I was meeting my wife as she got off from work on February 15, 2004. All of a sudden, we both heard the mournful wail of a cat from across the railroad tracks. Later, we agreed that it sounded like a dying adult cat. Since we are both animal lovers, and since I remembered reading recently that cats meow only to communicate with humans, I felt that we were being "called". I asked Jill if we could drive around to the rear of the Bearden Kroger's, which is where the sound was coming from.
So we did. As I drove through the rear of Kroger's I called out with the windows down, but heard nothing, so I parked. I started walking, and once again heard the plaintive cry. It took me a moment to determine where the sound was coming from, until I finally discovered a feline face, cowering in the underbrush. As the cat approached me unafraid, my heart melted as I realized that it was a tiny kitten, although one who appeared to be in good health. I was greeted affectionately.
Meanwhile, my wife had wandered off in another direction, after hearing a sound that had eluded my ears. Softly, I heard her say, "There's another one." This one had been waiting by the rear door of the grocery store, and was equally friendly. Jill piled into her Saturn with both kittens, while I ran inside the store to get them some food and to think about our next step. Jill and I live in a small apartment, and we already have two pets, including another cat, and a chocolate Lab. I don't know if it was a sign, but as I prepared to enter the grocery store, I saw a truck bearing the front license plate "CAT".
Well of course we decided to keep them. Cats are hardly any trouble, and these two were just so sweet and well-behaved. Their survival seemed doubtful given their current circumstances. The names "Salt" and "Pepper" came with little thought, due to their monochrome coloring, and the fact that they came together--they are obviously siblings. Salt (on the right in the picture above, distinguishable by the tufts of fur protruding from her ears) is a female, and Pepper is a male. They have distinct personalities--Salt is a born leader (she is the one who called me over, after all), yet she is also the one who is terrified of our dog. Pepper is much more laid back, and unbelievably affectionate.
It certainly appears that these two cuties were put out by someone. If you are reading this, you should be ashamed of yourself. :-(
This photo was taken by me at our home in Knoxville, Tennessee, on February 16, 2004.
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