I saw something, something very disturbing and I wouldn’t tell anyone, no. I just pretended as though it never happened. I’m busy on weekdays because I have to work extra hours, sometimes I just sleep out and wouldn’t be home for days until today, Instead of resting all day I decided to fix up the house. I’d hardly been around and a little cleaning was due. It was a Sunday, I loved to do some house cleaning on these days and was finishing up for the morning when an animal control mini van pulled up across the street.

You know how our neighborhood’s been having some issues with strays lately? Yeah, that’s why they were here.

This part of the city was particularly notorious for stray cats and dogs. 

I continued parking up into my house whilst the guys from the van got hold of a few dogs, lots and lots of cats, a hawk ?; no idea why some guy had one. Anyway, since they were here they might as well just help get rid of the dogs that hurt JK and messed up my yard garden. Put a fence and the street dogs still managed to get in, not to mention how I almost lost my house cat, JK.

Finally, an end to the chaos and pretty good timing too, the dogs were right were I never thought I’d be happy to see them, in my garden.

I waved the huge animal control guy over and he came with that much excitement in his eyes, I thanked him and his team for their efforts, set JK on the couch and went ahead to show him to my garden. He quickly got to work rounding up the dogs, They were feral but this guy, this guy knew his job too well, really good technique, I was impressed. He cornered the first and bagged it up, I just let him do his work and left to relax.

A few minutes later when I returned , he was gone. The front door was wide open and I could hear the wind whistling through the house. I called out for him, but there was no answer. I honestly couldn’t care less so I shut the door.

I went back upstairs to my room, looked out the window, but couldn't find him nor the animal control van anywhere, assuming they’d rounded up and left.

After a while I noticed something was off, it was JK, he was no where around the house. Maybe he went out to do cat stuff.

Later that evening, I grabbed my car keys and head out to buy some groceries for dinner. JK would’ve been sitting in the front seat with me, I started to worry since he never left home this long.

I parked the car and got out to buy some meat from the slaughterhouse. I picked up a few chickens and beef cuts, and that was it.

That’s when I looked up and saw him. The huge guy from animal control was standing there, wearing an apron covered in blood and guts.

He stood far back behind the counter, handling pounds of red meat, he sank his knife in and out of them and sliced. As he lined them up on the trays, other workers moved the trays back into what I guess was the freezer, it happened so fast.

I asked the butcher I knew and got the guy’s name from him. The big guy’s name was Riz. Riz always managed to come through for the business, he didn’t know how he did it but there’s never been a shortage since he joined.

Riz looked at me again, this time it was a stern one, and I left with my heart pounding in my chest, I drove home as fast as i could and burst into tears as I slammed the door behind me.

Ever since it happened, I’ve had a lot of pets. I’ve managed to house two dogs and another cat for years now. I couldn’t love them any harder. The incident from back then tore me up. I really loved my JK. It felt like it was my fault, for what happened or might have happened to him. I guess I got too attached without even realizing it. I’m sorry, JK.

I know I can’t bring him back, but I feel like I owe it to him to take care of other animals, like a way of honoring his memory. A part of me still wanted to hear JK's meow and prove myself wrong but, but it didn't happen. My money, the stuff I bought, and JK, I left it all at the slaughter house.