Tiffany
Before you think otherwise, I’m a cat. My breed is Turkish Van and I live in Australia and my home is a cosy alleyway. The special thing about my breed is that we, unlike all the other cat breeds actually love to get wet! This is the story of how I met an odd tom cat in my alleyway. I don’t know exactly what he said but I think I got the words correct. My friend Lily (a human) has translated my story into the human language because she knows how to speak cat. Sometimes I think she’s crazier than that tomcat, I mean what human understands the cat language? I sometimes pay her transportable home a visit and she is always happy to give me a saucer of milk. Anyway that’s not important, the story is. Ready?
This is how it all transpired. I was in my alleyway being bored as usual when I heard a sound coming from the rubbish bin by Lily’s house. I went to investigate and smelt mouse. I hunted the mouse and ate it. It was delicious and right on time as I was extremely hungry. It gave me a transfusion of energy that I needed for my busy daily word wondering. That day’s word was transcontinental. I keep hearing Lily say she wants to travel transcontinental or something. I spent a while thinking but I was interrupted by yet another noise. The only difference is that this noise wasn’t coming from the bin and it sounded like groaning. I went to investigate. As I got closer the groaning became a voice and when I got closer I could make out some words. They said “No more transplanting, no more transplanting please”. The voice was coming from a tom cat with silver tabby fur and one torn ear tip. He was the craziest cat I had ever seen or heard. I never knew cats could have transplants but according to him cats can. He seemed to be limping as he was walking. He walked over to my bed and collapsed as if he was dead. The next thing that happens is too violent to say so I’ll just tell you that I attacked him. After the battle I had transformed him into a tom cat with two torn ear tips. I changed from attacking him to being nice to him. I let him stay in my alleyway for a little while so he could regain some strength he lost when I attacked him. I know it was wrong to attack him but HE WAS IN MY BED. I felt really guilty and that is the only reason he stayed in my alleyway a little longer than I liked. When I wanted him to leave a couple of days later he started talking nonsense again. He said things like “Home is where I live and I live where I like” and “Home isn’t home if you’re not there”. He said to me “My home is gone with the wind”. Suddenly I felt sorry for this cat, it sounded like he had lived a hard life. He must have lost his home and almost died and needed a transplant to live. He probably had no home and had to eat anything edible that he could find. That might be why he is so odd and weak. I let him stay in the alleyway for a while longer, my alleyway sorry. I know this is the most non transitory thing I’ve ever done but it’s just until he has a home of his own.
A month after meeting the tom cat something happened. It was cloudy day and the wind was blowing loudly on the street. The tom cat was pacing up and down the alleyway. I asked him what was wrong but he only said “Run”. I’m no runner so I ignored what he said. A long time after what he said I became fidgety. I decided to investigate (I do a lot of investigating) outside my alleyway and find out what was worrying him. The sight I saw was unbelievable. Bags, papers and anything light enough to be blown away were flying across the street. The wind was so strong that I was almost blown off my paws. As soon as I got out I retreated to my alleyway. I looked at the tom cat and he looked at me. We both knew that this was no storm, but much worse and we couldn’t leave and if we couldn’t escape before it became life threatening, we would die. I curled up in my bed and tried to think of a way to escape. I noticed something moving in the shadows. I walked over to find the tom cat. He was next to a thing that looked like some sort of ladder thing. He beckoned to me and I walked to him. The ladder looked like it would only allow one of us to escape. “Escape” he said to me and for once he was clear. “I won’t just leave you” I told him. He had a look of pure determination on his face. “Go” he said in a forcing kind of way and pushed me towards it. “Where does it lead to?” I asked. “Into one of the houses” He answered. I climbed up it and before I was out of sight I took a last at him. He now had another look on his face, one I had never seen before. I didn’t look back until I reached safety and when I looked back again the ladder had already collapsed. The tom cat gave up his life to save me; maybe he wasn’t so odd after all.
I was never truly happy after that. I returned to my alleyway and it was a wreck. Everything was gone, even the bins. I had to rebuild my alleyway back into a home and it took longer than I could have ever imagined. I finally succeeded and continued to live my life as usual, but my life was empty. I never saw him ever again but I always remember him and I believe that a bit of the odd tom cat had been transplanted into my life and he will always be close to my heart. Perhaps next time an odd tom cat happens to sleep in my bed I will show a kindness and let them rest.
This is how it all transpired. I was in my alleyway being bored as usual when I heard a sound coming from the rubbish bin by Lily’s house. I went to investigate and smelt mouse. I hunted the mouse and ate it. It was delicious and right on time as I was extremely hungry. It gave me a transfusion of energy that I needed for my busy daily word wondering. That day’s word was transcontinental. I keep hearing Lily say she wants to travel transcontinental or something. I spent a while thinking but I was interrupted by yet another noise. The only difference is that this noise wasn’t coming from the bin and it sounded like groaning. I went to investigate. As I got closer the groaning became a voice and when I got closer I could make out some words. They said “No more transplanting, no more transplanting please”. The voice was coming from a tom cat with silver tabby fur and one torn ear tip. He was the craziest cat I had ever seen or heard. I never knew cats could have transplants but according to him cats can. He seemed to be limping as he was walking. He walked over to my bed and collapsed as if he was dead. The next thing that happens is too violent to say so I’ll just tell you that I attacked him. After the battle I had transformed him into a tom cat with two torn ear tips. I changed from attacking him to being nice to him. I let him stay in my alleyway for a little while so he could regain some strength he lost when I attacked him. I know it was wrong to attack him but HE WAS IN MY BED. I felt really guilty and that is the only reason he stayed in my alleyway a little longer than I liked. When I wanted him to leave a couple of days later he started talking nonsense again. He said things like “Home is where I live and I live where I like” and “Home isn’t home if you’re not there”. He said to me “My home is gone with the wind”. Suddenly I felt sorry for this cat, it sounded like he had lived a hard life. He must have lost his home and almost died and needed a transplant to live. He probably had no home and had to eat anything edible that he could find. That might be why he is so odd and weak. I let him stay in the alleyway for a while longer, my alleyway sorry. I know this is the most non transitory thing I’ve ever done but it’s just until he has a home of his own.
A month after meeting the tom cat something happened. It was cloudy day and the wind was blowing loudly on the street. The tom cat was pacing up and down the alleyway. I asked him what was wrong but he only said “Run”. I’m no runner so I ignored what he said. A long time after what he said I became fidgety. I decided to investigate (I do a lot of investigating) outside my alleyway and find out what was worrying him. The sight I saw was unbelievable. Bags, papers and anything light enough to be blown away were flying across the street. The wind was so strong that I was almost blown off my paws. As soon as I got out I retreated to my alleyway. I looked at the tom cat and he looked at me. We both knew that this was no storm, but much worse and we couldn’t leave and if we couldn’t escape before it became life threatening, we would die. I curled up in my bed and tried to think of a way to escape. I noticed something moving in the shadows. I walked over to find the tom cat. He was next to a thing that looked like some sort of ladder thing. He beckoned to me and I walked to him. The ladder looked like it would only allow one of us to escape. “Escape” he said to me and for once he was clear. “I won’t just leave you” I told him. He had a look of pure determination on his face. “Go” he said in a forcing kind of way and pushed me towards it. “Where does it lead to?” I asked. “Into one of the houses” He answered. I climbed up it and before I was out of sight I took a last at him. He now had another look on his face, one I had never seen before. I didn’t look back until I reached safety and when I looked back again the ladder had already collapsed. The tom cat gave up his life to save me; maybe he wasn’t so odd after all.
I was never truly happy after that. I returned to my alleyway and it was a wreck. Everything was gone, even the bins. I had to rebuild my alleyway back into a home and it took longer than I could have ever imagined. I finally succeeded and continued to live my life as usual, but my life was empty. I never saw him ever again but I always remember him and I believe that a bit of the odd tom cat had been transplanted into my life and he will always be close to my heart. Perhaps next time an odd tom cat happens to sleep in my bed I will show a kindness and let them rest.