The Comfort of Cats
Tears ran down my face, falling off into the breeze as I ran to the only place I had ever felt at home.
The junkyard.
I would go there when I was sad or lonely, and the many cats there would find ways to cheer me up. I didn't know any of their names, so I had to give them nicknames until I found out. The fluffy brown leopard spotted tom was Flirt, because I saw him with the queens A LOT, the silver tabby tom was Guard, because he seemed to be the protector of them all, the tuxedo tom was Presto, because he always seemed to appear out of nowhere. The list went on.
I opened the gate, impatiently, ran to the center of the junkyard, and fell to my knees. Presto was the first to appear, rubbing his black and white head up and down my arm with a concerned look in his blue eyes. I rubbed his cheek as the others started to appear. The twin calicos, nicknamed Sneak and Creep for their fluid, sneaky movements, were there, looking concerned as well. Train, the ginger tabby tom appeared, sitting down close by. He'd gotten his name from the fact that he always went in a straight line, always knew exactly where to go, as if he were following a railroad. Then came Summer, the gold and brown queen who always seemed to know when something wasn't right. I was soon surrounded by the many cats I loved, but somehow, this time it wasn't helping.
"They said he doesn't have long to live." I muttered, both to myself and to the cats. "The cancer is too bad to treat."
Presto seemed to know exactly what the problem was, but took it differently than I had expected. He bit my hand and tried to pull me to the gate, urging me to follow. I stood and did as he desired, opening the gate and following the nimble cat as he lead me down street after street. My feet hurt and I knew I looked a mess, but I trusted Presto, so I followed.
Some would say I was nuts for following a cat at such a time, but the bond I shared with these cats, Presto especially, was the only thing keeping me on this earth. After my mother died in a car accident, it was the cats that comforted me. When my brother went missing, it was the cats that gave me hope that he'd be found. And now, with the news of my fathers approaching department, it was this cat that made me feel as if it would be okay. If it weren't for the cats, I don't know what I'd do.
We finally stopped, my feet numb by then, and I was shocked to realize that Presto had led me to the hospital my father was staying at!
I looked down at my furry friend, but he was gone. Suddenly, I knew what he had meant by bringing me here. He wanted me to be with my father for the time he had left. I knew he was smart but this was amazing. How did he even know which hospital it was? His nickname was starting to sound weak to his true abilities.
I was in Dad's room in 5 minutes, and he greeted me with a cough and a scratchy "Hey sweetheart." I sat down in the chair parallel to his bed and held his hand tightly in mine, as if I could keep his soul inside.
"Hi daddy." I said, the tears coming once again as I spoke quietly to my father, telling him I loved him, to hold on for a bit loner. He smiled at me and said I was a great daughter. I nearly had a breakdown.
I happened to look towards the window and was surprised to see a certain magical cat watching me from the ledge outside. I didn't bother to question how he'd gotten up to the 5th floor, merely smiled and watched as he bowed his head and gave a small wink.
I knew he was leaving, even before he disappeared before my eyes. I saw it in his movements, a silent farewell, but I didn't know if it was for forever.
But I couldn't think about that now. I turned back to my father and squeezed his pale hand in my own.
The next day, at 7:41 pm, my father was pronounced deceased, and my mind went numb.
I sat on the couch in the living room, curled into a ball and staring at the window. I was hoping for a certain tuxedo cat to appear there, and come to comfort me. But he didn't come, nor did any of the other cats, which made my heart sink.
I knew my older sister would be home from college soon, and would then become my legal guardian. We would go to the funeral and pack our bags for New York, Florida, or some other state on the other side of the country, and act as though it had never happened. My sister always was one to run from problems instead of solving them, which was the reason she went to college at all. And once that happened, I knew things would go straight downhill.
So I sat locking myself within my mind, completely oblivious to the outside world. I tried to hide in my memories, tried to let myself join them, but I always came back to reality to see if Presto had come.
I was nearly gone when I heard a scratching at the window. I looked to see Flirt and Guard with looks of concern unmatchable by any human. Slowly, I crept to the window and opened it, allowing the toms access to my home. Once they were inside I sat back down, now with a fluffy cat on my lap and a tabby curled around my arm. The warm fur that had always been a comfort to me now felt foreign and strange on my skin.
"Where is he?" I asked the feline duo, who somehow knew who I was talking about. They glanced at each other and then at the window. When I followed their gaze I was shocked to see Presto, looking rather sad, on the sill. He mewed and jumped down to the floor, then padded to the couch. He sat head down in front of me. I scratched him behind the ears, accepting his silent apology. He then jumped up onto the back of the couch, beside my head, and gave my cheek a rub with his own.
"You're not alone," he seemed to say. I smiled and closed my eyes, wrapped up in the bliss of having the ones I loved around me, something that had been absent I my life for a long time now.
With these three cats, I felt safe and content, loved and happy. I missed that feeling, and now that I had it back, I wasn't ever going to let it go.
No. Not ever.
A/N: What is this, you may ask? A cats story that doesn't even say the characters' real names? Well, yeah. I haven't seen any fics like this, and, feeling very inspired, decided to try my hand at it with a oneshot. I may or may not continue this, depending on the reviews I get, so please, review! And if you coudn't guess (which is really sad), The fluffy tom is Tugger, the tabby is Munkustrap, and of course, the tuxedo cat is Mistoffolees.