a bigger cage where people can look at me, I feel like things are looking up.

It’s the day of the week when more people come into this store. I know I’m in some kind of pet gallery because dogs and puppies are in the room next to us, the cats and kittens. People come and go with the help of my temporary humans, and sometimes they take a pet out of their cage.

Sometimes those pets leave in a box or a special carrier like the one they’ve crammed me into.

I wonder where they go…

Wait a minute. A pretty lady is staring at me. She held me in her gaze and beckoned another human to come over and look at me. They both look, and I do my best.

I’ve thrown back my shoulders and lifted my head. I’m a proud big cat. Even though I don’t have claws, I’m a good boy.

The curious humans beckoned over to one of the temporary people. They continue to look and point at me while they talk. They wandered into this room, and I believe they will take me out of this cage.

Ahh, the comfort of loving arms. The wonderful sounds of cooing in my ear.

“That’s a pretty boy. You’re big and beautiful, aren’t you?”

I return the remark with my booming purr.

“My goodness, aren’t you loud? It sounds like you have an engine in there.”

Looking up at this fresh face, I want to touch her. I lift one of my paws and reach out. She leans into my caress. I lift my head to rub against her, and she holds me tighter.

“Would you like to come home with me?” she whispers.

If I could talk human, I would shout ‘YES,’ but since I’m just a cat, I turn up the volume of my purr and curl tighter into her arms.

“Miss, how do we go about adopting this big boy?”

Wait! They’re putting me back into the cold metal cage. What happened? Did the lady decide she didn’t like me? What did I do wrong?

Something has broken my heart. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to purr again.

Hmmm. She’s coming over. She’s putting her fingers through the bars.

“It’s alright Big Boy. I need to shop for some things for you, and then tomorrow, you will get to come home with me, okay?”

Her crooning calms me. She is going to get me out of here. I just know it.

Sleep wouldn’t come. No matter my position or how many mice I counted, I couldn’t find solace. The blanket they’d given me was too small, and the bottom of this cage was cold. The diet they had me on eliminated all the fat in my body, so my muscles are bound up, and I ache.

Will morning never come?

It broke a light doze when the pet store opened. There was talking and boxes being moved around. Finally, the temporary humans came in and gave all of us our morning viddles, and I was glad for the food. No matter what, I love food. I can eat when I’m sad, mad, or happy.

Now all I must do is wait. The pretty lady told me she would be here ‘tomorrow,’ which is now ‘today.’

And finally, I hear an endearing “Pst, here, kitty. I’m here. Do you want to go to your new home?”

I rub myself against the bars. I turn on my loudest purr. I look into her eyes with my best kitty stare. She must know I will love her forever.

But will she love me back?

The carrier she brought me to take me home was much bigger than any other I’d been in. I could stand, curl around, and be comfortable. The blanket inside the cage covered the floor with more to spare. It was soft, so I kneaded it to comfort myself and to show the pretty lady I was happy.

“Okay, pretty boy. Do you like riding in the car? We don’t have far to go, but I will leave you back here. I think you’re too big to put in the front seat, so I won’t be able to comfort you with anything but my voice, okay?”

Her voice was tender and loving, but I only understood about 10% of her words. I can’t wait to see what my new home – my forever home – looks like.

It was only a short drive, and we stopped. She turned off the engine and came to the back of the car. She lifted my carrier gently, and she always talked and cooed.

The front door opened with her key, and I saw the house as she took me to a dark room with a litter box and bowls. A scoop of the food I’d been prescribed sat in one bowl, and next to the bowls was a shiny bowl with a fountain of water coming down. This must be the thing the Vet told my other humans about!

My new forever human opened the carrier and told me to take my time coming out. She would sit on the floor and wait for me.

I didn’t need any time. After walking out of the carrier, I placed myself in the curve of her lap. I purred my booming sound, and I noticed there were tears in her eyes.

“Welcome home, Big Boy. I think I will call you Simba. It sounds like your old name, Sable, but it is much more regal – like you—the King of my heart.”