3 Cats and a Boy

 by: Miguel Sanchez

© 2005-2008 by the author

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 1

It was just the start of another day at Bengal Tiger Rescue Haven. Hi, I’m Mike Hollander and I own and operate this rescue center for Bengal tigers. When I was a kid I had the opportunity of a life time to go to Australia and to see the tigers at Dreamworld. Because of that, it helped me make up my mind as to what I wanted to do with my life. I studied hard and graduated high school when I was 17 then threw myself into my college studies so I had my Bachelor of Science degree in 3 years. I went on to Vet School and at 24 I was ready to take on the world, or so I thought.

My parents died when I was 20 and I had to take out several student loans so I could finish my education. By the time I’d graduated, I was quite deep in debt. I did my internship and that barely paid me enough to live on. I decided on taking a few dollars each payday and play the Powerball lottery. After 6 months, the most I’d ever won was enough to pay my rent once.

I was looking for better work when I got a letter from a lawyer in Florida. It came certified so on my way to work I stopped off at the post office and picked it up. I got back out to my car and decided to wait until I got home to open it. All the way to work that letter kept nagging at me. I didn’t know anyone in Florida and as I was growing up I couldn’t ever remembering visiting any family there when I was a kid.

I pulled into the parking lot and grabbed the letter then hurried inside. I had 15 minutes before the office opened so I ripped open the letter.

Dear Mr. Hollander,

My name is Jeffry Morris and I’m handling the estate of Mr. James Cromwell. Mr. Cromwell has named you sole beneficiary of his estate. Mr. Cromwell has significant property holdings in Florida. I would like to meet with you at your earliest possible convenience.

Sincerely,

Jeffery Morris,

Esquire

I thought back to my younger years and remembered the times I went camping with my Dad. I remembered Mr. Cromwell and I knew they were close. I picked up the phone and called Mr. Morris. He gave me some brief information on the will and what it entailed. He told me it would be worth my while to get to his office as soon as I could. He was able to wire me some funds so I could make it there so two days later I was off to sunny Florida.

I met Mr. Morris and he took me out to Mr. Cromwell’s property. We pulled off the main highway onto a 2 lane unmarked road. After driving about a mile, we came to a huge gate. He pushed a button and the gate opened. I was staring at the most beautiful land I’d ever seen. Mr. Morris got out of his car and handed me another letter.

Dear Mike,

I don’t know where to begin but your Dad and I were a lot more than friends. Oh, we were that alright and he was the best friend a person could have. Your Dad and I were lovers. I knew he was married and yes, he loved your mother with every fiber of his being and the best I could do was share his love but I was happy with that.

I had you set up as the sole beneficiary of my estate the day your Dad and I made love the first time and he was aware of this. Mr. Morris has been my lawyer for a long time and you were not to get this until one of two things happened. Either your parents are dead and now, I am or I’ve been dead and your Dad has just passed away.

This property is quite extensive. There is 5,000 acres here along with a house that made the one you and your parents had look small. I was never married Mike and you were like the son I could never have. Your Dad told me about your dream and this property will let you realize it. There is a tidy amount of cash that comes with the estate and Mr. Morris has already been paid.

I hope this helps your dream come true.

All my love,

James Cromwell

I leaned against the fence and looked around at my property. “Are you alright Mr. Hollander?”

I nodded my head. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just trying to let all this sink in, that’s all. In the letter, he said there was a tidy amount of cash?”

Mr. Morris reached into his pocket and handed me a small bank book. I opened it and I almost choked. “It’s all there Mike. I confirmed the balance this morning before you arrived. There is just over $500,000 in the bank. In addition Mr. Cromwell was a shrewd investor and has a rather tidy portfolio which has also been transferred into your name.  You also needn’t worry about the taxes as they also have been taken care of. He also told me you like big cats.”

I was trying to see the house but my mind was elsewhere. “Huh, yeah, I love big cats. More to the point, I love the Bengal tiger. It is a magnificent creature and is highly endangered.”

He took me up to the house and the closer we got, the bigger it got. Mr. Morris saw the look on my face. “Gorgeous piece of property, isn’t it?”

It was something right out of Southern Living magazine. It had a huge wraparound front porch and had at least 3 floors on it. It reminded me of my grandparent’s home. Off the house was a separate building that looked like a 3 car garage. “What’s in there?”

We stopped in front of the garage and he handed me the key. I opened the side door and walked in turning on the lights. There was what appeared to be a truck of some kind under a cover. I walked over and removed the cover and there was a 2 year old GMC Yukon. I opened the door and heard the buzzer going off. I looked inside and there were the keys in the ignition. I hopped inside and it started and it had less than 15,000 miles on it. I shut it off then went outside. Mr. Morris was waiting for me on the front porch. “Come on Mike.”

I reached the top step on the porch just as Mr. Morris opened the front door and handed me those keys too. I walked up to the door and I instantly fell in love with the house. It was a classic old house with that old house smell, you know, that mothball smell but it also had the modern amenities.

I walked around the house and it was like being back at home. There were photos of me and my Dad when I was a kid on the mantle above the fireplace. I found the master bedroom and even though it was an old house, Mr. Cromwell added a nice bathroom onto the room. Out back was a swimming pool with a huge deck around it. “What do I have to do? Are there papers or anything like that to sign?”

Mr. Morris shook his head. “Everything has been taken care of. The house and all the property is in your name. The vehicle has been titled in your name and it’s already insured. Papers are ready at the bank for you to sign then you’ll have access to your money and investments.”

He led me through a door I hadn’t noticed. When I stepped inside, there was a furnished vet’s office complete with a small waiting area and several treatment rooms. “I’ll be damned; he even set me up so I can open a practice.”

He nodded his head then we went around and made sure the place was secured. Before I left, Mr. Morris took me by the bank so I could sign the necessary papers and open my checking account. I had to return home to Georgia and take care of some details, pack what few belongings I had and then come back to my new home. I knew my car was on its last legs and it barely made the trip down here. “Can I use the Yukon?”

He laughed nodding his head. “It’s your truck Mike. It will probably like the good run.”

When I was gone, I’d forgotten about my lottery tickets. They were in their usual spot so I went online to check my numbers. Each week I would get 5 tickets. I’d play 1 set of numbers then let the computer randomly pick numbers for my other 4 plays. When I saw the numbers I’d picked, I knew right away those hadn’t won anything. The second and third set each got me a free play but the 4^th play hit pay dirt. The numbers had been drawn several days ago and Lottery Headquarters was saying there was only 1 winning ticket.

The next day I made the call and found out the Jackpot was just over 250 million dollars. It took about 6 weeks for everything to be processed and after taxes I would be getting, give or take, around 3 million dollars a year.

How I came across my furry family was quite by accident. I had heard there was a traveling show that had 2 adult Bengal tigers. One was orange but the male was white. Having money had its advantages. I made a few phone calls and had a huge enclosure built to house the cats then I went to work tracking this show down. As fortune would have it, they were coming through my town. Next thing I did was contact a wholesale meat company and buy two commercial size refrigerators. Feeding tigers required a lot of meat. I spent $50,000 on good quality meat that would be good for the cats. I didn’t need prime cuts because they didn’t care if they got bottom round or fillet mignon as long as it filled their bellies.

When I met the owners, the cats were in sad shape. Their cages were small and both were under weight. They were just setting up their “show” when I arrived. “Nice cats you have there.”

I walked up to their pen a young white male approached. Now this was unexpected. Instead of 2 cats, there were 3. “I’d be careful, if I were you,” the man replied as he came over carrying what appeared to be a shock stick.

I place my hand flat against the cage and the young cub licked it while the mother watched very closely from her cage. “When did you last feed them?”

“Who the hell are you?” The man asked pointing that stick at me. “Are you some animal rights activist?”

I shook my head. “No, I’m just someone who loves and admires the beauty of the Bengal tiger and what I see here is deplorable. These cats are under weight and appear to be ill.”

The ass wipe started getting pompous on me. “Do you know what it costs to feed these things? I barely make enough to live on much less take care of them.”

‘Humm,’ I thought. ‘This might be the chance of a life time.’

I walked over to the next cage and looked at the next one. This one was an orange Bengal and when I approached, it stood up on its hind feet. I saw right away this cat was a female. I put my hand up and she licked it like a domestic cat looking for attention. She dropped down onto her 4 feet then butted her head against the cage. I stuck my finger in and scratched her head and I could hear her start her low growl purr.

The last cage held the most majestic cat I’d ever seen. I could tell this was a male and probably the father to the young male I saw in the first cage. He appeared just as friendly as the other two. He was by far, in the worst condition of the three and I knew these cats had to be saved from these “people.”

I walked around and looked at their belongings. “You say you’re having a hard time making ends meet with them?”

He nodded his head. “Yeah and if I had had any idea of what it would take, I’d have let the person I got them from put them down.”

I cringed when I heard that. “I’ll tell ya what then. How about I make you a little business offer? I’m in a better position to care for these creatures. The big male is very sick and the other two aren’t much better. I’ll give you $75,000 for all three.”

As soon as I said that, his eyes lit up. “Gee I don’t know, they’re like my children.”

“Children that you can’t afford to properly care for.”
 

He thought for a minute. “Alright mister, you have yourself a deal.”

I had him where I wanted him now. “My place is just a few miles down the road and I have an enclosure built to house them. Follow me and we can finish the deal.”

At this point, all he was seeing was dollar signs and nothing else. He had to secure up a few things so while he was doing that, I quickly wrote down the license plate numbers on his truck and trailer. After I got the cats home and safe, I would have the authorities deal with him.

Once everything was secured, we were ready to leave. He followed me to my place and he was in awe of my property. I had him back up to the pen while I opened the door. “Nice place you got here mister. You know, I don’t think I can let all three of these babies go for just $75,000.”

I kinda figured he’d try something like that so I had to play my ace in the hole. “Look bud, I have your plate numbers and I seriously doubt you have the permits needed to run that little side show of yours. In this state, animal cruelty is a felony.”

He started to squirm when I said that. “You know how to drive a hard bargain mister, $75,000 it is.”

I went around to the cage of the big male and put my hand up so he could lick it. The man had a chain for a lead and his stick. “Put that damn thing away.”

He unlocked the cage and I took the chain so I could wrap it around the cat’s neck like a collar. I gently cracked opened the cage door as the big cat laid down. I scratched his head then slowly wrapped the chain around his neck and secured it. I opened the cage door the rest of the way and he looked around then hopped down. I could see the man backing up as the cat might have had ideas about having him for a snack. “Ah, you remember me Sultan, don’t you?”

The cat stopped as it felt the chain tug lightly at his neck. I led him around the yard for a few minutes then showed him over to his new home. I opened the gate for him. He stopped and sniffed around some before entering. I followed him inside then closed the gate before taking the chain off. He allowed me to pet him and even rolled onto his back so I could rub his stomach. After getting the other two out, I gave the guy his money and he quickly left.

I knew the big cats were hungry so I went into the garage and cut up some meat for them. I’d taken a 55 gallon drum and cut it in half then put it in their enclosure so they had a constant water supply. I had a connection put on it so all I had to do was hook up the water hose to it so I could keep it full.

I cut up about 30 pounds of meat and divided it up into 3 large bowls and set it in the back of the quad I found. Mr. Cromwell thought of everything but with a place this size, you needed a practical way to get around. When I got close to their cage, they got the scent of their food and I could tell they were starving. I knew that they could go into a feeding frenzy so I took one of the chain leads then put it around Sultan so I could move him well away from the others. I let mother and cub stay together. Once that was done, I started feeding them. They quickly went through the meat and were still hungry but I didn’t want them eating until they got sick. I fixed them another 5 pounds and that seemed to satisfy their appetite.

It took me a couple weeks to get their weight up and to gain their trust so they would let me examine them. Except for some skin problems, they were healthy. Giving them their inoculations was a real trick. I couldn’t reach to pat their head and pinch a fold of skin to insert the needle but they took it all in stride.

I called a fencing contractor out to put up some fences around half of the property. They got so comfortable I could let them out and they’d roam around but always knew where to return when it was time to eat and they’d be put in their pen after their dinner time feeding.

I had built a walk way from their pen so they could come inside the house and also had a shelter built for them so they could get out of the heat.

This was about 18 months ago.

Today started much like every other with Rajah standing on my bed licking me telling me it was time for their breakfast. Have you ever been licked by a 150 pound tiger? I’m here to tell you now, it’s not like getting a kiss from your pet tabby, their tongues hurt. “Alright Rajah, I’m awake now MOVE!”

I got up and made it to the bathroom and did my business while Raj was glaring at me. “Hey get over it. The more you stare, the longer you wait.”

Now you’d have thought I just smacked him across the nose with a rolled up newspaper because he just turned and sulked out of the bedroom. I stopped in the kitchen and poured myself a cup of coffee then went out to the garage and cut up some meat for their morning meal. When I got over to their cage, Rajah and Sultan were out pacing. “Hi boys, where’s the lady?”

I thought it odd Chaka wasn’t pacing with the others. I banged on her bowl and she finally came walking out. I put their food in the cage then stood back and watched them eat. Chaka ate then took a few pieces in her mouth then went back into the enclosure. If I didn’t know better, I would have sworn she had cubs in there.

What was strange about all this was I didn’t have my usual company throughout the day. I have a small but thriving vet practice and Raj always seems to make at least one appearance but on this day, he hadn’t. At lunch time, they were all in their cage and not out wandering the fenced in compound. I don’t normally give them that much at lunch because they aren’t truly active cats like tigers in the wild are.

When I pulled up on the quad Sultan was out but that was it. Normally Rajah would be pacing back and forth but he wasn’t and he didn’t come when I called him. I shut the quad off then entered the cage. Sultan walked around me and acted like he was going to keep me from entering the shelter. “Easy boy, it’s ok.”

I reached down and scratched the big white cat’s head and he stood by my side. The only way in was a make shift door I’d put up when Rajah was a cub, this way they could come and go easily. I got down and made my way inside and got the surprise of my life.

There curled up in between Raj and Chaka was a boy. Raj raised his head and I heard a low growl. “Easy boy,” I said as I eased closer to the huddled mass.

Chaka raised her head and started at me. For the first time since I’d gotten them, I was scared. It appeared that Chaka had taken this child as if it were a cub. I eased closer then reached my hand out and rubbed the female’s head. “It’s alright girl, I won’t hurt him.”

Meanwhile, Sultan was letting me know that he was hungry and wanted to be fed. He came inside and gently pawed my shoulder as if to say, “Hey man, I’m hungry and lunch is out there.”

I decided virtue was the better part of valor so I decided to bring the food in. I started to move towards the door when Raj growled at me. Well, Sultan didn’t take kindly to this and cuffed his son across the head. Raj backed up then sat down as I eased out and got their food. As soon as I brought the bowls in, Raj was out eagerly awaiting his lunch.

I took Chaka’s food inside and gently slid it over to her not making any sudden moves or noises that would disturb the boy. As soon as she got a whiff of the meat I had her complete attention. “Here you go girl,” I said in a soft voice as I eased over.

I put a piece in my hand then held it out flat. Using her rough tongue, she licked it right out of my hand. I slid the bowl over closer so she could eat. As she reached out to pick up a piece of meat, the sleeping child stirred then sat upright. It took him a few seconds to focus then he appeared to get scared. “Who are you?”

To be continued...

Posted: 07/11/08