Ari had grown bored of their cat, Penrose.
Wait.
They were not bored. They were just a little sad. Ari loved, and still loves, Penrose. His
gray-ish orange fur was a dream to pet, when he was in a social mood. Ari longed for a cat that
loved affection as much as they loved giving it. Standing in the fluorescently lit kitchen, Ari
would ask their mom.
“Pleeeeeease!” Ari begged. “Can we get another cat? Penrose needs a friend! And also, I
want a cat that loves to cuddle.”
“Ari, we already have a cat. Penrose is enough of a cat for this house, but if a cat shows
up at our door, then we’ll think about it,” their mom shot back. This saddened Ari, but they had
no reasonable rebuttal. Ari would take any opportunity to get another cat.
Then, an opportunity to get another cat arose. Standing in the same fluorescently lit
kitchen, Ari was told about a coworker of their mom.
“So, he walked into my office, right? I looked over at my coworker. Ya know, the one I
share the office with, and we made eye contact like ‘what is this bozo doing in here?’” Ari’s
mom laughed. “I’m kiddin’! We both like Ray. But anyways, he told me that he found these
kittens under his porch! He needs to get rid of them so he offered them to us.”

This excited Ari. Between the three, there was a black kitten, a dark calico kitten, and a
classic gray kitten. Ari wanted that calico kitten, and their mom agreed. But what would they
name the kitten? They passed around a whole ton of names but they couldn’t decide on one
before the day came. They chose to get to know the kitten and decide on a name from there.
Step one. Prepare. It was a Friday, so Ari’s mom picked them up from school and they
sped off to the pet store. It was there that they bought a bed, a litter box, a cat carrier, some
freeze dried treats, a water bowl, a food bowl, and a feather toy. The kitten would ultimately
destroy that feather toy.
Step two. wait. Ari sat at home while their mom went to Ray’s house. Ari’s mom was
supposed to text them pictures and updates constantly. Ari organized and set up all of the new
supplies. They checked their phone. No texts. They adjusted all of the new items. It had to be
perfect. They checked their phone. No texts. They paced around the room, ate a snack, and sat on
the couch…
BING
It’s a text! Ari ripped their phone out of their pocket. Okay, I’m pulling up now. I’ll send
you pictures the second I see the kittens.
The two minutes ari had to wait for those pictures was torture. It felt like someone was
slowly stabbing their heart, sinking deeper and deeper. Their head felt like a monster trunk was
continuously driving over their head, back and forth. It felt like someone was slowly ripping out

each of their fingernails, one after the othe-
BING

The pictures! All three were adorable. The calico was still their favorite. Pictures of them
laying on the ground, then standing up, and then attacking her feet. Ari swiped through these
pictures so fast it almost looked like a stop motion video.
I know that we agreed on the calico but the little black kitten walked up to me
immediately. She chose us.
Awwww. If the black one chose us, then let’s keep her! Ari texted back. A month later
they would find out that she is actually a he.
Step 3. Meet the kitten. Ari’s mom walked in the door holding the carrier. They heard a
squeak from inside. It finally set in. They have a kitten! Understandably, the kitten was scared.
She didn’t immediately start playing with them or cuddling, but they knew she would warm up
soon enough. She just needed some time.
The time it took from getting the kitten that evening to Ari laying in bed was enough
time. That night she slept on Ari’s lap.
Penrose, the forgotten cat, also needed some time. Bringing a gross new creature into the
house is always a little stressful. Penrose had to make sure this thing was safe. Penrose ultimately
decided that this above average sized rodent was actually kind of cute and could stay. They
would end up napping together all the time in a cat tree, peacefully curled around each other.
Step 4. The name… again. The very next day, Ari saw Antigone at the Ent Center for
Performing Arts. Throughout the whole show, Ari worried about the kitten. Knowing the kitten
is alone for 2 hours was enough to send Ari into a mild panic. Of course, ther mom was with the
kitten, but that didn’t ease their anxiety. Ari’s mom came to pick them up from the show. While
the show was great, Ari needed to go see the kitten.

“I have an idea for what to name the kitten,” their mom said in the car. This intrigued Ari.
They still had no good names for the kitten. “Piper.”
Piper. A perfect name for a tiny cuddly adorable clumsy perfect kitten. Piper slept on
Ari’s bed again that night, and they lived happily ever after.