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.