WHAT THE CAT DOES WHEN THERE IS WORK TO BE DONE
A side story to Animal Farm By: Gillian
On Animal Farm, the animals control the farm. This means all the animals have jobs or must contribute to the work in some way. This includes the cat. Like any cat, the cat on Animal Farm doesn't want to work. Every day when there was work to be done, the cat would vanish. No one knew where the cat went, or what the cat did, each day.
What the cat did depended on the weather and what mood the cat was in. Most days, the weather was sunny and the cat was in a good mood. On a day like this, she would go and nap on the bed in the farmhouse basking in the morning sun. The cat never seemed to care that one of seven commandments of the farm was that no animal shall ever sleep in a bed.
After her nap, the cat would have a nice stretch and usually come to the realization that she was a bit hungry. She would go and hunt mice, flies or other insects. Generally, this would take her until about noon to catch a good meal. Another commandment of the farm was that no animal shall kill another animal. The cat didn't care.
Around this time, her friend, another cat from a nearby farm, would come and visit her. This was a big cat. The visiting cat loved coming to Animal Farm because he believed all animals should be free. On Animal Farm, they were free. The visiting cat was one of the most honest animals she had ever met. You could always count on the visiting cat to tell the truth about any issue.
The two cats would sit on the windowsill and stare at the sky and watch everything going on outside. After about an hour, the visiting cat would take his leave and return home.
After the departure of the cat's friend, it was generally mid-afternoon. The cat was often tired after spending time with her companion and would have an afternoon rest, once again on the bed in the farmhouse. At dinnertime, the cat would awaken and return to the barn.
This was not always the cat's routine. Suppose she wasn't sleepy, or it was raining, or she was in a bad mood. Her routine depended on her mood and the weather.
If it was raining, she couldn't sleep in the sunbeam. Also, the cat, like any cat, did not enjoy getting wet. In this circumstance, she would stay in the barn and nap or rest on a hay bale. If the rained stopped, she would wander over to the farmhouse and have another visit with her friend, who would only visit when the weather was fair.
If the cat was not tired, she would curl up in a warm spot and rest her eyes or she would sit on the window ledge and observe the other animals at work.
If she was not hungry, then she would not bother to hunt and catch any food. Although, if the cat was in a bad mood, she would catch and kill for sport and not to satisfy her hunger.
If the cat was extremely tired, she would nap into the evening and, sometimes, miss her meal. If she overslept and missed her meal, then the cat would go out hunting and not return until she had a full stomach.
No cat likes work - most cats just want to eat, sleep and lie in a warm, comfortable spot. Cats aren't meant for work and they don't enjoy doing it. They are sneaky and will find a way out of their chores, just like the cat on Animal Farm did.