The Cat’s Breath Smells Like Dessert: A Tale of Four Sassy Strays

By Elizabeth Jain

Whether you are a young reader or simply young at heart, you will be charmed by The Cat’s Breath Smells Like Dessert, a heartwarming tale of four street cats who find a dream-come-true life with Lizzie.

Meet Joey the clown, Hobbes the hugger, Milo the happy dancer, and Liam the...well, you’ll just have to discover Liam for yourself. There isn’t enough space here to do him justice. They blossom from terrified, lonely strays to mischievous best friends once they realize they are safe and loved.

Author Elizabeth Jain weaves invaluable insight and advice into this touching story of the bittersweet journey these cats make to survive and thrive. There will be laughter and tears as you tag along on their harrowing adventures and understand what it takes to create a healthy indoor environment for these lost, sweet souls.

This book is sprinkled with pictures that will bring the cats, and their escapades, to life for you. It also features convenient links to their YouTube channel happyrescuedcatstv, enabling you to view hilarious videos showcasing their antics.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elizabeth Jain
• Release date: Feb 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781999512903

Elizabeth Jain

Elizabeth Jain is an animal advocate devoted to her ever-growing family of felines. She is passionate about finding perfect homes for the strays who saunter into her life and provides a wealth of information to anyone within earshot about how to improve the lives of both indoor and outdoor cats. Jain’s love of cats stemmed from a childhood surrounded by adorable family pets, many of whom were strays. If she wasn’t able to entice the barn cats on her grandparents’ farm to come out and play, she’d sit under a giant oak tree reading books about animals while snacking on luscious raspberries from her grandfather’s prized garden. Using her favourite book, Black Beauty, as inspiration, Jain set out to write a story that would capture the joy of living with cats, while also focusing on the plight of strays. Jain, an avid baker with a healthy sweet tooth, resides in Ontario, Canada. The Cat’s Breath Smells Like Dessert is her first book.

Book preview

The Cat’s Breath Smells Like Dessert

A Tale of Four Sassy Strays

Elizabeth Jain

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2018 by Elizabeth Jain

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Visit the author’s website at www.elizabethjain.com

Ellerbrook Press

First Edition November 2018

ISBN: 978-1-9995129-0-3 (ebook)

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This book is dedicated to the caring people who open their hearts and homes to stray cats.

Contents

Hobbes

Liam

Milo

Joey

Never a Dull Moment

Cat Naps and Clean Teeth

Oh, For the Love of Food

Indoor Living

Creative Measures

Fun and Games

Joey's Jeremiad

Holiday Hoopla

YouTube Links

About the Author

Hobbes

The small brown-and-black-striped tabby sat gazing out the window with a woebegone expression on his face. Normally he was a cheery fellow, but today was different. Today he was singing the blues. Head drooping, he contemplated his life and what was missing. What he wanted most were hugs, and lots of them, but he wasn’t getting any. His paws were ideal for giving hugs because the jumbo thumbs offered a firm grip. Why, he was confident he would be able to open a jar if someone handed him one.

His leopard-spotted tummy and the extra toes on his back feet completed his unique appearance.

He had been adopted as a tiny, cute kitten from a shelter, and in the beginning, his family fussed over him. Now he was a year old and still cute, but no one made time for him. Other than providing food and water and giving him the occasional absent-minded pat, he might as well be invisible. Every day he stood at their feet looking up at them with wistful eyes and meowed and meowed for hugs. Why didn’t anyone understand? He yearned to snuggle, but they were busy with work and school. He wasn’t permitted on their beds, so he slept by himself in the cat bed downstairs. He didn’t even have a teddy bear for company, and there were nights when he cried from loneliness. Tucking in with someone would be so nice.

Today the tabby realized his family didn’t care much about him. They didn’t listen to him—and he had a lot to say—they didn’t talk to him, and they didn’t hug him. Worst of all, they weren’t cleaning the litter box to his standards. He hated stepping in a dirty box, and it was always stinky.

Everyone knows cats are fastidious, he fumed, and self-cleaning to boot. He noticed his people expected a fresh toilet bowl, and everyone flushed after each use. "There’s no doubt in my mind they’d howl their outrage if they raised the lid to reveal a disgusting mess left behind. No one’s listening to me howling my outrage about the odious state of my litter box. As he stewed over the unfairness of this situation, he had one final thing to say on the subject. BAH!"

The cat felt a sense of urgency that he should strike out today; like what he pined for was waiting and he’d better go get it before it vanished. He was anxious about leaving his familiar surroundings, but he craved affection and was determined to find it. He hurried to finish breakfast, took one last look at his house, and skipped out the patio door, which had been left ajar just enough to squeeze through. The sky was a robin’s egg blue and the sun warmed his fur—what a glorious July day to search for another home. He was upbeat about his goal; it felt as though he was taking charge of his destiny.

I hereby nominate myself Hug Hunter Extraordinaire, he declared, swinging his elbows with a flourish. He headed off at a trot with no idea of what was out there for him but trusted he would know it when he saw it. The tabby was loath to admit it, but his belly was teeming with butterflies. Setting out on this journey had seemed easy from the comfort of his home, but he’d seen a lot of scary things so far and his bravado was fading. Cars and trucks were zooming hither and yon, and he was petrified of being squashed. How was he going to cross the road? Adding to the tabby’s consternation was the hungry raccoon drooling at him from across the way, so he tore up a tree until his stalker lost interest and meandered off.

After a few hours, he grew tired of wandering and needed a rest before continuing on his adventure. He spotted a car with the windows down, so he hopped in and curled up in the back for a cat nap in the sun. The warm seats lulled him into dreams of wonderful things ahead. He was jarred out of his pleasant snooze when someone opened the door and started the car. He stayed quiet as a mouse and risked a peek at the man behind the steering wheel.

Oh my, where am I going? The cat hadn’t factored in this consequence when he helped himself to the car. The trees flashed past the windows in a dizzying blur. Every turn sent him flying. He clutched the door handle, biting his tongue to keep from yowling in terror. Where is the cat seatbelt? The turbulent ride came to a sudden, screeching halt and the driver got out, having no clue he’d transported a stowaway all these miles. The cat collapsed on the seat in relief. A minute later his stomach rumbled. He smelled something enticing and poked his nose between the front seats. The tantalizing aroma of a chicken sandwich emanated from a paper bag on the armrest. He had been full when he left after breakfast, but that was long ago and he was feeling peckish. The cat hoped the man wouldn’t mind parting with his lunch, but in case he did, he’d better be quick about it. He wrestled the bag open with his sizeable toes and stuck his head inside, inhaling deeply. The sandwich, made with thick crusty bread, looked scrumptious, and his mouth watered. He devoured it without delay and gave his face a brisk wash before jumping out the window. Looking respectable for his new family was imperative.

"This must be