Meow! My name is Neville

I woke up beside my best friend Katie, my special person, the little girl in my home. I licked her face like always and ran away to wake up her brother. It's my job to wake them up for school. Their mom gave me and the other pets a good breakfast, and I purred to say thank you. 

It wasn't a school day. Some days are and some days aren't, but I can never keep that straight. I'm only a kitten. It was moving day, which I didn't exactly understand either, but somehow we would have a new house, which sounded exciting to me, but the other pets didn't like the idea. 'I just got this one marked like I like it,' said the dog with a sigh.

And then a big truck came and all our stuff started going inside it. And the children took us to the neighbor's house. 'I knew it,' said Whiskers, the other cat. 'They're not taking us pets.'

Not taking us? But who will sleep with Katie? How will she get up for school? I don't care where they go, as long as I go too. 

And I ran out of the house when the neighbor lady opened the door for the mailman. I ran as hard as I could. If I could only get in the big truck with our stuff, I could go too.

Suddenly there was a terrible screech and I felt a terrible jolt. Cars look a whole lot bigger from the outside than the inside, did you know? I was lying on the grass, all twisted up, and I couldn't move and, oh, it hurt so much. Katie and everybody screamed too, like they got hit by a car too. I tried to lick Katie's hand to tell her it would be okay. 

They loaded me into a car--oh, it hurt--and took me to the vet. I knew I would be okay then. I don't like what vets do to you, but it makes you well, and I was pretty sure I was broke. But they started talking about money and can't afford it and the vet didn't even do anything. 

I couldn't really tell what was going on because everybody was crying so much. They took me someplace else and started talking about the youth in Asia. I meowed really loud, because I care about the youth in Asia, and America too, especially Katie, but I was really hurting by now.

And my family left. The other people put me in a cage next to an old tom cat with so many scars that he looked like the quilt on Katie's bed. I called to my family until my throat hurt worse than my legs, but they didn't come get me. 

 'People don't come back when they leave you here,' said the old tom. 'They send their unwanted pets here to die. Funny, they call the place a shelter.'

'I'm not unwanted! I'm not going to die. I'm only a kitten. I'm supposed to sleep with Katie tonight.  I'm supposed to grow up and have a wonderful life. I haven't even lived yet. I can't die now.'

'You're here and they're gone, kid. Say your prayers. Say, are you going to eat that food?' The tom poked his paw towards my cage. 'I'm going in for surgery tomorrow. Gotta keep up my strength.'

'Aren't you going to die then?' I asked, licking my hip, which hurt the worst.

'Not me. I'm a feral. Never had a person. Never wanted one--you see what they do to you. They're going to cut off a few body parts and set me free. Just shows you what they're like, doesn't it? You now, you're just a bashed up pet. It's the needle for sure for you.'

I licked my hip harder than ever so he couldn't see me cry. Some other people came by the cage, but I was too upset to listen to them. 

'Well, kid, this is your lucky day,' said the tom.

'It's not lucky at all,' I said fiercely, swatting at his paw as he reached for my dish again. 

'Nah, kid, you won the lottery. Those were the San Antonio Pets Alive people--Pets Alive, get it? They're going to save your sorry hide. You might live to grow up after all.'

They took me away again--more cars, more vets, more cages. But no Katie. And I still hurt. They said I had a broken pelvis and would have to stay in the cage for weeks and weeks. Like forever!  Sometimes they gave me a shot and then it didn't hurt so much. I slept a lot and dreamed of Katie. Everyone was nice to me and petted me and brought me food and toys, and I kept trying to tell them:

Please don't throw me away. I have lots of living to do! I want to run and jump and play again. I want to laugh and sing. I promise if you give me one more chance, I'll be the most careful kitten in the world. I'll never go outside again. Please, I'm only a kitten.

UPDATE: I can walk again! Sometimes even with 4 legs! I can jump and climb on the bed and sofa, too, and even the cat tree. The vet says I'll get better all the time. And I have a new best friend, Liliana. She's just a little kitten--well, littler than me--and she's scared. So I've been talking to her and letting her sleep next to me. And you know what? We're getting adopted together. I'm the happiest cat in the world!