Crazy Cat Lady [Nekotalia x Reader]

Chapter 1

It wasn't like [y/n] wasn't happy with her life. She had friends and family that loved her, a roof over her head, food on the table, and a steady job. That wasn't the problem. The problem was just how repetitive her day-to-day life had become: wake up, go to work, come home, go to bed, repeat in the morning. Even her days off weren't all that exciting, replacing 'go to work' with 'do all the needed chores'.

Of course, she couldn't tell those close to her how she felt. Though they meant well, they'd just tell her to read a new book or find a new hobby or any of the usual tricks to get out of a rut. Those things may work for other people, but they just weren't for [y/n], at least not for curing her boredom. 

Someone had suggested getting a pet, and while the idea of a furry, feathery, or even scaly companion sounded nice, a pet is a lot of responsibility. Pet food, a place for them to sleep and play, toys, and grooming supplies, not to mention the love and attention said pet would need. No, her busy schedule wouldn't allow it, as much as she would love to have one.

 [Y/n] had finished up the last of her chores, not even bothering to fold the laundry she had just pulled from the dryer. She had the next two days off, it can wait until tomorrow. "Let's see, the dishes are done, laundry is finished, and I've vacuumed the carpet. That just leaves the kitchen to be mopped, but it's supposed to rain tonight... I'll do it tomorrow," she groaned before sitting on the couch. 

Grabbing the remote, [y/n] flipped through the tv channels, hoping to find something to pass the time. Unfortunately, nothing good was on, and she wasn't in the mood to become obsessed with a new show. [y/n] sighed in defeat, turning the tv off.

 Though it was only half past noon, she trudged to the kitchen, needing to plan what to have for dinner later that night. It had been a while since she had lost gone shopping for groceries, and as a result, there wasn't much she could work with. Ketchup, chips, and cream of mushroom soup didn't sound like a good combo. "Guess I'm going to the store..." [Y/N] grabbed a pen and paper and made a list of things she knew she would need.

[Y/N] put on some shoes and grabbed her jacket and keys. Almost as soon as she stepped out the door, a cold drop of rain hit her head. By the time she pulled in the parking lot of the grocery store, it was sprinkling, but the low rumble of thunder in the distance warned of a storm sometime soon.

 ~-~-~-~-~

[Y/N] sat in her car, parked in the driveway, bags full of groceries sitting in the passenger seat. By that point, the rain had progressed into a full-blown thunderstorm. "Damn it..." Crawling over the center console, she searched for the spare umbrella she kept in the back. Even with the jacket on, it wouldn't do much against the rain. 

Mew...

[Y/N] sat up, listening. As far as she knew, neither of her neighbors had a cat. "Must be hearing things... note to self, clean out your car... where's that damn umbrella?" Tossing around the random assortment of junk in the back, [Y/N] finally found her umbrella. There was a flash of lightning, a roll of thunder following shortly after.

Meow

"Ignoring..!" Maybe the neighbors did get a cat, but it wasn't her responsibility if the poor thing was left outside, it seemed to find shelter under her car. She had no plans to go out again for the rest of the day, so it would be safe from the weather. Even if she felt bad... Nope, not her problem. Groceries in one hand, umbrella in the other, she got out of her car, using her hip to shut the door.

Mrrow!

"Yeah, no, I'm getting involved."  [Y/N] set the bags on the ground and got on her knees, looking under her car. There, shivering and wet, sat a white cat with brown patches of fur on his head, left leg, and tail. It also looked like it had a curl, for some strange reason. Its eyes were closed, but it didn't seem to be asleep.

"Aww. Come here," [Y/N] cooed, reaching her hand towards the cat slowly. The cat sniffed at her hand, yet remained where it was. "Here kitty, kitty, kitty. C'mon, I'll take you inside, where it's nice and warm. A lot better than out here, all cold and wet, right?" 

Another loud crack of thunder and the cat came running into [Y/N]'s arms, shaking like a leaf. Its fur was soaked from the rain, and there was mud caked onto its paws and sides. 

"Oh, you poor thing." [Y/N] stood up, puling her jacket over the shivering ball of fur. "Let's get you inside."

Ve-meow...

 ~-~-~-~-~

[Y/N] had gotten the cat cleaned up with a quick warm bath. She was surprised at how calm he seemed to be now that he wasn't out in the rain; in fact, he curled up in her lap for a nap as soon as she finished drying him off.

"You're clearly not a stray," [Y/N] stroked the cats fur, smiling as he purred. "I'll have to see if you're microchipped. In the meantime, you can stay with me. How's that sound?"

Ve~

"You are one strange cat." [Y/N] chuckled softly, glancing at the time on her phone. 7:47 p.m. She sighed, carefully picked the cat up and placed him on the couch so he could continue his catnap before she headed to the kitchen. "Maybe spaghetti for tonight, the leftovers will last a few days."

Boiling a pot of water for pasta, [Y/N] began to cook the meat to mix with the sauce. She looked up and saw the cat sitting on the counter, staring at the pot. 

"When did you..? You shouldn't be on the counter, you might get hurt." [Y/N] tried to shoo him off the counter, but he wouldn't budge. He sniffed at the food, and that's when it clicked. "Ohh, you're hungry." [Y/N] grabbed a colander, dumping the pasta into it. "You'll get some of the meat once it's finished."

Turning back to the stove, [Y/N] saw that the counter was now cat-free. "What, where'd you go?"

The clatter of a nearby cup made [Y/N] turn around just to see a blur of white and brown fur dash across the counter, a few noodles in his mouth.

"Hey!"

 ~-~-~-~-~

After dinner (and a panicked-riddled internet search that pasta noodles weren't dangerous for cats to eat), [Y/N] put the leftovers in the fridge, making sure there was no possible way for the cat to get into and make a mess.

"Alright you little troublemaker, time to go to sleep." Not that she needed to tell him that; he had fallen asleep on her bed anyway. [Y/N] quickly changed into some comfortable pjs and crawled into bed, doing her best not to disturb her new roommate. "Hmm... you'll need a name if you're gonna stay here."

[Y/N] scratched behind the cats ear, smiling when he began to purr. She pulled out her phone and looked up some name ideas.

'Feli'? No, too human. 

'Seuss'? Cute, but it would work better if he looked like the Cat in the Hat, which he didn't.

'Jennifurr'? Nope. The cat was male, and a cat pun? No thanks.

'Meatball'? Maybe. Food themed names are fun, and the brown patches did look like meatballs. 

"Meatball it is, then," [Y/N] decided, curling up under the covers. As she drifted off to sleep, she felt something soft and warm curl up next to her.

Ve-meow