Old Cat

The crisp Autumn breeze floated through the air, the dark night showered with bright stars.

The ginger cat slept in his crooked alley, tired from a day of nothing. This cat isn't just an ordinary stray, well that's a lie actually. This is not the story of how one stray lives, but all.

He dreamt of a hard wooden floor, white walls that kept the place cool, and a warm, fuzzy bed that kept the cat comfy.

But he woke up to his alleyway, dark, even in the morning. His muscles weak from exhaustion, even though he had just slept.

He had no choice but to leave and look for food. One place he regularly visited is the Meat Shop down the street. He walked towards the shop, stepping slowly.

He went on for what felt like kilometres, but it was only about 15 metres. He waited at the window. And waited. And waited. But to no avail, no one dropped him any food.

Looking closer into the window, he saw crowds of people chatting and laughing.

Walking back down the street he spotted a garbage can. Jumping on top, knocking it over as if he'd had years to practice. Managing to swallow a mouldy cupcake and a rotten sausage. He felt sick, but at least he was more full than before.

Trotting into the alley, he slept, tired from the journey. Life repeats for cats like him, same again, every day.

One Summer morning he walked past a pile of trash, and noticed something glinting in the sunlight. Walking up to it, he nudged the gold object with his muzzle, pushing it out of the trash. It was a leather ring with a shiny plate attached to it. The plate read; 'Basil'.

He drove his neck into the ring, fastening it to his neck. It wasn't too tight, and he rather liked the shiny plate. The day went by slowly, and quietly.

Crickets, singing their songs in the dark cold night with the ginger, snoozing quietly. Suddenly two bright lights appeared in the darkness, blinding the ginger cat. Scrambling to his paws, he ran away as fast as he could.

Suddenly a shiny mesh encircled him, and he was unable to move. He was pushed into a cage and jerked around in a moving object. He soon realised that there was no point struggling.

He woke up from an 'eventful' rest to be found in a cage. Later he would find that there is no point trying to get out. He spent hours on end trying to get out of the shiny metal cage, but he left only claw marks.

Now came the time he realised there is no point.

He waited for days, weeks, months. He watched cats be taken away by people wearing white and blue clothes, into a dark room, not to come out again. Some taken by random people, also not to be seen again.

He was never chosen to go to the dark room, and he realised none of the cats wearing leather rings were taken there, just the plain strays.

He recognised some of the strays that were taken to the dark room, but everything there to him seemed strange. He got used to the routine of the dry food and the metallic tasting water.

One day a lady came to him, speaking strangely, but he recognised the name on the leather ring being called. She picked him up and put him into another moving object.

He was a calmer cat now, and less scared of the journey than before. Some time later, he arrived to a small house.

He was let into the house, and he bolted straight for underneath a strange, soft rectangle.

He hid there for a long time, until he felt safe to come out.

He walked over to a soft fluffy bed, the name Basil, written on the side. He cautiously walked onto the soft floor.

He found it comfortable, and decided to try and sleep.

He rested well, and dreamed of a small house with a hard wooden floor, and walls that stopped the wind getting in, and a soft fluffy bed for him to sleep him.

He woke up,
But this time, it was real.

~A story by Kittensaurus1

A message from the author:

Hi, I'd just like to talk about the stray cats and dogs that live in the city streets. They live a hard life that many couldn't imagine. Please take the time to donate to some helping stray charities, ones like the Blue Cross.
Thank you,
~Kittensaurus1