August 4, Entry #30 of Gabriel Agreste's Secret Journal

I may have made a mistake. I blame Adrien entirely.

Today, I caught Adrien sneaking a cat into the house. It did not surprise me, as Adrien always wanted a pet. I figured it was an act of teenage rebellion, which honestly, I should have seen coming.

However, it did surprise me when I realized Adrien was not sneaking a cat into the house. He was sneaking a cat and her kittens back into the house after a visit to the vet's office. Because apparently, my son had been harboring a pregnant cat in his room for the past two months. According to Nathalie, one of the kittens had gotten an eye infection, and Adrien didn't want to leave the family alone, so he just took them all to the vet.

It looks like I need to start being more observant around the house.

Nathalie was very nonchalant about the whole situation. She thought it was good for Adrien to have something to take care of. The cat "taught him responsibility, while being adorable." She, however, was not okay with having more than one cat. That was just too much to handle.

So, we went up to his room to break the news.

"Adrien," I said. "You must give the kittens up for adoption."

Adrien looked up at me, his eyes wide. "But can't I keep them Father? They still need their mother, and they are just so cute."

I was about to say "Still no," when one of the kittens waddled up to me and sat on my shoe.

"See Father?" Adrien said. "They like you!"

I was not convinced, so I picked up the kitten, making sure to hold it at arm's length.

"Hello" I said.

"Meow," it replied.

I set it back down, and the kitten curled up on my shoe, falling asleep. It was then that I realized the kitten was, as my son had stated, "so cute."

Perhaps having a pet to keep me company during my long days in the office could be beneficial. Yes, yes, that was a great excuse. So I turned to Nathalie and said, "We're keeping them."

Nathalie crossed her arms. "You're not keeping the kitten Gabriel."

"Why not?"

"Three days from now, you will have forgotten it existed and failed to take adequate care of it."

"No I won't," I muttered back, scowling.

"Don't worry Nathalie," Adrien piped up from where he was playing with the kittens. "I'll care for it!"

"Does everyone think I'm not responsible enough to care for another living thing?" I asked.

"Well, you don't have a great track record," Nathalie replied, glancing over to Adrien.

She did have a point.

However, I pretended I didn't hear her, and instead picked up the kitten and held it in my arms. It started purring. "Nathalie, please can it stay? Look at it's face! How could you say no to a face like that?"

"No."

"But I've already named it! Just look at cute little Pumpernickel!"

"Still no Gabriel."

"I'll give you a raise and that new desk you've been wanting if you let us keep the kittens."

Nathalie looked over to Adrien, who was lying on the floor, surrounded by the kittens and laughing. "Fine."

"Thank you thank you thank you!" I said, clutching the cat to my chest. "Adrien, they can stay!"

"Yea! Thank you Nathalie!"

"You're welcome Adrien," Nathalie smiled. Then she turned to me, "And I expect the new desk to be there in the morning."

"Of course, I'll make it happen," I said, then she left. I exited Adrien's room as well, carrying Pumpernickel back to the office with me.

Now that I am sitting in my noticeably litter box-less office, Pumpernickel batting the papers on my desk and making this awful meowing noise, I realize maybe I should have listened to Nathalie. Too late now, I suppose. Perhaps I could convince the Gorilla to adopt Pumpernickel? But then Nathalie would give me her I-told-you-so look, and I would have given her a raise for nothing.

I guess Pumpernickel is here to stay. But preferably away from the important business papers and notes about Adrien's strangeness on my desk.