I Can Talk to Cats C11

Chapter 11: The Second Cat (Part Three)

Translated by Lime

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Recap: Lin Lan told her family about the new pet. She later went to go pick up the new kitten and saw Cheng Fengyang getting his border collie checked out in the animal clinic.

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Doctor Liu led Lin Lan to a heated cat bed and carefully brought the kitten out.

After recuperating in the animal clinic for a week, the kitten had grown back a few wisps of fur. The pink skin was still visible and the areas that were previously infected with ringworms were brownish.

“Her fur will fully grow back in around a month. Also, you need to actively keep her warm. Have you made a nest out of heated blankets already?” Doctor Liu asked her.

Lin Lan nodded: “It’s been ready!” In the past week, she was not idle. Not only did she prepare the electric blankets, but she had also bought the rest of the stuff that Doctor Liu recommended that she use to take care of the kitten.

“That’s good.” He placed the kitten into the carrier and took out a bag from a cabinet. This bag had been packed earlier and was filled with various medications for the kitten. 

“This bag has powdered milk in it and the brand is used by zoos to feed panda cubs and tiger cubs. For three months, she can only drink this because her digestive system is still very weak. You need to pay special attention.”

Ding! Your Alipay account has transferred XXXX yuan!

_{(T/N: ‘支付宝’ = ‘Alipay account’. Online payments are widely used in China, and Alipay is one of the largest online payment apps.)}

The transaction went through all at once, and the money was gone now. On the outside, Lin Lan seemed not to care. On the inside, however, she was crying.

Little kitten, you must survive. In addition, you must live a long life!

Lin Lan lifted the cat carrier and was about to dispiritedly head home when she overheard Doctor Liu scolding a dog owner… Pei, owner of the border collie: “The injury is not serious and if you apply the medicine as instructed, the wound will not become inflamed and will heal rapidly. Right now, it’s not easy for her to move, is it convenient for you to carry it home?”

_{(T/N: Most of you are probably familiar with ‘Pei’, which could be roughly translated to ‘Bah!’ or ‘Pooh!’ In this context, it could be interpreted as ‘Oops’.  She interrupted her own thoughts because she was cursing the client/Cheng Fengyang by calling him a ‘dog’ = stupid, owner.)}

“It’s no problem.” Cheng Fengyang replied, “I drove her here!”

Doctor Liu prescribed some medication and requested that he buy vitamins.

Thus, after exiting the clinic, Lin Lan was able to see the dog’s owner princess-carrying his dog out.

The border collie was treated very well and appeared to be a little plump. The young workaholic had to exert effort to carry her and his awkward posture was hilarious.

Lin Lan was also carrying a pet with her two hands and there was laughter in her eyes until the man stopped at the side of the road, at a cobalt blue Mercedes-Benz car.

This person… 

Lin Lan couldn’t help but stare.

When she studied the scene in front of her, her expression became complicated.

The young man had set down his dog into the back row of the car and sat in the driver’s position. It wasn’t long before the blue car turned into the street, and at the crossroads, turned again into the entrance of the residential area.

The car shortly disappeared and Lin Lan returned home with the kitten, shaking her head.

The kitten that was still recovering was brought home and criticized by its grandfather and grandmother. The great-grandmother also curled her lip and showed disdain towards its appearance.

_{(T/N: If it isn’t clear, the ‘grandfather and grandmother’ mentioned is Father Lin and Mother Lin. The ‘great-grandmother’ is Grandmother Lin. The new kitten is Lin Lan’s ‘child’ in the family.)}

“Its shaven appearance is too ugly. It looks exactly like a naked mouse!”

These elders were too quick to judge people based on looks. Judging cats based on their appearance wasn’t correct either!

Lin Lan was helpless and could only ignore her anger at her picky family members.

Taking care of this three month old kitten was much more tiring than taking care of Snowflake back then. The cat food recipe was completely different and everything must be carefully monitored. If anything minor occurred… 

“Doctor Liu, the situation is not good, the kitten threw up water!”

“Doctor Liu, the situation is not good, the kitten drank the milk formula and has difficulty breathing!”

“Doctor Liu, the situation is not good, the kitten’s fever is not receding!”

Before, all the situations that happened to Qian Xuan now happened to Lin Lan.

One month had not passed and Lin Lan was already physically and mentally exhausted. Her hair was falling out everyday and she was beginning to develop permanent dark circles. The problems of raising such a young kitten were almost all experienced by Lin Lan. In the end, she gained a lot of experience.

Her family all felt sorry for her in their heart and would accidentally say some depreciating words.

“This cat is even more delicate than Xiao Qian’s. It is just too troublesome.”

“I already told you that sick cats are hard to raise. You are just seeking to die!”

“Lan Lan, what if… you just give up? I see you working hard every day, don’t become sick yourself.”

Lin Lan bit her lip and never spoke a word in return.

How could she give up?

The circumstances of the kitten were getting better. The fur on her body was gradually growing back and covered her. She was beginning to run and play around in her cat cage that Lin Lan bought. The kitten was also able to open her blue eyes towards Lin Lan and mew.

“Mi! Miew!” (Mom! Mom!)

Her soft little claws gently grabbed onto Lin Lan’s finger, and her cries were imprinted in Lin Lan’s heart.

Before, Lin Lan tolerated her, but now, she couldn’t resist the ugly kitten that became her precious treasure.

“Don’t listen to them, you’re not ugly. My precious has very pretty blue eyes, exactly like the highest quality of sapphire.” She gently rubbed the cat’s head that was slightly scarred: “I’ve decided that your name will be Sapphire, okay?”

If she was going to raise this cat, she would do it with love!

The news that the landlord’s daughter picked up a stray cat and brought it home was widely spread around the apartment building. The majority of those who heard were happy for them. Those who were close to the Lin family visited, including the Yu family.

The naughty Yu Lingling had brought Xiao Kui over to see the kitten.

“Wow, it’s a bit ugly!” Seeing the uneven fur and discoloration in some areas, the middle school student accidentally spoke without thinking.

“Ugly! Ugly!” The cockatoo that was perched on her shoulder repeated after her, creating a noise atmosphere. Its beak was quickly pinched closed by Yu Lingling and it shut up thinking: do you want me to suffocate and die?

When it stopped making trouble, the girl immediately tried to adjust her precious words: “Eh?

After looking closer, its head is actually quite adorable, it looks like a longhaired cat.”

“Adorable! Adorable!” Xiao Kui continued to repeat and this time the girl didn’t stop him.

Lin Lan did not get mad at these two friends, rather smiled at them: “It needs to completely recover before her hair grows back and she will be cuter. There are still three full months until then.”

“Oh—” Yu Lingling voiced her understanding, “Big sister Lan Lan, does she have a name?”

“She does, I recently named her Sapphire.”

“Sapphire? …Ah! Its eyes are lovely!” 

Lin Lan sent off the curious guests and not long after, another unexpected visitor came.

“I heard that you are taking care of a kitten that always falls sick…” Qian Xuan stood near the entrance and showed no signs of wanting to come in. She seemed awkward because of the previous conflict at the animal clinic: “Always… always needing to bring the cat to the doctor is something that I have experienced as well. I brought nutritious medicine and some ointments that are all for kittens. I’ll give them to you!”

Qian Xuan’s mood had stabilized already, and in the end, her words flowed fluently. She pushed the plastic bag into Lin Lan’s hands and ran away, saying:

“That time I really didn’t mean to say those words. Also, I wish your kitten a healthy recovery!”

The person was out of her sight shortly. Standing at the door, Lin Lan’s expression was one of confusion. The stairwell sounded with urgent steps, and she smiled.

“Miaowow—” (Lan Lan!)

Snowflake was rubbing his head against her leg.

“Miaow—” (Lan Lan, I will help you take care of the kitten!)

Lin Lan picked up the white cat, her face smiling even more: “Thank you Snowflake.”

Many days swiftly passed. Those who wanted to visit the Lin family to see the kitten were met with the overprotectiveness of Lin Lan who acted as if it was her own child. For another month, other than going to the animal clinic, the kitten only played inside the apartment. The most abnormal occurrence was Snowflake. This cat that loved to bask in the sun outdoors assisted Lin Lan in taking care of the kitten. He always was seen grooming the kitten.

Their daughter was so attentive, and the Lin family begrudgingly gave the kitten some of their attention. Along with its recovery, the fur on its body slowly grew into that of a regular cat and the three elders were shocked to see it.

“Is this cat really that sickly naked mouse?” Grandmother Lin had to put on her glasses and was astonished.

“This change is just too big!” Wang Xiuzhi’s and Lin Youyu’s reactions were even more exaggerated, “Is this the same cat from before?”

The three month old kitten was picked up by Lin Lan, and because she trusted her, the kitten went limp and let other people pet her.

The kitten’s head was soft and her perfectly round, vibrant blue eyes were like gemstones. The brownish-grey markings on her face reached from her cheeks to her ear. From time to time, the snow-white fur on the inside of her ear would quiver. The rest of the fur on her body was gradually getting whiter, except the very tip of her tail that was the same brownish-grey color. The coloration of the fur on her chest compared to the rest of her body made her seem like she was wearing a scarf, making her look beautiful and graceful. She seemed very magical and fairy-liked.

The pheasant had turned into a phoenix. A few years ago when Snowflake also changed, it didn’t shock them this much!

_{(T/N: ‘山鸡变凤凰啊’ = ‘Pheasant turned into a phoenix’, it is a Chinese idiom and the English equivalent is the ugly duckling turning into a beautiful swan.)}

“Sapphire, say hello to everyone.” Lin Lan was very proud of herself and angled her head down to speak to the kitten.

The kitty immediately followed her orders: “Mi—”

The delicate meowing of the cat was that of a young kitten. When she opened her mouth, they were able to see its small, pink tongue. The Lin family elders turned into stone.

“Although I guessed its breed while it was sick, I didn’t want to tell you because I wasn’t sure if it would survive.”

Inside the animal clinic, the veterinarian finished the examination and returned the kitten to a smiling Lin Lan.

“Congratulations, Lin Lan. This kitten is a beautiful, blue-eyed ragdoll cat. Although it is not a purebred, your cat could fetch between 15,000 yuan to 18,000 yuan if you wanted to sell it.”

_{(T/N: 15,000 yuan ≈ $2,120 USD. 18,000 yuan ≈ $2,550 USD.)}

“Doctor Liu, the estimation does not matter to me.” Lin Lan resentfully looked at him, “I’m not selling my Sapphire!”

This kitten considered her as her mother. Where could you find a mother who would sell their own child?

“My bad, my bad, I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”

Doctor Liu quickly apologized and reached out his hand to pet the kitten’s head. This kind of docile ragdoll cat wasn’t very common. The veterinarian showed a fatherly smile.

_{(T/N: Apparently, ragdoll cats are known for their more docile traits, so I don’t know why it says so in the text. Take this part with a grain of salt.)}

“Little rascal, the name Sapphire fits you.”

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You can search ‘Seal point ragdoll cat’ to get a general idea of Sapphire’s markings. Chapter 12 will be put up in around 2 days. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

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