A Cat’s Tail Prologue

It wasn't like anything I've felt before. I was a stray cat with no real home nor family. My mother had left, and my father never was around. It was like every other life for a stray cat - independent, lonesome, and self-reliant. I wouldn't want to give up that life for anything. If I did, that meant I was some crazy house cat and wouldn't live up to the stray cat "code" that most cats lived with. We were beyond some pampered cat life, we are like warriors of the streets.

Then it came out of nowhere. Some guys in a white vehicle stepped out as I ate a rat. They wore all white with huge nets. They swatted towards me and went to gather me up, I had to leave immediately. I've heard rumors with those, they prick you and hurt you. The cat across the alley told me all about it. Are the rumors true? Possibly not. He's never gotten caught by them anyways. Though, I didn’t want to take the chance.

I ran, I can report to that alley cat about the new discovery. I rushed as far as I could go.

A car had hit me. My leg, I can't move it. I felt pain that I've never experienced. I couldn't comprehend the huge amount of pain. I felt myself fade into darkness. I opened my blurry eyes to see a lady. She was tall, I couldn't see her face. She was a blurry mess.

I closed my eyes to wake up, warm and comfortable. I looked around to see planks of wood and papers in plastic. Glass lined the walls like some decoration I’ve seen along the street. I shook my head to see, this is a house. The inside of a house, this is where humans lived at. I went to stand up, only falling straight down as my leg was stiff.

There’s a purple stiff thing on my leg. It was sparkly and itchy. It made me incapable to walk. It was hindering everything I’ve learned from the day I was born. “What is this?” I whispered to myself. “Help!” At that instant, I felt large thuds come towards me. I looked at her, she was that lady.

“Toby?” the lady called out to me. Toby? Who was that? It certainly was not me, I didn’t have a name. She bent down and adjusted me back into the plushy comfortable thing sprawl near the fire holder. “I see you woke up. Welcome to your temporary spot.” The lady softly spoke. I captured her clear definitions, the brown wavy hair and soft smell of fruity scents. Her outfit was like my plushy spot – comfortable and gray. “You need to get better, so I gave you my house for a little bit. Once you are all fixed up, we’ll let you go. Alright?” The lady smiled genuinely, I’ve never felt that before. I’ve never seen it. She bent down and kissed my forehead… I think it was a kiss? Though she didn’t groom me afterwards. She placed a small bowl of whatever smelled delicious. I pulled myself over to a few bites, it was chicken. This was the best chicken I’ve ever tasted, it had something slimy on top. I don’t know what, but it was delicious. Absolutely wonderful. I finished in a matter of minutes, that was the biggest meal I’ve ever had… I didn’t even hunt it. Another bowl next to it was full of water, in which I drank as I would anything else.

The fire holder was so enticingly warm, I couldn’t resist but stay the night. I didn’t care for the plushy thing, so I dragged myself away and laid on the ground. My leg, I could care less for the purple sparkly thing. I hated it, it was itchy and annoying to have. Though, that chicken made up for the annoyance.

I’ve never felt this pampered thing. It was so sudden, apparently the sparkly thing comes off after a few weeks pass. My leg felt great afterwards. The human life was nice though. The comfortable fire holder and amazing chicken meals I always got, I didn’t want to leave.

So, I faked my leg injury afterwards. I went back and met the white coated people where they gave the lady-mom some new food and wrapping. I got to go back to the lady-mom’s house and rest a little while. She taught me about the wooden planks being “shelving” and how I shouldn’t knock the “books” down. Furthermore, the fire-holder was a “fireplace” and it was so comfortable along the couch. I’ve tested it myself.

The best part, besides the chicken and gravy that the lady-mom always gave me, I would curl up on lady-mom’s lap and rest near the fireplace. It was so comfortable. She would lay still but I felt her emitting some warmth herself. It was nice to feel that comfort. I’ve never experienced such a thing.

I had to go back to the white coated people again, they couldn’t diagnose anything more. They couldn’t conduct anything else. I went home only to leave the house.

I couldn’t leave, lady-mom was so nice. I’ve never felt this warmth in me, this love and comfort. She adopted me. I stayed with her. Of course, I went our sometimes and met some friends, but I stayed with lady-mom in anyway possible.

One year turned into two, she found some man and I could tell… she loved him. I was a little jealous but figured that he needed to be there to take care of lady-mom in turn of me. Of course, more servants in the house was preferred. He was sweet and caring too, he didn’t mind me walking over his desk either. Apparently, he’s an author and while mom is a critic. I learned more human cultures through him, the big words humans use and how to recognize cues and orders. He wasn’t as lenient, but I caught on quickly on orders and the basic house cat rules.

After a few years of them being in the house together, mom started experiencing some immense pain and left for a few weeks. They came back with this miniature man. The son, Aaron. Aaron Wishmeyer. I was concerned for this little man. He looked like dad, however acted like mom. I went to greet him, my usual “Hello, how are you doing?” like I would for mom when she came home. The little gremlin yanked my tail and laughed when I pulled back. I hissed, I was so close to biting him. I held myself together and gave him a lick on the forehead. I didn’t want to be mean at the tiny man, I went to greet him anyways. So, a friendly gesture like kissing him on the forehead was nice, that’s what lady-mom did to me.

He started crying. His eyes were nothing, but watery tears and his screaming was terrible. I panicked and started yelling incomprehensibly too. I went to get mom by pushing her with my head to the mini man and she instantly calmed him down.

That was Aaron Wishmeyer, my best friend. He grew up quickly, going from crying and grabbing to whimpering and sharing. He still cried, only he wasn’t so brutal about yanking my tail. He started petting me, viciously yes, but petting me in a loving nature.

I got used to him, his few years of incoherent babbling to his first word… “cat.” At 4, he started school, so I didn’t see him as often. Mom still went to work early in the morning while dad left with Aaron to school and brought him back. I usually took this time to go out and find a nice present for Aaron. I’ve learned from mom and dad that birds and mice don’t make the best presents, so I brought back leaves for Aaron. This leaf was the biggest one I could find. It was a dark green and wasn’t easy picking it off the bush. Once I got it, the lady Siamese across the street found me.

“Hey, Toby!” She called, “You doing your daily outing today?” Her small figure made her slip through the window easily, Pharah isn’t normally out but she likes to greet me from the window.

“Yep.” I dropped the leaf to continue, “What are you doing out here?”

Pharah laid on her back and started twisting, “Having fun! I don’t go out cause Jenny says no, but when I do, I’m bored.” Her feminine voice rings softly in the streets. “What are you doing? I thought Aaron comes home in a few hours.”

I pushed the leaf to Pharah to show my prize for Aaron, “I wanted to give Aaron a little present. He’s getting much better at talking. He likes to talk about me too! Things like my fur being gray and having stripes like a tiger. Mom and dad get a little jealous.”

“Mom and dad?” Pharah asked quizzically. She let out a small chuckle afterwards. “Call them by their human names. I thought that was some street cat code you live by.”

I never thought of it that way. “She’s my mom, and he’s my dad. Aaron is their son and my best friend. Technically they are family I’ve never had. So, they are my mom and dad.”

“Aaron would be your brother then.” Pharah chuckled, “I guess it doesn’t mean much difference, he’s still a sweet little pumpkin.” Pharah got up and quickly shook her fur of any rocks and dirt. “Can’t wait to see you two grow up.”

Aaron and I, grown up. “You make it sound like we wouldn’t.” I laughed. I grabbed my leaf and headed back home. “Bye!” I muffled afterwards.

Pharah shared a laughed as well, “Bye, Toby!” She swayed back into her house before her owner could return.

I got home and took a small cat nap before Aaron came home. I woke up and gave the leaf and we both slept in his crib. A few more years went by and he got bigger in his bed. The bush I got leaves from started to die, so I got different presents. Flowers, roots, I got some tomatoes from the yards a few blocks down. I always let Aaron pet me. I was about 14 when he was 10 in human years. He started coming home later in the day, he started to become more distant from everyone. He always made time to pet me.

I watched them all grow up in the end. Mom was rarely ever home, and dad had trouble making dinner and driving Aaron to and from school while writing his many books. Sometimes, Aaron didn’t come home until dinnertime. He was immensely busy at “Math Club” or “Debate Club” afterschool. He still always found time to pet me. I was so grateful for that. I started to get weak in my joints. Having the need for medicine every night became a hassle.

Pharah didn’t come out nor greet me, though Jenny never came home either. My only guess was she died, turns out she had moved away. I didn’t know that was a thing. I kept by Aaron’s side, he had always been busy as the day passed by.

Aaron was so dedicated in studies, he panicked mainly but he always found some comfort in petting me. It got harder for me to go up the stairs, I focused on staying in one area versus another for minimum movement. Mom didn’t go to work after a while and dad kept writing at home. Mom started doing writing as well and became an award-winning novelist, dad following behind her steps. Aaron was doing well in school, but he started coming home super late. I caught him multiple times not sleeping. He became an insomniac easily. Though, he would always pet me.

He was 15, I was 19. I got weaker by the day and my food was nothing but unappetizing. I couldn’t eat the hard kibble and had to resort to the wet food again. I found it difficult to see too. I had to yell to understand where I was in the dark, in which Toby yelled back and guided me there.

Some days nobody came back home, some days only dad stayed. A few years passed, I couldn’t stand anymore. I dropped down on my legs. I couldn’t find any strength to get up. Aaron was the only one with me that day, he couldn’t stop looking at me without crying. I gathered as much strength to get to his forehead while he laid down and kissed his forehead. “It’s going to be alright, I’ll get better soon.” I closed my eyes then open to see him crying. I remembered him crying as a baby, this was not him. I couldn’t get up to eat, I couldn’t get up to use the litterbox. I couldn’t do anything. Aaron watched over me, seeing how I couldn’t move and moved me whenever I asked for something. I was spoon fed instead. I didn’t know how Aaron could hold the spoon steadily as I ate.

He cried to his mother on the phone in which she came home with tears. I was so dehydrated, I couldn’t find the strength to drink water though. I closed my eyes then opened to mom crying. I felt tear drops on my fur each time they held me.

This feeling, I felt sad. I blinked once more to see the dark moon illuminate the cage I was in. I didn’t want to go to the white coated people. Mom was crying so horridly, Aaron tried so hard to be composed but he couldn’t do be composed for long.

It hit me, I didn’t want to go. I heard those rumors; the people would catch me and make me go to sleep. If it was the first visit, they’d find nothing wrong and send me home. Please, I couldn’t leave like this. I want happy faces, I want everyone to be happy.

“Mom!” I cried out as the white-coated lady took me. “Aaron!” I yelled out. I grabbed onto them, they gave me a big hug. No, please no. I started crying to, “Guys, you’re forgetting me! Mom! Aaron! Wait.”

The double-crossed door shut behind the vet. “Mommy? Aaron?” I whimpered sadly. The people laid me on a table and attached all the equipment to me. “My family, where did they go?”

“This won’t hurt a bit. It’ll be quick and painless.” The white coated lady talked through her white mask. She put a needle in my arm and I closed my eyes.