Fed up

street trying to give away a cat? And Josh hadn’t just listened but had gone on to rescue the cat from her heartless owner.
    “Do you know how old she is? Has she been to the vet?” I asked.
    “He said she’s not even a year old. And I don’t know if she’s been to the vet, but I sort of doubt it. Her fur is all matted, Chloe, and she looks so scared and sad. I had to take her.”
    I smiled. “Of course you did. Should I come get her?”
    “I guess I could take her to a shelter if you don’t want—”
    “No!” I cut him off. “We are not taking her to a shelter. Do you know how overcrowded those places are? Who knows what would happen to her! I’ll come get her.”
    I was suddenly excited. In the wake of Francie’s death, I suddenly had a new pet, a rescued cat to smother with love. I kissed my quirky black cat, Gato, and did my best to explain to him what was about to happen. “Now listen, mister. Someone is moving in with us, and you're not going to like her right away. I accept that. But I expect you to be on your best behavior nonetheless.”
    Gato rubbed his head against my cheek, swatted my hair, and then ran off. Maybe a feline companion was just what he needed.
     

 
    I flew down Newbury Street into the heart of Boston, my heart racing with eagerness at the prospect of meeting my new housemate. I pulled into the alley behind Simmer and parked next to Josh’s car.
    “Hi, babe.” He grinned sheepishly at me. “You’re the best.”
    “No, you’re the best. I love that you saved her from a Sopranos-style death. Let me see her!” I demanded happily.
    Josh reached into his car, lifted out a beige plastic cat carrier, and gently lowered it to the pavement. I bent down, peered through the little wire door of the carrier, and found myself looking into the round blue eyes of a small white cat with a darling little smooshed-in face. Eager to get a better look and also eager not to get scratched, I asked, “Do you know if she’s friendly?”
    “Oh, yeah,” Josh said with a smile.
    Careful to avoid giving the little cat the chance to escape,
    I eased open the wire door and tentatively reached in. After giving the cat a few seconds to adjust to the presence of my hand, I stroked her face. When I reached in and gently touched her back, my hand encountered a heartbreaking combination of thick mats and palpable bones. “Oh, Josh!
    The poor cat!” 1 said angrily as I removed my hand and closed the carrier door. “Look at her fur! She’s never been groomed. And she’s starving. What kind of monster would do this? That bastard!”
    “I know. I know. That’s why I had to take her. But look at her gorgeous blue eyes! She’s so sweet, too, C.hloe. I took her out and let her walk around in my car, and she let me hold her. She even started purring a little bit.” Josh’s eyes were glistening. “So, you’ll keep her?”
    “Yes, I’m going to keep her! This poor thing has had a rotten life so far, and we’re not going to let anything else happen to her. Ever! I’ll take her to the vet and get her checked out and make sure she’s okay.”
    “I’m really sorry, but I have to get back to work. Gavin is going to kill me as it is for taking such a long break. I’ll still see you tonight, though, right?” Josh handed me the cat carrier and kissed me, lingering just a bit. “Thanks, Chloe.”
    He turned and bounded up the back steps to the restaurant. “Hey, Josh,” I called, “what’s her name?”
    “The jerk didn’t say. But she told me her name was Inga.” He grinned and disappeared into the restaurant.
    I lifted the carrier up to eye level and looked into those amazing blue eyes. “Inga, huh? It actually suits you. Come on, Miss Inga, let’s get you out of here.”
    I called Gato’s vet as I maneuvered my way through the downtown traffic. Once I’d given the receptionist a capsule version of Inga’s story, she agreed to have the vet see the cat right away. As much as I wanted to take little Inga home immediately, I knew it would be unfair to Gato to expose him to whatever bizarre cat disease the neglected Inga might be carrying. And if she had fleas? Well, neither Gato nor I wanted them.
    An hour later, Inga and I arrived at my Brighton condo. Aside from being severely underweight and in need of spaying, Inga seemed to be fine. When the vet had subjected her to shots and had taken a blood sample for tests, she'd peed all over the vet’s assistant and squirmed so much that