What the Cat Knows

By Brent R. Schofield

When a small kitten (Cupcake) is brought home, her new owners (Andy and Carol) don't quite know what to make of her strange behavior. Since Andy and Carol have never had a cat, they didn't realize that all cats behave this way. As it turns out, there's more going on in the home than Andy and Carol can see. Horrible germ creatures are lurking about, trying to make people sick. Only cats can see them and its Cupcake's job to make sure she keeps these creatures from getting her family sick. The kitten attacks the germ creatures, even though she is very afraid of them. Another cat (Thomas) tries to help Cupcake find her courage. Thomas also helps Cupcake understand her feelings about the new baby that has just arrived in the home. Just as Cupcake is about to conquer her fear, an evil germ creature has come into the home and it's after the new baby.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jul 15, 2002
• ISBN: 9781469778679

Brent R. Schofield

Brent Schofield was born in Georgia and lives there with his wife and two children. He works in information technology and enjoys writing and spending time with his family.

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All Rights Reserved © 2002 by Brent R. Schofield

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the permission in writing from the publisher.

Writers Club Press

an imprint of iUniverse, Inc.

For information address:

iUniverse, Inc.

5220 S. 16th St., Suite 200

Lincoln, NE 68512

www.iuniverse.com

Any resemblance to actual people and events is purely coincidental. This is a work of fiction.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2002092940

ISBN: 0-595-23537-9

ISBN: 978-1-4697-7867-9 (ebook)

Printed in the United States of America

Contents

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

for Missy, Alexander, and Bonnie Kate

CHAPTER 1

THE NEW PET

Carol didn’t know what was in the small box that her husband placed at her feet. Andy, what’s this? she said. Andy leaned over and slowly opened the lid of the box. His wife gave him a smile as she peeked into the box. Her eyes widened when she saw two large blue eyes staring back at her from the box. The two large blue eyes belonged to the smallest kitten she had ever seen. The kitten was so small; Carol could fit the kitten into the palm of her hand. The kitten’s hair was dark brown with patches of black. The hair was long and matted from the elements. The kitten looked to be about three or four weeks old and very malnourished. It shivered timidly and let out several soft, pitiful mews.

I found her in the road on the way home from work, said Andy looking down at the kitten. Carol slowly reached her hand to pet the kitten. She tried to approach the kitten as tenderly as she could, but the kitten backed up in the corner of the box and shivered even more. Carol could feel the crust of dirt on the kitten’s hair, but the hair underneath the dirt was very soft, like goose down.

There wasn’t anyone around and I couldn’t just let her stay out there in the road. She would’ve gotten run over, said Andy. I thought if you didn’t want to keep her I could take her to the shelter. At least that way she’d be out of the road and danger.

No, I think she would be better off with us instead of some old shelter, said Carol. It’s just like you to bring in a stray kitten. You always did have a soft spot for animals. This kitten’s going to need a lot of love and care. Carol brushed the dirt from her fingers. Then she looked at the dirt on the kitten. And she’s going to need a bath as well, Carol added. She smiled, and then paused. But, what about the baby? Carol asked as she placed her hand on her stomach. Carol and her husband were expecting a baby in the late winter. How do you know the kitten’s not carrying some kind of disease? asked Carol.

I don’t think she’s carrying anything, said Andy. She looks scruffy because she needs to get cleaned up. How about tomorrow I take her to the vet to make sure she’s okay? We have plenty of time before the baby comes and by that time the kitten will have had all of her shots. She’ll be fine and so will the baby. The only thing the kitten will need before tomorrow is a bath and a name.

What are you going to call her? asked Carol.

I don’t know, replied Andy. I hadn’t given it much thought. We still haven’t picked out names for the baby. I haven’t thought about names for a kitten. Let me know if you think of anything while I take her in the bathroom and see if I can’t find a little kitten under this dirt clog.

Carol went into the kitchen and started making dinner while Andy went into the bathroom with the kitten. After the kitten had her bath, the couple found a place in the corner of the bathroom for her. They made a bed for the kitten with soft, dry towels. They put her on her new bed and Carol placed a bowl of milk down on the floor so the kitten would have something to eat.

Andy and Carol lived in a quiet neighborhood. Their house looked liked most of the other houses on their street. It was an older, two-story brick house with three bedrooms—perfect for starting a family.

The next day, Andy took the kitten to the vet while Carol went to the store. He returned home from the animal hospital with the kitten. Carol had returned earlier and had been waiting for them to get home.

She was eager to see how her new family member was doing. What did the vet say? asked Carol.

The vet said she was fine, honey. She’s just a little underweight, but she’s healthy. The vet started her on her first set of shots. What did you do while we were gone? asked Andy.

I went out and picked up some kitten food at the store so we can start fattening her up. I didn’t think it would be good for her if all she had was milk. And I also bought her some other things—bowls, play toys, kitty litter, that sort of stuff. I wanted to make her feel at home. I’m kind of excited about having a pet around the house, in case you couldn’t guess. So, what did you tell them her name was? Carol asked.

Cupcake, Andy replied.

"Cupcake. I like that. That seems to suit her; she is a sweet little thing. It looks like our family is growing faster than we thought," Carol said.

The couple enjoyed having the kitten around. Carol wasn’t as lonely when her husband went off to work in the mornings. They fixed up the bathroom in the downstairs hallway for the kitten. This would be Cupcake’s room and this way they could put her up if they had guests over. The kitten’s litter box was in one corner of the bathroom and her bed was in the other corner. The food and water were next to the refrigerator in the kitchen.

Cupcake was just like their own child. They praised her when she was good, but when she was bad, they disciplined her. They called it Kitty time-out when they sent her to her room. This was the only time the kitten didn’t like being in her room. She only had a few accidents the first couple of weeks, then she got the hang of the litter box. The kitten was very timid around the couple, but eventually the kitten grew to trust them and love them. She became very affectionate, rubbing her shoulder against them and purring.

Over the next several months, Cupcake grew. The first two weeks alone she practically doubled her weight. She was far from the malnourished kitten Andy had first brought home. The house seemed very different with a kitten around. There was always some kind of excitement happening with the kitten. Carol and Andy didn’t expect a pet could change their lives as much as she had. They didn’t quite know what to expect from her next, as neither of them ever had a kitten. Naturally, they expected kittens to play, but Cupcake seemed to do it in the oddest ways. She stalked things that weren’t really there and then suddenly pounced at the floor. She chased whatever she was pretending to pounce on around the room and under the sofa. Often, she looked like she was trying to bite and claw what she had just pounced on. However, there was never anything there. It was as if she were attacking creatures that only she could see. The couple was amused, but concerned at their kitten’s behavior. Cupcake laid around the house and then, for no reason at all, ran quickly out of the room and into the next. Sometimes, they would hear her slamming her body into walls or doors with a loud thud. How a small kitten made such a loud sound, without hurting herself, was another mystery.

During the night, Cupcake prowled the house, looking for more invisible creatures to attack. It became less amusing when Carol and Andy were awakened by the sounds of slamming and bumping. Even though the kitten displayed signs of bravery when she was attacking things, she still appeared very timid most of the time.

Andy, do you think there’s something wrong with the cat? asked Carol.

She looks okay to me, replied Andy. And the vet said she was healthy.

I’m not talking about her health, said Carol. I’m talking about her behavior. I don’t think she should be running and crashing into things like she does. And the way she runs all around the house and attacks things…I just worry about her.

I guess her behavior is normal for a cat, although she can be a little moody, said Andy. Sometimes she loves to be petted and other times when you go to pet her, she runs off and wants nothing to do with you. I can’t figure out her moods.

I don’t know what she’s thinking when she acts that way, said Carol. "It’s not that I don’t like her or want to give her away. I love our Cupcake. I just want to make sure she’s okay. We don’t know what happened