Of the Cat Burglar and the Cat Protector

The Family Is Going Out

In an affluent home on Victoria Grove, there resided two cats of equal appearance. A misplaced piece of jewelry, a stolen piece of meat, a shattered vase — they had done their share of havoc in the household.

The next-door neighbor claimed to have seen the male cat, or the female cat, walking out in the dead of night with the mangy ginger cat who would get into frequent fights. Whatever the two did was unknown. All the neighbor knew was that the visits stopped as soon as the Victoria Grove cat returned with lacerations on its forelegs. For a brief period of time, the owners of the cats were able to determine which was which cat and gave them name tags. The one with scratches, who was male, was named "Mao" while the unharmed one, who was female, was named "Mio".

With their names now marked, the owners had a chance to send the cats away for the trouble they caused. A china plate gifted to the woman was turned to dust while the man's loafers were filled with ground-up anchovies. Under normal circumstances, any cat owner would have sent one or both cats away. How could anyone handle their frequent messes? However, neither the woman nor the man of the household could bring themselves to kick their cats out. They were only newlyweds when they first found the pair; they were a few days old. The woman could still remember the neighbor's two tabbies, one in tabby spots and one in tabby stripes, carrying a rag that held two small kittens to their front steps. Where the tabbies had gotten the kittens was unknown — the two tabbies were fixed — but the couple didn't care one bit. If they could tell whether it was Mio or Mao that had stolen a plate of Salisbury steak or had scratched the bookshelf, the couple would simply pretend not to know and express frustration before moving on.

One morning, the couple were packing a few bags in their bedroom. A black silk dress, a powder blue chemise, a salmon blouse, and a well-worn pair of gray slacks for the woman. A black three-piece suit, a powder blue set of striped button-up pajamas, a salmon dress shirt, and a well-worn pair of gray slacks for the man. One bag was dedicated to their undergarments and shoes. As the couple combed through their wooden dressers and their free-standing closets, which they had many of, their twin calico tabbies stared at them.

"Where are you going?", the male calico asked as he tilted his head to the side. While his sister would understand him just fine, their owners would simply hear yowls, purrs, and meows. Only a few select cats could speak telepathically to non-cats.

The woman stopped packing for a moment and looked in the direction of the male calico. She gave a small smile.

"Mao", she replied gently, "Andrew and I are planning to visit Aunt Jennifer for a few days." Neither Mio nor Mao knew who was related to Aunt Jennifer.

Mao's ears slightly moved down as he turned to his sister. "They're gonna be gone for a few days." Mio, who was distracted by a green housefly that was buzzing near her head, yowled slightly at the news. It was no fun without their owners.

Rummaging through the nightstand to find his black comb, the man sighed after hearing Mio's cry. Maybe it was his age showing or he was turning into a softie but hearing his cats' cries tugged at his heart.

"Relax, Mio. Nona will pass by every morning and night to prepare your meals." Nona was the name of the couple's personal chef. Although she was not a live-in chef, she lived close enough to the couple's home to be within a half-hour walk of their home. "You'll hardly notice that Sarah and I aren't here."

At the news, the two cats had perked up ears and satisfied purrs. On one hand, they would miss their owners dearly. On the other hand, it's not often that they got fancy dishes without stealing! Content that their cats seemed to enjoy the plan, the couple continued packing their bags.