She peeked into the building and saw that she wasn’t the only person who had come to see what was going on. There was a crowd waiting in front of the cages, all silent and waiting for something to happen.

“What’s going on?” she asked a Blue Scorchio with a name tag; it read Brian. “What did they ask for this time?”

“Nothing,” Brian replied, his keys jingling at his belt loop. “They don’t want any food.”

“What?”

“They haven’t requested a single thing since workers showed up this morning,” a Pink Aisha on her other side said. She turned around, a badge from the local news station showing her name on her lapel; it was Paige Turner, the correspondent from the Neopian Times. She had a notepad in her hand, her pen poised above it to write the latest update.

“Why?”

“Because no one will adopt them,” Brian said in a conspiratorial tone. “They’re tired of eating and crying and being left in the dark at night with no one around.”

Susie had never thought about it that way. The Kadoatery had been around for longer than she had been alive and it was a constant presence in the The Neopian Plaza. She had never seen anyone adopt a Kadoatie, though, and had never bothered to pay attention to the name tags to even see if they were the same Kads whenever she donated a food item to one of them.

She pondered for a moment, tapping her head with her finger until an idea came to fruition. “I know what we have to do...”

"That's not a bad idea, actually," Brian replied thoughtfully, rubbing his scaly chin. "And that'll give us a chance to do a deep cleaning of the Kadoatery too, I can't remember the last time the place got a good scrub."

"Why not use the outing as an excuse to redecorate too?" Susie said, the vision growing clearer and clearer in her head. "I know Kadoaties are known for being hungry all the time, but surely they could do with some scratching posts and climbing shelves? Maybe some new wallpaper, too? They must get so bored of eating with nothing else to do, and the place doesn't exactly look happy and conducive for adoptions!"

"I agree with you there, Miss...?" Brian asked.

"Susie."

"Miss Susie, yes. I agree with you that these critters need mental stimulation and the building some renovations, but we're not exactly working with an unlimited budget here," Brian admitted sadly. "We run on charitable donations, and while food here and there from a generous Neopian comes easy, a complete overhaul of the Kadoatery won't come cheap.

"Also, taking the Kadoaties outside already requires a lot of manpower. They're not exactly the easiest charges, you know. So if most of us will be out here, who will do the overhaul? I'm sorry, Susie, but I'm afraid cleaning things up while we take them outside is the best we can do."

Susie's shoulders slumped. There had to be something that could be done! She looked glumly at the Kadoatery, taking in its decrepit look. With such a sad-looking building, it's no wonder the Kadoaties inside were sad too. And if the Kadoaties were sad, they didn't exactly look appealing to a potential adopter...

There was a tap on her shoulder from a well-manicured paw. It was Paige.

"I believe I can help out," Paige offered kindly. "I work for the Neopian Times, and maybe your project just needs visibility! We could publish an article that reads something like..."

"Oh, I like that!" Susie cheered. "That should draw people's attention to the article. We can ask for donations to help refurbish their living corridors, and we can even have people help take Kadoaties outside for some fresh air!"

"That would probably even help with getting some of them adopted," Brian chimed in, feeling excited himself. "It would provide a real bonding opportunity. I guarantee some people would find it impossible NOT to take one home with them."

"I love this! Absolutely adore this idea! I knew I came by the Kadoatery this morning for a reason!" Paige said excitedly, scribbling some ideas down on a pad of paper before giving the pad a firm hug. "Let me get back to you in a few days after I write up a rough draft of some ideas I have."

"A few days?" Susie asked, suddenly quieting down in pensive thought.

"Well, yes. The Neopian Times doesn't come out for a couple more weeks. There's plenty of time to write a good article," Paige explained, not sure what the issue was.

"But," Susie began. "If the Kadoaties are too unhappy to eat, won't two weeks be too long to wait?"

Both Brian and Paige grew quiet, slightly embarrassed that they had overlooked this crucial point.

Brian, being most familiar with the Kadoatery, was the first one to break the silence. "I guess in the meantime we'll just have to...

“Did I hear there are Petpets in need?” a loud voice boomed across the Neopian Plaza. Startled, Susie looked up to see a massive Tyrannian Elephante lumbering towards them. It was Pacha. He was the shopkeeper of the Tyrannian Petpets Shop. He also happened to be a veterinarian. Susie’s eyes lit up.

“Perfect timing!” Susie exclaimed. She hurriedly explained the situation, as Pacha listened intently. He shook his head rather sorrowfully when he heard about the abandoned Kadoaties.

“Perhaps, Neopians are not aware that several of the Kadoaties in the Kadoatery have been abandoned and are up for adoption?” Pacha mused. He turned to Brian. “Could you bring me to these poor little things? I’d like to take a look at them to make sure that they are in good health.”

Brian nodded and led Pacha to the Kadoaties, while waving at the crowd in front of the cages to disperse.

Paige followed, scribbling furiously in her notepad. “We will need photos of the Kadoaties. They’ve got to be really good photos, so you know, more Neopians will volunteer to help, or donate Neopoints so that we can redecorate.”

Paige turned to Brian. “Can you tell me more and maybe shed some light on the situation?”

“Technically the Kadoatery is meant to be a place where Kadoaties are dropped off while their owners are away on holiday,” Brian explained. “However, there are a handful of owners that have not returned for a very long time, and I fear they have been abandoned. Sadly, that has put a strain on our resources, which unfortunately means that each Kadoatie that we have does not receive the quality of care that they deserve. It’s very sad, really.” Brian hung his shoulders dejectedly.

Susie pondered for a moment, while Paige continued scribbling. This was going to be more difficult than she thought. Not only did they need donations, they also needed the right Neopians for the job. They needed a photographer, an interior designer, builders… The list went on.

“Do you think the Petpet Protection League could help?” Susie asked, to no one in particular.

Just then, the Kadoatery erupted into loud wails…