There were a number of kittens at the SPCA that day.
Two soft grey identical twins, which may or may not have been related. They were sound asleep in a single grey mound. We thought there was only one, and experienced brief horror when we reached in, and the pile of fur separated in two - surely one can't break a kitten in half so easily?? Oh, haha, just joking, of course there were two kittens in there, we certainly knew that.
!
We held them for a minute, all soft and cuddly and sleepy. They didn't mind a bit when we put them back in the cage.
Peered at a skinny, orange one that moved to the back of the cage and stared suspiciously at us. He didn't want to be held. We continued scanning the row of cages in an orderly manner.
But wait, what's that sound down at the end? One little dark grey guy, with white eyeliner, doing anything he could to get our attention. Not at all in an orderly manner. Both front paws shoved through the front of the cage, waving frantically - "Take me! Take me!"
We opened the cage and picked him up, and he immediately grabbed on, climbed up, and hung on for dear life. There was no stinkin' way he was going back in that cage.
We discussed the philosophy of what a "Millhouse" might look like, and came to the conclusion that of all the kittens in the place, this one was the only one who wanted out. All the rest were passive little creatures, happy to end their days in a cage on the second shelf. But this one - oh, he had plans, big plans, things to do, people to see, places to go, and he wanted OUT. This one was definitely Millhouse.
We took him to our little apartment, skirting the garbage fires in the hallway. (Just kidding. That only happened a few times, late at night.) He explored every corner, and was still exploring when I left for my part-time data entry job. By the time I got home, he had fully established himself as lord of the manor, meeting me at the door with an authoritative, questioning air. I showed him my ID, and he allowed me to pass.
It had been a long day. It's tough work selling yourself to prospective owners.
A little more exploring, and then he sat down in the middle of the living room floor, surveying his domain, eyelids drooping. Must ... stay ... awake ... Swayed a bit, and then toppled right over, sound asleep.
