Photograph by Daisy.  Taken on June 8, at the local PetSmart.  These babies are being displayed by a licensed no-kill shelter.  The ad stated that they had been checked for FIP, had their shots, and were ready for adoption.

Amy wanted a kitten.  It didn’t seem fair to her that other children had pets, but she didn’t have any.  Her mother explained patiently that, as a single parent, she didn’t have time to care for a pet. 
    “I know you mean well, Amy”, she explained, “But kittens grow up to be cats.  Cats need shots, they need neutered, they sometimes get sick and need to go to the doctor.  They have to have food and water every day; they have to have a litter box so they can go to the bathroom and not make a mess.  Sometimes, they make messes anyway, and you have to clean them up.  They get fleas, and worms that can get on you—I just don’t have the time or money for a pet.”
    Amy sighed, and got into the car to go to the daycare.  She knew her mother’s mind was made up and there wasn’t any use arguing.  But it still didn’t seem fair.
    She noticed, as the car pulled out of the driveway, that her mother looked more tired than usual, and her lips were pressed together the way they did when the checks she earned weren’t big enough to cover all the bills.  Amy sat very quietly.  Her mother was a kind, gentle person; but she did have a temper, and sometimes if Amy pestered her when she looked like that, she would say cross things to Amy.
    The daycare was clear across town from Amy’s house, so she had some time to think as they drove.  It had a summer school program that included writing and art activities, as well as weekly visits to the city pool.  When they arrived, Amy grabbed her mother’s hand, “Mom, come look at the art board before you go.  I have new art up—Mrs. Primer says it is really good.”
    Amy’s mother looked quickly at the artwork on the board.  Then she looked again.  “It is very nice, Amy.  I like the way you got the fuzziness on the kitten’s coat.  I like the picture of you and me at the park, too.  You did some very good work, Baby Girl.”  Amy glowed, even if Mom did call her “Baby Girl” where everyone could hear her.
    Her mother kissed her quickly on the cheek.  “I have to hurry now, or I will be late for work.”  She went quickly out the door.
    Amy joined her class group in the Morning area.  They were watching cartoons and building a city with Lego blocks.  Amy wasn’t interested in the cartoons, so she sat down beside the Lego box and picked out the dog and cat from the “People and Friends” bin.   She set to work with some plain blocks and built a house for the dog and cat.  After thinking about it a while, she dug around in the “People and Friends” box, and got a person out to take care of the dog and cat.  By then, it was time for morning snack and school time.   She quickly got out her box, and continued working on her summer project—a picture book about cats and dogs at a veterinary hospital.  She had never been to one, so she imagined it was like the emergency room where she had gone the night she shut her finger in the car door.  It had turned out just to need some ice and time to heal up, but her mother said it was better to be safe than sorry.
    After morning classtime, came lunch and then naptime for the little kids.  Since Amy was seven, she was a Big Kid, and went to the park to take a walk and play in the sprinklers.
    She had a good time, and forgot about the morning’s disappointment.  When her mother picked her up, she gave her a big hug, and waved the book she had finished making that day.  “For you,” she said, and held her mother’s hand, as she signed out at the check-out counter.
    On the way home, she saw something wiggling by the side of the road.  It was in a quiet area, beside a park.  “Mom, Mom,” she called, “Stop, quick!”
    Her mother glanced over.  “Oh, dear,” she said, and pulled the car over to the side of the road.  There, in the ditch, lay a mother cat and four kittens.  The mother cat tried to struggle to her feet, but it was clear that one of her legs was broken.  She hissed fiercely at these strangers who had stopped to look at her.  Two of her kittens cuddled against her and imitated their mother, but the other two lay still and silent.
    Amy looked at her mother.  She could see her mom’s lips pressed together, and the little frown crease between her eyebrows that said she was very, very angry.  For a minute Amy was afraid, but she understood when her mother burst out, “How could they?  How can anyone do this?”  She glanced at Amy.  “Watch them for just a minute, Sweety.”  Amy’s mother rummaged in the back of her car and found a large box that had held groceries a day or two ago.  She put on her winter coat that was still on the back seat, and pulled on her driving gloves.
    “Why are you doing that, Mom?” Amy asked.
    “The kitty is very frightened,” her mother replied.  “She may not understand that we are trying to help her, and may scratch or bite.”
    Amy’s mother was right.  When she reached down and got the mother cat by the back of her neck with one hand, and grasped the back legs by the other, the mother cat tried to reach around and bite.  She could not reach any thing to bite or claw that way, however, and was too feeble to struggle for long.  “Get the kittens and put them in the box,” said Amy’s mom, “I will put her in with them.”
    Amy quickly caught the babies, who were rather like tiny buzz-saws all set to cause harm.  But they, too, were too tiny and weak to do much damage.  Soon, the little family was in the box.  “What shall we do with them?” Amy asked.
    Amy’s mother sighed.  “We would have to pay a pet deposit to keep them at our apartment,” she said.  “So I will have to take them to the animal shelter.”  She didn’t look very happy, so Amy wondered if maybe the animal shelter wasn’t a very good place to be.  Amy’s mother tied her rain-coat belt around the box to make sure it would not come open in the car, and secured it with a seat belt.  “It’s not a cat carrier,” she grumbled, “but it will have to do.” 
    The animal shelter was nice and clean.  An attendant in a uniform met them at the counter.  “Is it your cat,” she asked.
    Amy’s mother explained that they had found the cat by the roadside.   “You will have to leave a deposit for her to stay here,” the attendant said.  Amy’s mother looked at her, open-mouthed for a minute.   Then her lips pressed into that thin line, and when they opened, she said, “Never mind.”  And she closed the box, picked it right back up and marched out to the car.  Amy trotted after her.
    “Where are we going now?” Amy asked.
    “To the car,” said Amy’s mother.  “If I’m going to have to pay for being a good Samaritan, we are going to do it right.”
    Soon they pulled in the driveway beside a big sign that said “City Veterinary Service.  Amy’s mom got the cat box out of the car, and entered the building.
    “May I help you?” asked the attendant.    While Amy’s mom was explaining about the cat and her injuries, Amy wandered over to a display case that held information.  One folded up one said, “Love Animals?  A job for you!”  Amy picked it up, and began trying to read the words.  Some of them were pretty hard, but it looked interesting anyway.
    The attendant called them back into a little room where they waited for the doctor.  It didn’t look quite like the animal emergency room Amy had drawn in her book, but it was kind of like it.  Instead of a bed, it had a high shelf where the animals could sit while the doctor looked at them.
    The doctor was a pretty young woman with a long pony-tail, wearing a white coat.  She came in and looked over the little family.  She listened to the story about how they had been in the road ditch.  “I think I can help them,” she said.  “I know someone who likes cats who would love to have them.”
    “I’m glad,” said Amy’s mom.  “I am a single mom, and these are hard times.  I love animals, but we are not supposed to have them in our apartment.  Amy wants a kitten, but I just can’t.”
    “I understand,” said the doctor.  “I see you have our brochure there.  We do a lot of animal rescue work here.  We could use some volunteers.  Would you like to help?”
    Amy looked at her mom hopefully, her mom looked back at Amy.  “Why, yes, I think we would,” she said.  Amy whooped for joy, and the doctor lady laughed.
    As they walked out of the building, Amy’s mom asked, “Would you like to be a veterinary some day, Amy?”
    Amy looked at the brochure in her hand.  “Is that how you say animal doctor?”
    “Yes, Amy, it is,” her mother replied.
    “I think I’d like that very much,” Amy replied.