Secret Second Pet

I went into a friend's house and immediately spotted her pet: a large, grey tomcat, lazily seated on the living room coffee table. As I petted him, his orange eyes opened lethargically and I could only imagine elevator music playing in his head.

He's a very calming, quiet pet, but I would get bored of him quickly, I thought. (I don't have any pets myself, and am considering getting a cat.)

I got snapped out of my thoughts when I heard a quiet, high-pitched meowing from... the back of the TV?

My friend, let's call her Anna, was in the kitchen getting snacks, so instead of bothering asking about the noise, I decided to investigate myself.

I peered around the TV cabinet and a pair of bright yellow eyes greeted me. I jumped back slightly, thoughts of rats or other invasive animals creeping into my head.

"Oh, looks like you found Scaredy." Anna was back, looking with me into the dark corner of the house. "He's basically the opposite of Clouds back there, hates people and being out in the open. I'll try to get him out of there."

Several attempts, a few scratches, and plenty of yowling later, she finally brought Scaredy out of his comfort zone. He's pitch black and a lot smaller than Clouds, and I could definitely notice the variation in personality. I could only pet him once (and very fast, at that) before he bolted back into another hiding spot: the back of the couch.

Maybe I like the lazy ones better after all. I spent the rest of my time there with Clouds, occasionally hearing a faint purr from different hiding spots around the house.