A Cat From Springfield

Chapter One My begining

My name is Boomer. I was born and raised from the streets of Springfield Massachusetts. And this is my story.

When I was born, I was one in a litter of four kittens. My mom was an orange tabby, like me. I had one sister and two brothers. both my brothers were orange, but my sister was white.

I had been the runt of the litter. All my siblings were bigger than me. I had hardly left my mothers side for the first six weeks, but then I had gotten curious. Was there anything out there for me? Or was I always to be a street cat, living on the fringe of society, yet being so close to it? Will there ever be a place for me where I didn't have to be the smallest, and most helpless? Where I would be the strongest no matter how small I was? I was sure hoping so.

My mother had always warned us to stay away from the zipping metal contraptions that roamed the streets. She said they were more dangerous than the humans who made them move. While at a young age, we were warned of some humans, ones who came along with nets and collars. We were never told why to be cautious of these men and woman who sometimes wandered the streets, but we obeyed our mother's rule.

While drinking out of a puddle, I heard a meow coming from down the street. As I looked around the corner for the noise, I saw Benny, the cat who lived on the next side street, being carried away in a net. He had looked so worried , like everything he knew had suddenly been changed. "That's why we stay away from those people," my mother said. She had a sad look in her eye, as if a part of her had been taken away with Benny. "Come now my kittens," she said losing the sad look, " It's time for dinner".

I spent a good part of my night trying to understand the expression that had been on my mothers' face when Benny had been taken away. Are they secretly relatives? They had always been close. Was the expression there because of what was going to happen to Benny? I eventually decided I would ask mother in the morning. Finally, with some sort of closure on my question, I drifted off to sleep.

When we were having breakfast the next morning, I asked my mother about her expression yesterday. She answered "I was sad, my strong cat, because when they take the cats away, they take everything that cat had, and discard it. The cat's freedom is taken and put in a cage. And us cats stick together young one, don't forget that. So when one cat is taken away, part of us is too". Once my mother saw the look on my face she added, " But you mustn't fret about it too much my little kit, for the catchers don't take a cat very often, for we are sneakier than them!" With that all my siblings and I started a game if stealth tracking, although Benny was still on my mind. I decided to let it go for the moment, and focus on my stealth.