Miss Kitty

by Kay Heitsch

Many years ago, there were no leash laws. People's pets were allowed to roam around freely. It was hard to tell sometimes if an animal was someone's pet or a stray.

While we lived in Kentucky, there was a cat I named Miss Kitty who came to visit every so often. When she arrived, she would meow at the front door. When I heard the meow, I'd run to find some food and water and take it out to her. She would eat, drink, stay a short while, then she would be on her way.

There was a time I didn't see Miss Kitty. I wondered what had happened to her. Then one day, I heard the familiar meow at the front door. When I opened the door, I was surprised! There was Miss Kitty with a tiny kitten in her mouth. After making a big fuss about the little kitten to Miss Kitty, I ran back into the house to get some food and water. I felt sad when I came back to see that Miss Kitty and the kitten were gone.

It wasn't long, and Miss Kitty was back again meowing at the door. This time with another little kitten. This back and forth parade went on until she had shown me all four kittens.

The kindness I had shown Miss Kitty boomeranged right back to me when she brought her four kittens to the door.