Catboy by Eric Walters Page B

shape.”
    â€œYou’ll notice the traps are empty,” Dr. Reynolds said. “These cats are healthy. Thick fur, well fed, perhaps a little bit too well fed. That one tabby is enormous !”
    â€œThat’s King,” I said.
    â€œYou’ve named them?” Dr. Reynolds asked.
    â€œNot all of them. Just the most important ones,” I said.
    â€œAnd he’s called King because he’s the dominant tomcat, right?” Dr. Reynolds asked.
    â€œHim and another cat,” I said.
    â€œThere’s another cat as big as him?” Dr. Reynolds questioned.
    â€œHe’s not that big. He’s sort of long and athletic,” I said. “Does that sound strange, to call a cat athletic?”
    â€œNot strange at all. All cats are athletes,” Dr. Reynolds said.
    â€œBut this one is even more than the others. He can really jump, and he’s a great hunter. He’s always catching things,” I said.
    â€œDoes he ever fight King for dominance?” Dr. Reynolds asked.
    â€œI’ve never seen Hunter and King fight. They know the other is there, but Hunter stays out of King’s way.”
    â€œThat’s probably smart. King didn’t look like he was going to back down from you,” he said.
    â€œI know. That’s why I had to toss the rock. I wasn’t trying to hit him, just scare him away.”
    â€œYou never get too close to him, do you?” my mother asked.
    â€œNot close enough to scratch him behind the ears,” I said.
    â€œIt’s not you scratching him that I’m afraid of,” she said.
    â€œWell, if he does, he’s received most of his inoculations today from the pills we put in the food he gobbled down.”
    â€œThat’s reassuring,” my mother said, although her words and tone of voice didn’t match.
    As we were talking, some of the cats had returned, tempted by the food still on the ground.
    â€œLet’s move a little farther away,” I said.
    â€œWe should get going,” Dr. Reynolds said. “These cats are fine, and we should leave before the security guard finds us.”
    â€œIt’s okay if he does. As long as I tell him you’re okay, then you’ll be fine.”
    â€œThat’s nice to hear. Most of the property owners don’t like us. They see us as encouraging something they don’t want to have in the first place,” Dr. Reynolds said.
    â€œAs long as you tell Mr. Singh you’re a friend of Taylor—that’s me—then you’ll be welcome here.”
    â€œThat’s great. Most owners don’t think of feral cats as any better than an infestation of rats,” Dr. Reynolds said.
    â€œMr. Singh isn’t the owner. He’s the head security guard.”
    â€œWell, it’s good to have somebody on our side,” Dr. Reynolds said. “But we should be going anyway. We want to get to another colony today.” He looked around. “Now if we can just find our way out.”
    â€œI can show you. If you point me in the direction you came from, I’ll know which hole you came through,” I said.
    All three of them pointed in different directions.
    â€œI guess we got a little turned around,” Dr. Reynolds said.
    â€œNo problem. I’ll show you all the holes in the fence until we find the one you came through.”
    â€œThanks, we appreciate your help, and the help you’re giving these cats,” Dr. Reynolds said.
    He held out his hand. I slipped his business card into my pocket and shook his hand. It was good to know I wasn’t alone.

Fifteen
    I sat as still as possible, not moving my eyes and trying to control my breathing so my chest didn’t go up or down. I’d found the longer I sat still, the more comfortable the cats became with me. It was as if they’d forgetten I was there. I became another hunk of junk in the yard. Or, I liked to imagine, one of them. I even started having cat-like