Disclaimer: I don't own Cats otherwise I'd change the dates that the local theatre group is performing it to when I'm not on the other side of the company…

It was a stifling hot day. Any cat in the sun simply lounged about, not bothering to lift their heads whilst talking. Even the kittens had confined their games to the shade. Life in the Jellicle Junkyard had come to a near standstill.

Munkustrap sat on the tyre, the only cat still actively watching the kittens.

"Jenny," he called down to the sleeping queen. "Should I be stopping Pouncival from rolling in the dust?"

Two bright eyes looked up at him from the bonnet of the TSE1. "Don't worry about it," Jennyanydots said with a stifled yawn. "Soon it'll be dinnertime; I'll make him clean up then."

"Okay."

Jennyanydots sighed and sat up. "Munkus, why don't you go do something else, out of the sun?"

The silver tabby barely shook his head. "I'm too hot. I'd rather be out here in the fresh air even if I am bored to tears."

Jennyanydots chuckled thinly. "It sounds like you have a bad case of ennui."

Munkustrap inclined his head in agreement, and left the queen to her nap.

The seven kittens had finally come to a rest from their games. The queen-kits sat still, listening to Etcetera as she ran the forty-first-and-a-quarter meeting of the Rum Tum Tugger Fan Club. Tumblebrutus and Mistoffelees lazily watched a very dusty Pouncival chase a small light around the shade of the TSE1. Tumblebrutus turned to Mistoffelees with a wicked grin.

"How long before he realises that the light is coming from you?"

Mistoffelees thought for a moment, a slight smile on his face. "Now or never," he muttered, half to himself.

The small light suddenly winked out and Pouncival screeched to a halt, searching around with a very confused look on his face. He trotted over to the other tomkits, as Tumblebrutus smirked. "My guess is never."

The conversation that was occurring above them floated down. "...you have a bad case of ennui..."

Pouncival and Tumblebrutus shot a puzzled look at each other, then leapt up to spy Munkustrap's receding form.

"Okay, everyone calm down, the meeting is about to begin."

Everyone stared at Etcetera for a moment, then resumed sitting silently behind the bed-frame.

Etcetera turned to Tumblebrutus and announced gleefully, "You may now proceed to tell us why you have called an emergency KIT meeting."

Tumblebrutus gazed at the other kittens, before speaking. "Pouncival and I have reason to believe that Munkustrap is severely ill. We all heard Jenny tell him that he had a bad case of ennui. We think this means he's really sick, like when Gus had that 'bad case of flu', or, or..."

"When Cori and Tant had that 'bad case of migraines'." Electra interjected enthusiastically.

"Yeah, or like when Pounce had that 'bad case of fleas'."

Pouncival, who until this moment had been smiling and nodding eagerly, turned and glared at Tumblebrutus.

"I do not have fleas, you mangy Pollicle!" he yelled as he leapt on his friend and began to wrestle him to the ground.

"Toms, toms," yelled Etcetera, who was frantically trying to regain control.

Jemima and Victoria squealed and took cover as the tussling toms drew nearer.

"Get him Tumble!" shrieked Electra. "Nice hit Pounce!"

Etcetera looked around desperately, and with a loud bang, the tomkits flew apart. They got up and glared at Mistoffelees, who was sitting down and smiling innocently at them.

"I was under the impression that this was important," he pointed out quietly.

"Thanks Misto," Etcetera said, before turning back to Tumblebrutus. "So Munk's sick, what does that mean for us?"

Tumblebrutus had the sense to look sheepish as he continued with his speech. "So, our job is to discover what ennui is and how to cure it."

A long silence stretched between the kittens.

Jemima spoke up with a thoughtful voice. "If we list Daddy's symptoms, maybe we can make a match if ennui has another name."

"Good thinking," Pouncival smiled at her.

Etcetera bounded into her 'leader mode'. "Electra, get ready to write down a list. Fever"

Seeing Electra's sceptical expression, Etcetera hastened to explain. "He said he felt hot. That means a high temperature, and THAT means a fever."

Electra shrugged and noted it down.

"Madness."

Everyone turned and stared incredulously at Mistoffelees.

"What?" he asked. "The twins told me once that ennui is another word for boredom. Whenever I'm bored silly, I always end up doing something insane."

"Like the time you decided to paint Old Deuteronomy purple?" asked Jemima.

"Mistoffelees looked startled. "I guess, but..."

"Or when you made Tugger's fur fall off?" suggested Tumblebrutus.

"That wasn't insane, that was just stupid," said Etcetera mournfully, not noticing Pouncival gagging behind her. "The RTTFC had to talk about his eyes and his belt, though they are wonderful too."

"How about when you made Jenny and Teazer switch bodies?" grinned Electra.

"Well, that was..."

"And there's the time you put a bell on Cori's tail," smiled Victoria.

"And when..."

"ALRIGHT!" Mistoffelees yelled. "I've done a lot of ridiculous things, we get the point. Do we agree on madness?"

Tumblebrutus nodded and Electra dutifully wrote it down.

"Is ennui really boredom?" Victoria enquired and Mistoffelees nodded. "So does that mean Munkustrap is going to leave us," Victoria asked fearfully. "Because whenever I get bored with something, I always leave to do something else."

The kittens looked dazedly around at each other, trying to imagine a Junkyard without Munkustrap.

No Munkustrap to protect everyone from Macavity. No Munkus to help them when they were hurt. No-one to argue with Tugger, no-one to prank and laugh at, no-one to tell them stories when they were caught giggling after bed.

No Daddy to give me hugs when I'm scared, thought Jemima sadly.

"Daddy can't leave, he just can't!" she cried.

A loud gasp drew everyone's attention towards Etcetera. "Jem, I don't think he has a choice. Otherwise he'll die!"

A stunned silence met this proclamation.

"What?" "Why?" How?" "Don't be ridiculous Cetty!" came a chorus of voices.

"No!" Etcetera persisted. "Think about it! What about the saying 'I'm going to die of boredom'? It says die! Gus says that everything has a seed of truth in it. I think ennui must be a fatal disease that causes boredom. So people really can die of boredom."

A babble of noise rose after this little speech. Finally, Tumblebrutus caught everyone's attention with a little help from Mistoffelees.

"SO, fellow KITs, we have two options. Either Munkustrap leaves, or we find a cure to ennui."

The kittens all nodded to one another. Suddenly Pouncival turned to Tumblebrutus.

"How are we going to find the cure?"

"We could always ask Jenny." All heads turned to Victoria. "She's so good at making everyone better, she's sure to know something."

Etcetera leapt to her feet. "What are we waiting for, let's go!"

AN: I hope you enjoyed this. It's been a while since I've tried my hand at Cats, so please let me know what you think :) I'm planning for this to be a few chapters long but I guess we'll see where the muse takes it!