According to Google, Kitty City opened at seven. Why people would need to buy a cat at such an early hour was beyond me, but I didn't make those rules. The bell above the door dinged my arrival, and then I stopped in my tracks. Silence. Zero movement inside the various cages. For a pet store, I sure expected there to be more, you know, pets.

"Take that!" a voice shouted from the rear of the store. Then a woman in her forties appeared with a shock of bright red hair and colorful ...