Tales of a Wild Cat

By P.J. Flynn

Just imagine you are born a wild cat, with the excitement and danger of a wild cat’s extraordinary life. Let Jasper the book’s hero take you through all this and more, until your imagination lets you think you are actually going on his exciting and at times outrageous adventures For Cat lovers everywhere.

• Language: English
• Publisher: P.J. Flynn
• Release date: May 28, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301512706

P.J. Flynn

Until 10 years ago the author, from Northamptonshire, England, worked as a plasterer but two serious operations gave him the opportunity to pursue a challenge he never thought possible.With the help of numerous friends and family members the dream of writing a book became a reality.The author takes you on 4 different adventures about Vicky and her magic horse, where Red the magical horse learnt his magical ways.P J Flynn's last book was again about animals only this time about cats, called "Tales of a Wild Cat". His new book is called "In the Land of the Unicorn".These books are now in 20 different countries across the world and if you go to www.animal-magic-tales.com and also onto Facebook under "The Magic Horse and Tales of A Wild Cat" you will find out more about the magical tales.Books are also available in printed format on the webpage.

Book preview

TALES OF A WILD CAT

By P.J. Flynn

Published by Peter J Flynn at Smashwords

Copyright © Peter J Flynn 2008

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

www.animal-magic-tales.com

Email: [e-mail]

Facebook: Peter Flynn (Northampton)

Illustrations by Peter Panayis

Originated Artwork and Printing Mark Neale

ISBN No. 978-09547587-2-1

All Rights Reserved

Dedicated to my sons Andrew & Richard and daughter Tracey

About the Author,

Until about eight years ago the author Pete Flynn worked as a plasterer and tiler but a serious operation gave him time on his hands to persue a challenge he never thought possible. With help of family and numerous friends the dream of writing a book became a reality, this is his third book, the other two were both about horses which were the Magic horse mystery series. With his wife Sylvia, cats have been a large part of his life, this book has given him the chance to write about the great love of his life, the hero of the story is named after his favourite cat Jasper.

Acknowledgements

My sincere thanks to Lyn Dowsett for her proof reading skills and input toward the story lines of my last two books.

To Lee Parrish for his skill in converting my books to eBooks

To Mark Neale for his expertise in creating this book for print

To my illustrator Peter Panayis who, with his extreme talent has told the story in his own unique artwork.

To Judy Welch who helped me when I started my first Magic Horse book.

To my secretary Pauline Iwanczuk

To all the schools in the Northamptonshire area that I have thoroughly enjoyed visiting

To Annie Spark for continued advice in finishing the book before publication

Contents

1. MY FAMILY

2. THE SEARCH FOR A NEW HOME

3. LORDS OF THE MANOR

4. WINTER TIME

5. ALL ON MY OWN

6. ON THE ROAD AGAIN

7. GOODBYE FOR NOW GINGER

8. OLD AND NEW ACQUAINTANCES

9. FISHY TALES

10. OH, SO LUCKY

11. SAD GOODBYES AND HAPPY HELLOS

12. HI JAZZ, MEET THE GIRLFRIEND

13. VISITING SHADOW

14. YOU HAVE TO BE JOKING

15. BACK WITH MY OTHER FAMILY

16. IS MY WORLD GOING TO FALL APART?

17. STEVE’S DILEMNA

18. VISITING MUM AND DAD

19. SHALL I GO OR SHALL I STAY

20. DESPERATE TIMES

21. HOME IS THE HUNTER

CHAPTER ONE:

MY FAMILY

I am a wild cat named Jasper and I am going to tell you my story as only a wild cat can.

My first memory, which is probably from when I was just a couple of weeks old, is of opening my eyes and finding I was being fed by my mother, along with three other hungry little kittens.

We were born in an abandoned derelict farm barn at the end of a long and twisting track which was on the outskirts of Northampton, near a charming little village called Nobottle. Of course I didn’t know anything about the area then, I was much too young to care about more than my next meal.

The barn was a safe and cosy place for us to live in. There was plenty of hay and straw to keep out the damp from the old cobblestone floor, and the roof was sound enough to keep the rain out, so we were always warm and dry.

All of our family except dad are tabby in colour and we all resemble the domestic breed of the Burmese cat with lynx type similarities such as long ears with tufts of hair on the ends, we had masses of thick long hair which was ideal for keeping us warm in winter, but a bit of a nuisance in the warm weather. How do I know we look like the Burmese type cats? I will tell you later.

Mother is a gorgeous creature and she is loving and gentle. She is a feral cat, which means she had a domestic life once. Dad - he’s something else. He is enormous and if you have been to visit the zoo and seen a lynx, well, he looks very much like one. His father was from Scotland where they say lynx type wild cats still exist, that is where we have taken after dad with our pointed ears.

As I grew up I always tried to keep on the good side of him, and woe betide anybody that rubbed him up the wrong way. It was early in my life that I was grateful we had such a formidable protector in the shape of dad.

We were playing in the undergrowth around the barn when we heard such a spitting and growling going on, we had to look and see what was happening, we peered through the long grass where we were hiding, there was poor mother being confronted by a male fox, it was an awesome sight.

Mother’s back was arched high into the air, her fur was standing on end and her tail had expanded to twice its normal size, she was standing her ground very bravely in between us kittens and the fox.

There was a rustle from the barn where dad had been sleeping, his massive head looked round the corner, his fearsome expression sending a shiver down my spine, with three gigantic strides he was onto the fox’s back, hissing and spitting and digging his razor sharp claws in him.

After quite a tussle the fox somehow wriggled clear and bolted off at amazing speed towards the forest, even dad at full speed could not keep up with him.

I was pretty sure that was one fox we would not have to worry about in the future, and I sort of felt sorry for him, but I should have to learn quickly not to be so soft, if it had not been for my parents, I could have been in that fox’s stomach.

It was not long before we kittens were being weaned off mother’s milk and started to eat our first field mouse and baby rabbits which were the offerings that mother brought after she had softened the prey up for us.

Dad did not do much else apart from sleeping and keeping an eye out when mother was hunting, but occasionally he did venture out to do some hunting himself, being so big enabled him to catch larger animals such as fully grown rabbits and hares. His teeth were so powerful and sharp as he ripped off chunks of the prey and tossed pieces of meat to each of us kittens.

He sometimes went missing for a day or two and he seemed very restless at times, he had the wanderlust in his blood, but he always returned home with a good catch for us kittens to feast on.

We grew at an alarming rate and as we explored further afield mother had to watch out for two awesome predators in the shape of a pair of red kites, who had nested nearby. These hawks are quite capable of lifting young kittens off the ground.

We ventured further from the barn while mother was teaching us how to hunt and we soon learnt to keep our senses about us.

One day the big male kite swooped down on us, seemingly coming from nowhere, luckily he missed and only bowled over Molly, who was the smallest of the litter. She wasn’t hurt but it frightened us all. The other two kittens are Jazz, who is a female, and then the other male is Topper. He is by far the largest of the litter, and that’s where his name came from.

Looking into the sky became second nature for us. I loved to watch the kestrels, they are one of the smaller hawks. They were no danger to us after we had grown too heavy for them