Hedonic Happiness | UnOrdinary

The King and The Cat

With a heavy heart, he almost felt the need to stop going on these walks, as they would never feel the same again without his furry little friend.

Until Arlo felt something soft against his ankle.

***

Arlo's heart nearly skipped a beat as he felt a familiar sensation on his ankle. Looking down, he couldn't help to feel a bit disappointed that it wasn't the calico cat he was expecting to see. Instead, it was a brown-striped kitten with fluffy white paws.

The blond reached into his bag, grabbed an old bag of dry cat food he forgot to take out, and poured it out in front of the cat. As it happily bent its head to eat, Arlo fell into deep thought.

He regretted not taking the calico cat home to live with him. In the end, he was happy for the little guy, but it would have been nice to have a fluffy companion running around. But, here's another chance, still munching away at the cat food. But what if the kitten doesn't want to come along? How would he even care for a cat? Can he do it today? Will the Royals be fine managing the school?

"Meow!" The brown cat yelled at him, demanding more attention with its paw bopping away at his left knee.

With a melted heart, Arlo gently scooped up the kitten from the ground, deciding that the Royals would be fine without him for just one day.

***

Arlo was stumped.

Kind of.

Kind of?

Yeah, kind of.

He wasn't sure what on Earth possessed him to grab a random stray cat off the street and bring it back to his apartment and to call his landlord to ask for an exception with his new pet (at the cost of slightly higher rent), but if left Arlo dumbfounded with himself. He did it, huh? He's a cat owner now.

He sat on his couch with a computer on his lap, researching different ways to care for the new stray cat. Some gave obvious advice, like providing food, water, and a clean bed. Others, however, recommended taking the cat to the vet and allowing it time to get used to its new environment.

He couldn't help but glance at the brown cat currently sleeping on the rug at his feet. It already seemed pretty comfortable, right? Would it hate him if he already brought it to the vet? Arlo had heard from Remi and Blyke that their past pets tended to avoid them after a vet appointment. Will this one do the same? Would it already sever a companionship that didn't even have time to grow?

The little kitten yawned, somehow relieving a bit of Arlo's distress.

***

Arlo was nervous.

Just a little bit.

Just a little bit?

Yeah, just a little bit.

In an article online, he read that it was essential to bathe a newly adopted stray cat to clean it of any filth it might've gathered in its fur out in the wild.

The problem is that Arlo has never bathed an animal before. Ever. He's heard sayings and rumors that cats hate water, which gave him a bit of hesitation to clean it, but he steeled his nerves, bought some cat shampoo and brush, made a warm bath, and got to work.

Firstly, Arlo brushed out any knots that might've accumulated in its fur, and to his surprise, they came out much faster than expected. Not to mention, the kitten seemed like it enjoyed the brushing.

Next, he slowly dipped the kitten into the water paws first. At the start, the brown fluff ball did not like it but eventually settled down enough for Arlo to grab the shower head and sprinkle some water onto its fur.

Then, he grabbed the cat shampoo and got to work. According to the article, Arlo was supposed to apply the shampoo throughout its coat while maintaining its comfort the best he could. At first, the blond noticed that the kitten did not like the cold shampoo compared to the warm water, but he knew it would just need to deal with it for a moment longer. Using the shower head, he washed away the soap in one area and began the next.

As the bath continued, the brown kitten began to accept its fate and enjoy the bath, to Arlo's relief. When it was time to dry off, however, it hopped out so fast the blond had to chase the soaking wet cat around his apartment. Eventually, he caught it and dried it the best he could with a recently warmed towel.

The kitten preferred to stay inside the towel for a little longer, forcing Arlo to hold it as if it were a child.

***

Arlo was upset.

A little upset?

No, very upset.

Today was the day he decided to take the kitten to the vet, and well, as he predicted, she wasn't all too happy with that decision. He was advised to get it spayed on top of getting its much-needed shots, which made for a miserable day for his poor kitten.

To make up for it, Arlo bought the kitten the best cat food he could find. But not just any cat food, cat food made with real fish! He needed a peace offering, and he knew the kitten probably wouldn't be able to resist it.

And so, busting out a pan he didn't particularly care about, the blond dumped the wet cat food onto the stove and began heating it. To Arlo's left, he saw his brown cat staring at him in wonder.

After cooling the food to room temperature, he dumped it into the kitten's bowl and took off the cone around its neck, allowing it to eat without difficulty. While it mowed through its meal, Arlo ran a hand through its fluffy fur, a small smile growing across his face.

He really was a cat owner now, wasn't he?

***

A/N: Hello! Consistency! Shocking, I know. This is a direct sequel to "The King and The Stray," since a LOT of people really seemed to like that chapter. I hope you enjoyed it!

In other news, three more chapters! I already have the basic plot of it laid out for each in my mind, it will just be a matter of if I can put it into words quickly. See you then!