HITHHIKING CAT

Heading S. from Olympia WA, 1989? Visiting Michael. '70 Hornet.¨
Stopped for gasoline in Ashland OR, wash windshield, etc.

Friendly cat appears, reach down and pet it. Door left open; cat jumps¨
in, looks at me, jumps into back and lays down on the floor behind the¨
drivers seat. I say "come on out kitty cat", cat just acts coy and¨
friendly. I let it stay there til done fueling. Laughingly I drag the¨
cat out, where it immediately jumps in again. When pitched out more¨
insistently, it gives up and hangs around.

Asked the attendent about the cat. He said it belonged to some¨
neighbor, but always hung out around the gas station. Some calamity¨
befell the cat or its owners (moved out? kicked out cat? I forget),¨
and it basically lived in the gas station. Since the calamity (recent)¨
the cat had taken to trying this routine to get into peoples cars.

I hope it got a ride out of Ashland OK.