Don't just throw away a sick little stray cat you picked up. If you raise it, you might just receive an unexpected surprise.
The news that the landlord's daughter had nursed a sick cat back to health, and that it turned out to be a five-figure Ragdoll cat, spread throughout the entire building again.
Some muttered that the Lin family was really hitting the jackpot with stray cats, getting lucky on their second try. But those who knew how to do the math understood it wasn't like that at all.
"Wow! Wow!" At the Lin household, Qian Xuan, upon hearing the news, was the first to rush over. She circled around Sapphire, exclaiming, "A Ragdoll! It's a Ragdoll, a real fairy cat!"
Both her expression and tone were filled with unconcealable envy.
Sapphire was curled up on Lin Lan's lap. Leaning against her most familiar support, the kitten didn't act shy or fearful when seeing a stranger.
"This is so great." Qian Xuan was genuinely envious. "When I was choosing a cat at the pet store, I also thought about getting a Ragdoll. But it was a baby I simply couldn't afford, so I didn't even look. Later, I brought Niu Niu home instead. I never thought you'd actually pick one up. I'm so jealous."
Generally, an expensive breed like a Ragdoll cat wouldn't become a stray. These little felines, nicknamed "walking RMB," are so cherished by their owners that they'd never dream of abandoning them.
But there's no stopping a Ragdoll from getting lost on its own.
After all, a cat is a cat. Even the most docile house cat occasionally gets the impulse of "the outside world is so big, I want to go see it." This is one of the reasons why pet cats sometimes become strays—it's not always that the owner deliberately abandons them; sometimes the furry kid just decides to make a crazy dash for freedom when no one expects it.
Hence, news of lucky people occasionally finding expensive pets on the street happens from time to time.
But Lin Lan felt her situation was different from the one described above.
She waved a hand at Qian Xuan, sighing as she rubbed the cat's head. "What's the point of just being envious? Others might not know, but you, who raise Niu Niu, should understand. Look how much I've suffered this past month?"
Qian Xuan immediately choked up, thinking of her own delicate British Shorthair that got sick from time to time, and suddenly found herself speechless.
Outsiders only saw Lin Lan picking up a Ragdoll, but Qian Xuan and the pet clinic downstairs knew very well just how much it took to nurse this cat back to health. The medical bills, nutritional supplements, kitten formula, and everything else Lin Lan spent on it added up to nearly five figures. Not to mention the immense effort she poured in over the month—her weary face was obvious to anyone.
Many people understand how exhausting it is to care for a sick person, let alone a kitten more fragile than a human, and a Ragdoll cat at that, a breed requiring meticulous care.
It could only be said that the money and energy Lin Lan invested during this period had luckily received an equal return.
"Only when I found out Sapphire was a Ragdoll did I understand why this kitten got sick so easily and was so delicate. Now I've finally made it through." The person involved still felt a lingering fear. "But I don't want to go through that a second time. Really, it's too draining. Now that it can finally eat and play normally, and my parents can help take care of it, I can finally breathe a huge sigh of relief."
A regular cat getting sick is already hard enough on its owner. A sick, delicate Ragdoll kitten? Beyond the financial and physical toll, there's the mental anxiety and pressure. The difficulty of that month of caregiving is easy to imagine.
Seeing Lin Lan's listless state and then looking at the lively, playful, beautiful kitten on her lap—currently curiously hooking the tassel on its owner's clothes with its little paws—Qian Xuan suddenly had a strange illusion—
The Ragdoll kitten absorbed the cat owner's vitality. Kitten health +60, restored to health; Cat owner vitality -10, currently listless.
"Fancy cats are hard to raise. It hasn't been easy for you either." Her face immediately showed sympathy. Seeing Lin Lan's tired expression, she didn't stay long, getting up directly. "I won't disturb your rest. Come upstairs to play sometime. I'd also like to ask you how to make nutritious cat food."
"No problem." Lin Lan let the kitten off her lap and stood up to see her guest out.
After politely seeing Qian Xuan off, she couldn't help but shake her head. Back when her family only had Snowflake, this Qian Xuan wasn't particularly warm towards them, maintaining an ordinary, not-very-close landlord-tenant relationship. Now, with an extra Ragdoll, this girl had instantly included her in her inner circle. It was hard to say whether it was just being pragmatic or something else.
But, she couldn't really criticize others, because her own family members were also...
"Has Xiao Qian left?" Wang Xiuzhi came out of the master bedroom, asking the obvious upon hearing the commotion. Then she looked down at the little Ragdoll on the floor and smiled, squinting her eyes. "Come here, Blue Treasure! Grandma will play with you!"
As she spoke, this "grandma" produced a cat teaser wand she had hidden behind her back, starting to lure the kitten to pounce and chase it with both little paws. The adorable, clumsy look of the little Ragdoll made Wang Xiuzhi's face break into a wide grin.
Lin Lan: "..." She paused, then decided she still needed to announce, "Mom, I'm going to take a nap. Don't call me before dinner."
"Go on, go sleep." Wang Xiuzhi, busy teasing the cat, didn't even look up, just waved a hand casually at her daughter. "I'll take care of Blue Treasure."
Just listen. In just a few days, Sapphire had gotten a nickname, going from a sick cat to a "Treasure."
Her parents had changed their tune so quickly. Their daughter's feelings about it were complicated.
Watching her mother finish playing with the cat, then scoop it up onto her lap, happily stroking the kitten with a huge grin on her face, Lin Lan had nothing more to say.
When it was ugly, nobody paid attention. Once it turned pretty, everyone came fawning. It seems whether it's people or cats, this is a world that judges by appearance!
As Lin Lan headed to her room to nap and was about to close the door, Snowflake made a flying leap and slipped through the closing gap.
"Meow—" (Lan Lan, I'll sleep with you!)
"Alright then." Lin Lan didn't refuse. "But you're not allowed to sleep on my chest again, understand? Every time I wake up feeling like I can't breathe, I know it's you curled up on me again."
"Meow." (I'll sleep by your head.)
As the human and cat conversed, the door closed completely with a soft click. The previously happy Sapphire playing on its grandma's lap suddenly scrambled onto the closed door, scratching at it with its little paws while crying out anxiously.
"Meow! Meow!" (Let me in! I want to sleep with Mom too! Let me in!)
The three-month-old Ragdoll kitten, clinging to the door, looked adorably silly. Its fluffy tail fur swayed as its little body moved, looking especially cute.
Unfortunately, the person inside pretended not to hear (because the kitten was too energetic and would cause chaos), and the person outside couldn't understand. Sapphire was scooped up and carried away again by its grandma.
"Blue Treasure, don't bother Lan Lan. Come on, come play with Grandma." Wang Xiuzhi was addicted to petting the cat, utterly smitten with the little kitten at the moment. Its medium-length, fluffy fur carried the faint scent of shampoo from its bath a few days ago—truly fragrant and soft.
My daughter did say that Sapphire is an indoor pet cat, not like Snowflake who is comfortable both at home and roaming outside. Being a little female cat herself, she's practically like a pampered young lady raised in a boudoir. No wonder Qian Xuan called Sapphire a fairy cat as soon as she arrived.
Grandma, who couldn't understand the Ragdoll's meows, happily carried the cat back to the master bedroom to play. It didn't take long for her to divert the simple kitten's attention with toys like a teaser wand and nutritional paste. In the secondary bedroom, Lin Lan had already changed into her pajamas and burrowed under the covers.
Not long after her head touched the pillow, a fluffy and soft little ball snuggled up against her head.
"Snowflake, that tickles." Lin Lan laughed and shifted the white ball aside. Although she knew that after falling asleep, this little guy might roll onto her chest or simply cling to her head and continue snoozing, she still had to set some ground rules before dozing off.
The white cat let out a sound that seemed both dissatisfied and coquettish, but Lin Lan didn't relent. "No, I won't be able to sleep like this."
Snowflake reluctantly made some space, her four paws padding on the pillow as she turned in circles several times before curling up into a ball again. It seemed this action was her way of ensuring she wouldn't end up sprawled on her human's face while asleep, avoiding a situation where the human would wake up finding it hard to breathe under the weight of the household's little master.
"Meow..." The white cat called out softly and sweetly to Lin Lan.
But in Lin Lan's mind, the meow was automatically translated: ("Lan Lan, I want to go out and play tomorrow, so I won't be home.")
"Sure," Lin Lan agreed immediately, reaching out to stroke the cat's head. "You've worked hard this past month, Snowflake. Not only did you teach Sapphire to eat and drink on a schedule, but you also taught her to use the toilet, saving me from scooping litter. You're amazing. You must be feeling cooped up after staying in for so long. Go have fun, but be careful. Don't get too close to strangers, and don't just pick fights with other cats, okay?"
Snowflake, thoroughly enjoying the petting, unconsciously narrowed her eyes and started purring softly. But she meowed at Lin Lan again, ("Lan Lan, come out and play with me tomorrow.")
Lin Lan was taken aback. "Me? With you?"
"Meow—" ("I want to introduce the friends I've made outside to you!")
Oh my god, the cat son wants to take his mom to meet his friends!
Lin Lan's hand trembled slightly, feeling both incredulous and a little excited. "Snowflake has good friends outside? No wonder you always like to go out. What kind of friends are they? Can you tell me?"
"Meow—" ("Boss Cat and the others are really impressive. They take good care of me outside and often take me to find food! All the welcoming gifts I brought back for Lan Lan were things they taught me to find!")
Lin Lan: "..."
Mystery solved. No wonder Snowflake always managed to bring back so many strange welcome gifts; there was a team guiding her all along.
But that wasn't the main issue right now. What truly deserved her consideration was indeed—tomorrow, when she goes with Snowflake to meet her friends, just how much cat food and how many cans should she bring?
She couldn't let down the kindness these little cats had shown her over the years. It was time to return the favor.
Pondering these questions, Lin Lan, accompanied by the sound of Snowflake's sleeping purrs, slowly drifted into a deep and sweet slumber.
