Other cats often picked on him, but he endured it silently. He never responded with aggression, just looked away and froze in the corner of the cage as if not noticing anyone around.
Lily, one of the shelter volunteers, sadly watched the fluffy snow-white cat pressed against the cage wall. This large cat with a luxurious tail had appeared here three months ago. Since then, he showed no interest in his surroundings. Even the name Moses, given to him, went unanswered.
“We took him to the vet, physically he’s fine,” the girl quietly said, addressing Lily. “But in this state, hardly anyone will want to adopt him.”
“What’s wrong with you, little one?” Lily carefully opened the cage and picked up the cat. “You miss home, don’t you?”
“At least he eats a little,” the girl added with a sigh.
“Who brought him here?”
“A social worker from child welfare came,” she said. “The owners were in an accident and both died. The girl was taken to an orphanage, and the cat was given to us. It’s a heavy story…”
“The girl was sent to a shelter?” Lily asked again. “Didn’t they find any relatives?”
“If there were any, they wouldn’t have ended up in different shelters,” the woman replied and left to attend to other duties.
“Your owner’s in the orphanage… maybe only she can bring joy back to you,” Lily whispered as she gently put Moses back down. He didn’t react—neither to her voice nor to her touch.
Lily couldn’t come to terms with the sadness in his eyes. She decided to find the cat’s home. The town was small; someone must remember.
Several days were spent asking around and gathering information. After getting the address, Lily put a harness on Moses and went to where he had once lived.
The yard was empty. A typical panel apartment building. Lily held the cat and approached the correct entrance. She dialed the apartment number on the intercom.
“Who is it?” came an elderly voice.
“Good afternoon! I’m Lily, a shelter volunteer. I have a cat, Moses, who used to live in apartment 28. May I speak with you?”
“Of course, of course! Come up,” the woman answered cheerfully.
On the second floor, Lily set Moses down on the floor. Moses immediately brightened, stretched toward the door, and softly meowed. At that moment, an elderly woman wrapped in a shawl came out of a neighboring apartment.
“Moses!” she exclaimed, immediately crouching to pet the cat. Recognizing her, Moses purred and rubbed against her legs.
“He’s like he’s come back to life…” Lily whispered, hardly believing her eyes.
“Are you Lily? I’m Regina Alexandrovna,” the woman said, hugging the cat. “Come in, let’s have some tea.”
While they sat in the kitchen, Lily asked:
“Please tell me about Moses. He refuses to eat, doesn’t respond to anyone—this is the first time I’ve heard him meow.”
“Moses was a true family member,” Regina Alexandrovna began. “The owners, Andrey and Sveta, found him when he was still a blind kitten. They raised and cared for him. When their daughter Lizochka was born, he became her best friend. He slept with her and never left her side. Sveta even joked that their daughter had taken the cat from her. He belonged to her with all his heart.”
The old woman wiped away a tear.
“Lizochka often stayed with me. And so did Moses. No wonder he remembers me. Can he stay with me? They told me he was taken while I wasn’t home…”
“Of course, if he’s happy here, that’s best,” Lily agreed. “What about Liza?”
“She’s in the orphanage. I wanted to visit her, but they refused—I’m not family. Andrey had no relatives left. Although he had a distant cousin, Misha, who lived abroad and came every summer…”
“Do you have any contact information?”
“Only the name and surname of his late wife’s aunt. She lives in a neighboring town. Maybe she can help.”
Regina Alexandrovna handed Lily a scrap of paper. Lily clenched it in her hand and, after saying goodbye, went to the police to see the father.
A month passed. Lily spoke almost daily with Regina Alexandrovna. Moses became noticeably livelier, especially after a playful little cat that Lily had brought from the shelter arrived at the house.
With her father’s help, she managed to find a woman who knew Mikhail. Yesterday, the woman gave Lily a phone number.
Today, holding her breath, Lily dialed it. On the ninth ring:
“Hello?” answered a male voice.
“Hello, my name is Lily. I’m a volunteer from the shelter where Moses ended up…”
“Moses? How did he get there?!”
“The owners died in an accident four months ago…”
“Oh God…” the voice trembled. “And Liza?”
“She’s in the orphanage. But she’s okay.”
“Why didn’t anyone tell me?! She shouldn’t be in a shelter. She has family!”
“Probably, the social workers didn’t know about you. But I wanted to help…”
“Thank you, Lily. How’s Moses?”
“He’s living with Regina Alexandrovna now. She told me a lot…”
“Moses will see Liza. Everything will be fine.”
Ten months after the first call, Lily sat in the orphanage’s reception holding Moses. Mikhail had promised to pick up Liza today.
Lily knew their paths might part after that. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a door opening. Mikhail entered.
“Hello, Lily,” he smiled, taking Moses. “Old friend, you haven’t changed.”
“I’m glad to see you,” Lily tried to hide her nervousness.
In the office —The director hesitated.
“The girl doesn’t care.”
“Why not?” Lily asked quietly but firmly.
“Since Lizaveta has been with us, she barely talks to anyone. No friends, no smiles… The psychologist says that…”
The office door opened, and a caregiver entered, holding the hand of a thin little girl of about seven. Her pale face and dull gaze showed no fear or interest—only emptiness. Lily had often seen the same look in Moses’s eyes when he sat in the shelter cage.
The parallel struck her suddenly. Her heart clenched painfully—how unfair it was to see a child torn from her world, from love, from home.
“Lizochka, sunshine,” Mikhail whispered softly, kneeling down. “It’s me, Uncle Misha. Do you remember? Now look who came with me…”
He gently held Moses in his arms. The snow-white cat, hearing the girl’s familiar voice, suddenly began to stir and struggled, demanding freedom. Mikhail set him on the floor. Moses immediately dashed to the child, meowing plaintively and looking straight into her eyes.
Liz’s gaze, previously empty, began to fill with meaning. When the cat wrapped himself around her legs and purred, the girl let go of the caregiver’s hand and awkwardly knelt down, hugging her fluffy friend. Tears ran down her cheeks as she buried her face in his warm fur.
“Moses… Mosesyushka, you’ve come back to me…” she whispered through tears.
Lily couldn’t hold back and started crying too, watching this miracle. Even the school director quickly turned away, wiping his nose.
“My dear,” Mikhail said, hugging the girl and the cat. “Everything will be alright, I’m with you.”
“Uncle Misha, can I go with you?” Liza asked timidly.
“That’s why I came, Lizochka. You and Moses will go home now. They’re already waiting for you there.”
“Will Misha, Sashka, and Lyoshik mind that we’re coming?” she asked uncertainly.
“Not at all. They’ve been pestering me about when you’ll be with us. And… now one more person will live with us.”
He looked at Lily and smiled slightly.
Two months later, Lily stood in the airport holding a suitcase by the handle. She had thought about that meeting at the orphanage all this time. She had switched to part-time studies and, after finishing her current affairs, was ready to travel.
At the exit from the arrivals area, she saw Mikhail holding Moses. Behind him were three boys, and just to the side—Liza, waving joyfully.
“We’re all here to welcome you!” Mikhail laughed, hugging Lily. “Meet my guys — Mikhail, Alexander, and Alexey.”
The boys nodded politely, then started whispering to each other.
“And you’ve already become friends with Liza.”
“Aunt Lily!” Liza exclaimed, running up to the girl and hugging her. “I’m so happy!”
“My dear girl!” Lily whispered, holding her close. “And Moses is here, of course…”
“He’d never have stayed at home! After all, it all started with him,” Mikhail laughed, handing her the cat.
Moses rubbed against Lily’s shoulder and purred softly as if to say, “I remember you.” The hands that once pulled him out of the abyss of loneliness were there again.
