Cat Toys -- Flash Nonfiction

Kočka

Kočka, that's my name. I've been told it's Czech for cat. 

I first came to live with these people in the hot time almost two years ago. I was very small and very sick. I don't remember much about it, but I've heard stories.

"Heat stroke," the man told the young woman who found me. He said to bathe me in cool water.

She asked him what she should do with me then. She said she couldn't keep me because they already had three cats.

He said, "Take him to the animal shelter." But his woman said to bring me by their house first.

They didn't have any pets and that woman wanted me to stay with them.

"Happy Father's Day, Dad," the young woman said, handing me to him.

                           

When I was little I'd let them hold me some. I never did like pettin'. Mostly I'd rather play. Not with fancy, store-bought toys. I don't know why humans bring those things home. Personally I prefer used drinking straws, or wine corks. I like twist ties. And I like those plastic packing straps.

Once I found a toy mouse. Nobody knows where it came from.

My favorite toy was always the little foil balls that the man made for me. Sometimes I could get him to play fetch. He usually got tired of throwing it down the stairs before I'd get tired of bringing it back to him. 

I also liked to bat those balls underneath the cook stove. Then if I sat and looked expectantly at the stove, eventually one of the humans would notice. Humans are so much fun to watch. They'd get a long stick, hunker down, and fish around under the stove until they retrieved the foil ball. And sometimes there's not even a foil ball under there!

I like the man's fish tank, too. I've never caught one but if I jump at the side of the tank they swim away really fast. I've checked that tank out from every angle. Haven't found a way in yet.

                           

One day the man said "Let's go to the pet store and get some fish."

I'd never heard of rescue dogs or adoption events, but that's apparently what they were having at the pet store. My humans brought home two puppies. They didn't get any new fish that day.

Lily's the one with feathers and Cooper's the smooth-coated one. They like to wrestle and play chase. They are the best cat toys ever.

#atozchallenge