"The Lost Cat"

Blogging Friends.... When I was fifteen years old--sometime in the year 1999--my beloved feline Yoda wandered away and disappeared sans a trace. I still have an old wrinkled paper "lost cat" flyer. After overcoming heartbreak, grief, devastation {Plus some very conflicted adolescent thoughts/feelings/emotions!!} I prayed that if he cannot be mine, then could a little girl "like me" find Yoda, and love him? This is her fictionalized story!! Love you later.

Sorry for posting this one day late. I did write Lord willing, correct? Well. While I planned for this story to be posted yesterday, God, obviously, did not!!

Note. I infused myself, plus some very personal thoughts/feelings/emotions into one of the characters, Elsa. I did not expect that. But then again? I should have seen it coming!! For as I wrote, I was not me, but Elsa!! Or was Elsa me? That depends on perspective, I guess!! But as it turned out? Writing this fictional children's story proved to be quite the healing and therapeutic experience for me!! I still miss Yoda....

Although page view counts are nice, I live for your sweet, encouraging comments!! Please, please, please keep them coming!! For I appreciate your comments!! More than even words can express!!

"Creating beautiful mosaic artwork" with the broken, shattered pieces of my lifelong dream to be an author....

For my dear Blogging Friends who have children. You may print this story off and read it to them!! I am alright with that!! Enjoy!!

"The Lost Cat"

Many, if not most, felines loyally live out their entire lives with one human family. Unfortunately, some run away from home and never come back. Such was the case with Raccoon. He is a yellow-eyed short-haired white tan and black striped cat. Raccoon's owner, Elsa, named him that because his ringed tail looks like the wild animal's!! See, he would often wander from one busy city neighborhood to another--meanwhile worrying Elsa--and go on many, many, many adventures. But Raccoon always came back home!!

Until one sad February day when he disappeared. This of course broke Elsa's heart. She print off many "lost cat" flyers, and stapled them onto tar-covered telephone poles. Over time, Elsa longingly noticed other felines that looked like Raccoon. She even checked out people's "found cat" flyers hoping that one might be of him. But he never came back home.

After grieving for awhile--and feeling as though Life had robbed her of watching Raccoon grow old--Elsa finally realized that it was absolutely pointless to keep wishing for his return. Because after all. Raccoon was gone and nothing she could do would change this hard reality. Nothing. So Elsa sent a prayer up toward Heaven.

"God," she said, tears filling her eyes, "I love Raccoon so much. And I miss him terribly. But if he cannot be mine, then could some little girl find Raccoon, and love him? Amen."

Then one afternoon, it happened!! God answered Elsa's prayer!! Raccoon was aimlessly wandering strange busy city neighborhoods when a six-year old little girl named Myra found him. She gently reached out her little hand and pet his dirty soft fur.

"Hi there, kitty," Myra softly whispered, "I have never seen you around here before. And I know everybody's cats. Are you new?"

Raccoon purred loudly and nudged his little head against Myra's right arm, loving the attention. He felt hungry, too, because nobody had fed him any cat food in a while.

"Myra!!" called out a booming loud voice. It was Felicity, Myra's bossy ten-year old sister.

"Myra!!" Felicity yelled again, "Come back!! We're supposed to be playing with our Barbie dolls!! What are you doing?"

"I have to go," Myra suddenly whispered to Raccoon, "I am sorry."

Myra slowly walked away from Raccoon. But then he followed her.

"What are you doing?" Myra whispered, "Kitty? Why are you following me?"

"Myra!!" Felicity shout, "I am losing my patience here!!"

Without thinking, Myra picked Raccoon up. He did not squirm out of her arms.

 

"I need to show you to Felicity," Myra whispered, "Especially since you're following me!!"

"My-ra!!" Felicity yelled. She was getting very, very, very annoyed at her little sister.

"I am coming!!" Myra finally called back, "I am coming!!"

Still carrying Raccoon in her arms, Myra returned to their front porch where she and Felicity had been playing. He purred contentedly. Myra did not even put Raccoon down.

"What do you have there?!" Felicity gasped.

"It is a kitty," Myra answered, "He's cute, huh?!"

"I know it is a kitty," Felicity said, "That I can clearly see. Where did he come from?!"

"Over there by that bush," Myra answered, "He walked right up to me when I pet his fur."

Myra lovingly cuddled Raccoon.

"Maybe Mama will let me keep him," she said wishfully.

But Felicity shook her head in a bossy sort of way.

"Who are you kidding?!" she said in her booming loud voice, "Mama will say 'no'. She won't let you keep him. We have a no-pets rule, remember?"

"Well then I will ask Mama nicely," said Myra, "Maybe if I say 'please' and 'thank-you', she'll let me keep him!!"

"Good luck...." Felicity said doubtfully.

So Myra walked into the house--while still holding Raccoon--to ask her Mama, Tayla, if she can keep him. Felicity followed closely behind.

"My goodness," exclaimed Tayla, "Who is your little friend?"

"It's a kitty," Myra answered, "May I please keep him?"

Myra glanced toward Felicity.

"See?" she said, winking, "I asked nicely!!"

"Well...." Tayla began, "We will have to see what your Daddy says when he comes home from work."

Tayla smiled at Myra.

"And, yes, you did ask nicely!!"

Suddenly, Raccoon's tummy growled loudly.

"Oh my," exclaimed Tayla, "This poor kitty must be starving!! You girls wait right here. I am going downstairs to find some cans of tuna!!"

When Tayla came back, Felicity was holding Raccoon. She, too, had fallen in love with him!! Tayla opened a can of tuna. But before she could serve any to Raccoon, he jumped from Felicity's arms, and ate.

"What can I name him?" Myra asked, "Kitty Cat? Stripe? Tiger?"

"We cannot give him any of those names!!" Felicity said in her usual booming loud bossy voice, "They are too 'cliché', and common!! We may as well just call him 'Fluffy'!!"

"Hey!!" Myra exclaimed, "I like 'Fluffy'!! I will call him that!!"

"Hold it," Tayla patiently interrupted, "We will not be naming him 'Kitty Cat, 'Stripe', 'Tiger', or 'Fluffy' until your Daddy comes home!!"

Soon the back door opened. In walked Daddy--whose name is Noah--tired from his hard day at work. Suddenly the entire kitchen was filled with a combination of both Myra and Felicity begging to keep Raccoon.

"Well...." Noah began, "We will first need to look around for any 'lost cat' flyers with his picture. Somebody might be sad and missing this sweet kitty!! I would!!"

After looking around and finding zero "lost cat" flyers, a decision was finally made!!

"Can I keep him?" Myra asked impatiently.

"I do not see any reason why not," Noah answered, "I like cats, and it is about time that we have one!!"

"Yay!!" Myra squealed.

"Hooray!!" Felicity exclaimed.

"But girls," said Tayla, "You do understand that taking care of an animal is a big responsibility. Right? You will need to feed him. Clean his litter box. And we should make an appointment with a veterinarian, or cat doctor, to see if he is healthy."

"Good idea, babe," said Noah.

Soon they drove Raccoon to see Dr. Leto.

"He is healthy," she said, "No signs of any problems. He was very well cared for by his previous owner!! And I would say that this kitty is about two-years old. He's still young with many, many, many years left in life!!"

On the drive back home, Myra and Felicity talked about names for their new cat. Boy, did they have some ideas!!

"We were playing with our Barbie dolls when I found him," Myra said, "Remember? Maybe I should call him 'Barbie'!!"

"That is a girl's name!!" said Felicity in her bossy tone of voice, "We cannot name a boy cat 'Barbie'!!"

"Okay then," Myra suggested, "I will name him 'Ken'!!"

"Yuck!!" said Felicity, "I hate the name 'Ken'!!"

"Alright," said Myra, "Then how about 'Steve'? You yourself were playing with that doll!!"

"Steve is a nickname for Stephen," said Felicity, "No. We can only give him full names."

"Then what about 'Kevin'?" Myra screamed impatiently, "I was playing with that doll. And 'Kevin' is not a nickname!!"

"Girls, stop fighting," said Tayla, "Remember to love one another!! 'Ken', 'Steve' and 'Kevin' are all great names!! Now shhhh...."

Among the arguing, Raccoon was pacing in his cat carrier, and meowing loudly. Like all felines, he hated car rides.

"Hey, I have an idea," suggested Noah, "How about 'Meowy'?"

"Daddy!!" said Felicity, "That is way too 'cliché', and common!! It's worse than 'Sesame Street' naming their shaggy dog 'Barkley'!!"

"I have an idea!!" Tayla declared at last, "How about we call our kitty 'Damon'? It is a good strong boy's name. And 'Damon' means 'loyal'. Which is quite fitting, I think, since he will be our cat for the rest of his life!!"

And Damon it was!!