“Dr. Melloh will be there tomorrow, but I’ll have to call you with an exact time, if that’s okay?” the young girl asked while Lauren signed the papers and stacked them into a neat pile. “We’ve named the kittens, but, of course, you’re free to change the names if you want.”

“What are you calling them?” Lauren asked.

“Momma is Daisy, the female is Evie, and the male, well, since it’s Christmas time, we called him Yule.”

Lauren burst out laughing. “I love it! Would Evie, Eve, refer to Christmas Eve?”

“You’re a quick study. Though Daisy was named by her original owner. She’s four. Sadly, she lost her mom right before she had the kittens. She was brought here by a neighbor who’d wanted to keep her but couldn’t because of an allergy. So she’s been queen of the house, and we hope these two little buggers will be a prince and princess.”

Lauren’s heart filled with instant love for her new furry family. She’d make sure they were treated like royalty. Now all she had to do was let her mom and dad in on her decision. “Oh, they’re gonna be well loved and cared for. I can promise that.”

“I can see that. Now, as soon as Dr. Melloh makes his house call, we’ll contact you, and if all goes well, and I’m sure it will, you can take these little kitties to their new home. We have a few basic supplies we can give you, but if you’re able to purchase beds, litter boxes, bowls, we’d appreciate it. We are in constant need of supplies so the animals that stay with us have what they need until we find them a forever home.”

“I’ll purchase whatever they need. Keep your supplies, please.”

“Thanks, we appreciate it since they’re getting more and more expensive, and lots of people want animals but forget that they need their own beds, bowls, things of that nature.”

“Exactly how many dogs and cats can you house here?” Lauren asked, another brilliant idea forming.

“We keep as many as fifty, and as few as five. Though as long as I’ve been here, we’ve always had at least thirty, both dogs and cats. We do get a few wild animals, but we do what we can, then try to return them to their natural habitat, if at all possible. It’s a lot of work, but all of us volunteers love it.”

“So you just volunteer here?” Lauren asked, more impressed than ever.

“This is my third year, and I’ll do it as long as I’m able.”

Lauren didn’t want to be nosy and ask about her finances, so she said good-bye, telling her she’d look forward to Dr. Melloh’s visit and that she couldn’t wait to introduce her new family to their new home.