Troublemaker

Troublemaker By: Halley Wilson­Thayer

In 2012 at a beautiful white animal shelter in San Jose there were many kittens waiting to be adopted including the troublemaker...

Ginger.

That day was very busy at the adoption center. It was close to Christmas and everyone rushing to get presents. People coming and going. Kittens being adopted. The only kitten who wasn’t happy was Ginger. He was sitting in his small, cold cage all alone.

After all the people left, and the owner was about to close the shelter when the perfect, beautiful, fluffy cat Princess started to drink from the huge blue water bowl beside Ginger. The owner walked up to the water bowl and filled it up.

“Perfect,” Princess purred. She didn’t want to stall her plan any longer. When the owner turned around Princess flipped the water bowl over near Ginger and walked away proudly.

“What a disgrace!” the owner yelled when he saw what a mess Ginger had made. He shoved Ginger in a cage in the he back of the shelter next to a pretty female cat named KiKi and quickly made a sign that said “troublemaker”. Ginger didn’t think this was minor...this was major. He might never be adopted. Ginger felt like a piece of prey that was just eaten. Ginger wished he could just transform into a lovely, handsome cat with a wonderful owner as his guardian. Ginger started looking around his new cage when he saw KiKi sitting all alone. He started poking her.

“Um hello,” Ginger said shyly to KiKi. “Hi... you're Ginger, right? I am KiKi.” “Yeah. How did you know my name?”

“I saw your “accident” with the water.”

“Oh,” Ginger said embarrassed.

“I know it wasn’t your fault. Princess is such a brat and wants nothing to do with anyone else, but herself!”

“I know you know KiKi, but the shelter owner doesn’t!!!!!!!”

“Now Ginger don’t be hard on yourself!”

“Why not?”

“Because you... just shouldn’t!” KiKi yelled in a loving but angry voice. “I’m sorry for yelling at you, but I’m just mad that you just give up like that!”

After that they turned away from each other and slept. Through the night Ginger cried and cried. He hated Princess for what she did to him. He wished he could have the perfect owner to have a happy life and never have to see that mean cat ever again!

In the morning Ginger promised himself to be on his best

behavior. Again people were coming and going and kittens were getting adopted. Everyone passed by Ginger without noticing him. He thought to himself “there are lots of people in the world and somewhere out there is the perfect home for me!”

Many hours past by. Ginger sat down near the food bowl and admired a beautiful glass figure of a cat. Next to him sat Princess grooming her soft white fur. She calmly walked over to the glass object and started scratching it. Just before the owner walked in to check on the cats, Princess pushed over the glass cat in front of Ginger. The cat smashed into pieces. The owner turned to see the broken glass all over the floor.

“What a disgrace!” the owner yelled at Ginger. The owner picked Ginger up and shoved him in his cage and left the “troublemaker” sign up on Ginger’s cage. This time Ginger burst into tears soaking up his blanket. “I’m never gonna be adopted!” he yelled to himself.

“I told you not to be so hard on yourself!” KiKi yelled.

“Who cares!”

KiKi had no words.

“I care,” she said very calmly.

“I don’t get why you care so much about me?”

“I care because you were the first real friend I ever had” They curled up next to one another and groomed each other until they fell asleep.

The very next day Ginger didn’t bother to watch the people coming and going. He sat there in misery. A couple of hours later a little girl walked in hoping to find the perfect kitten.

She walked around a little and stopped right in front of Ginger’s cage.

Ginger heard his heart pounding loudly and his purr growing louder.

“MUMMY!!!!! I want dis kitty!” the little girl yelled to her mother.

“Oh darling that is a bad kitten... see it has a “troublemaker” sign on its cage.”

“NO!!!! I want the bad kitty!”

“No honey... I am not gonna have a bad cat in my house ruining everything in our house!”

“But mummy!” the little girl started to cry.

“No buts.”

Now the little girl burst into tears and ran to Ginger’s cage and hugged it.

“Ok,” the mom finally agreed.

“Um... excuse me, but my daughter would like to buy that cat,” the mother said pointing to Ginger’s cage.

“Are you sure that you want to buy that cat? That cat is a troublemaker! See the sign on his cage?” the owner said to to the family.

“We are sure we want to buy that kitten.”

“I’ll go get the adoption papers.”

“Mommy?”

“Yes, honey?”

“Can we get two kitties... for good luck?”

“Sure, but I don’t know what other kitten you would want.” The little girl walked quickly up to the cage next to Gingers. The little girl saw Ginger go up to KiKi and rubbed against her. She pointed to Kiki and waited for her mother's response.

“That’s a great pick honey.” The owner came back into the room with a bunch of papers in his arms.

“So you guys are getting the troublemaker...”

“We are also going to to get the kitten next to him too,” the mother cut him off.

“Ok!” The owner gave the papers to the mother to sign while the little girl came up to the kittens, Ginger and KiKi, and smiled.

“WE ARE GETTING ADOPTED!!!!!” Ginger yelled to KiKi. “I KNOW AND WE ARE GETTING ADOPTED TOGETHER! AND THAT MEANS NO MORE PRINCESS!” KiKi yelled back. The kittens

were yelling and celebrating! The mother finished signing the papers and picked up the cat carrier they had brought. She walked over to the kittens and smiled at her daughter.

“You picked wonderful cats,” the mother whispered in her daughters ear. They opened the cage and got Ginger and KiKi.

They thanked the owner and started to walk out the door with their kittens. The little girl held on to the cats on the the way to their house and when they got home the little girl took them out and cuddled with them.

“Were finally home,” Ginger and KiKi said in unison.