Penny Dreadful Halloween

Here is a little black cat story, more serendipitous than scary, about our small cat Penny Dreadful.

Many years ago, in the frigid early spring of 2006, I had an experience with ‘re-homing’ a small dog. A terrier we adopted took a vicious dislike for the new baby, and would sit and snarl at us while we nursed. So, reluctantly, we sent our family dog to live with a retired friend. This was an excellent solution, but sad for all of us.

We moped as we packed up the dog toys, bowls, and food. For the very first time in my adult life, our house was completely animal free and the rooms felt big and empty. My girl Violet was five, and she cried all day and somehow finagled a promise we could visit a local shelter and look for a little cat to bring home.

Sunday morning was our first full day without an animal in the house. I opened the door to find the March temperature in Seattle had dropped below freezing. A crisp and sparkling white layer of frost covered the grass and when I reached down to retrieve my newspaper, I noticed a dog in our yard.

I clicked my tongue a bit, and called toward the old yellow Labrador. His muzzle was completely grey and he shuffled toward me. “Hey buddy….,” I reached out to pet him and he wandered right past and flopped down on the hardwood floor.

Frost clung to his face and it was clear he had been in the cold a long time, probably overnight. He was shaking. Violet fetched a blanket and we put down some water and food, which he ate while lying on his side, unable to stand.

We had been feeling painfully dog-less. I remember thinking “Did I actually WILL this dog to walk up to our house and come inside? Is that possible?” He promptly fell asleep.

On the old Lab’s collar was a phone number and we dialed it. A woman answered and burst immediately into tears — she and her partner had looked for 72 hours for their beloved senior dog, who had clawed his way out of the yard during a freak thunderstorm.

Two women tore into our driveway minutes later in a battered red mini-truck, and a joyous reunion ensued. They explained there was a $100 reward posted which we promptly turned down. No way, we insisted, we love dogs and our hearts were heavy this morning. This was uplifting, and we needed it — keep your money! Many hugs all around, and off they drove.

Shortly after our new friends left, Violet said to me, “Mommy that lady put some money in my bag. Can I use it to get my cat?.” Sure enough, in Violets tiny yellow snap-purse, was a crisp 100$ bill our visitors had sneaked in for her reward.

I acquiesced, and we drove to Seattle Animal Shelter. Before we could even make it through the lobby, we spotted a tiny black cat in a carrier. She was pacing and howling, but when Violet put her hand out the little kitty immediately began to purr. At about 6 months of age, the cat had just been surrendered and was still awaiting processing.

Violet knew immediately this was her cat, and Penny felt the same way as she piled into Violet’s lap. We filled out the paperwork and Violet fished her money from the wallet. The total was $87.13, which included all vaccines and spay.

We left the shelter in much better spirits, and noticed we were all starving. We decided to make a well-loved Seattle pilgrimage to Dick’s Drive In. Stepping into the line at Dick’s, I held Violets hand as we made our selection and the worker at the window communicated our total.

“Do you have any cash?” I asked. “Uh…. no. I thought YOU had cash.” We turned to go back to the car, as Dicks was cash-only. Suddenly Violet piped up “Mom! Wait! I have some money left over.”

I asked the woman at the register, how much were the cheeseburgers?

“That will be $12.87.” It was every cent we had left. We paid the woman, grabbed our burgers, and made our way back across the city to home.