We would like to dedicate this book to the millions and millions of animals seeking homes. Special thanks to James T. Kirk, the star of our book, and the cat who inspired us to reach out to homeless animals in our community. 
		
Looking for Love
Written by Cecilia-Carranza Davis 
and India Fuller
Illustrated and photographed by 
Cecilia Carranza-Davis and India Fuller
Additional photography provided by
 Amelia Curtis and the San Diego Humane Society

Step after step after step, a rush of pain comes from my insides and a growl pushes its way out of my stomach. I 
haven’t eaten for days. Suddenly, the smell of food… (tuna I 
think!) makes its way into my nose. VROOOOOOOOM! The 
smell is so strong, BEEEEP! A monster speeds past me 
almost grazing my paw. For a moment it takes my mind off 
the fact that I almost got ran over by a huge four wheeled 
monster.


There are hundreds of them, roaring, thundering monsters of different sizes and shapes. Their tremendous speed at one 
moment and stopping for a short period of time at another, 
confuse me. I have seen what the monsters are capable of 
doing to cats like me, and it is frightening. I have learned to
 walk on a higher ground, on the sides, where the people tend 
to walk. Humans stare at me and comment on how smart I 
am. Some of them try to catch me, but fail because I am too 
fast. And smart.


Tonight I decide to sleep in an abandoned box in the alley; it is torn up but pretty comfy and it shelters me from the slight drizzle falling from 
the clouds. I dream of the food I might have tomorrow. Scraps from 
someone’s trash, a half eaten tuna sandwich with no pickles would be 
divine. Strangely, I have a new dream. A different dream. I dream of a 
home with people who love me. I’m happy. When I wake from my 
dream I no longer have to worry about food. My tummy is full. My bed 
is soft. I am curled up next to a sleeping human.  I wish I could be loved, 
but that doesn’t happen to homeless cats like me. 

I stretch in the rising sun. I hunch my back and wiggle my toes. A new day! I’m off to find something, anything, to eat. 
I’m not really as familiar with this alley so I have a hard time 
figuring which trash cans can be knocked over easily, I notice 
a white monster slowly approaching me, so I move to the 
side. A man gets out and retrieves a box from the back. He 
walks slowly towards me. “Hi, kitty,” he says softly,


I turn around to investigate the man. I sniff his outstretched fingers; I let him scratch under my chin, 
“Ahhhh, that feels nice.” I try to bolt, but I am trapped. 
His hold is too tight. I cannot move. The evil villains got 
me! He puts me in a metal box. The cool air is refreshing. 



After a terrifying drive in the four wheeled monster’s belly, I end up in an empty, cold room. I’m shaking now, scared of
what they might do to me. A human walks in and opens the 
latch to my cage; this is my chance to run! Human reaches in 
and holds me for awhile. I feel uncomfortable, but after a 
while I feel warm and my body begins to relax, “You are 
okay now. You are in good hands,” the human says, “You are 
safe.” 


The human places me on something that is metal, cold, and hard and has numbers on it. It feels unsteady. Then 
says, “Fifteen pounds, wow buddy, you’re a fatty!” The 
human laughs. “I’m not fat I’m just fluffy and quite 
handsome!” I want to say.


The human does all kinds of weird stuff to me, and writes it on paper. Finally he puts me on a scanner for a couple of
 seconds, and then puts me down to roam around. I see him
 look at a see through black and white photo that he holds to 
the light. He tells me, “Hmm, your X-rays show that you have 
a urinary blockage of some sort. We’ll give you some pills 
daily, and you’ll be just fine”. He carries me out of this room 
into another. He puts me down in a room that has food, water, 
and a bed.

She says, “Here’s your new room. You belong to the 
Humane Society. This is your home for now.”


The room is quite comfortable; I love it I only worry that the human said that this is my home for “now,” what does 
“for now,” mean? A few days go by and I am doing well. The 
pills they give me must be magical; I feel great! Although, I 
often feel lonely. Humans come in sometimes to play, but I 
really want some company all the time. Not just, sometimes. 
As if they read my mind, a human comes in and says, “You 
have a companion now James, his name is Skimo. Make sure 
you help him to feel welcomed.”

The human places the cat on the floor and all I see is the orange fur scurry under the chair that I’m on. After an hour I 
become worried, so I check on my new companion, he looks 
very scared. After a while though, Skimo adjusts to the room 
and we become buddies. 



I am perfectly healthy now. I watch daily as the human visitors glance at me and move on to see younger cats. Skimo 
gets more attention than I do, because he is only two years  
old. 



A couple comes to my window to look at me and Skimo. I hear them say I am cute. They read my paper work information 
and their expressions changes swiftly when they see that evil 
two digit number next to “Age”. “Oh he’s ten.” Ten. They say 
sadly before they walk away. I mean…who could blame them, 
who wants to adopt an old cat like me? But I refuse to lose hope,
 I will wait by my window for someone, anyone who is willing 
to give me a second chance. Until then, I wait and sleep, hoping 
that my dream, where I wake up curled in a ball, next to my 
human, will become my reality.

This book was made possible by a partnership with the class of 2017 from High Tech High International and the
San Diego Humane Society (SDHS).

For more information on adopting a pet in San Diego, go to:
http://www.sdhumane.org/