Fanfic: Rum Tum Tugger Story

I don't own CATS (although I wish I did)
*******************************************************************

One day I was baby-sitting the no name kitten. I had taken him to the city, against my stepmother's wishes, so he could see humans. He was loving every bit of it.

Suddenly, as I turned a corner, a net fell over my head! I screeched in surprise, and saw that a human had caught me. He wore uniform from the pound.

"Run No Name!" I ordered. I often called him that. "Go tell father that humans have caught me"

"Tugger!" he cried. He turned and ran, but he didn't get very far. Soon, another human with a uniform had netted him.

They put us in a truck full of other cats. Strays, apparently.

"Where are we going Tugger?" No Name asked fearfully.

"The humans are taking us to their animal shelter." I told him. "They will sell us to humans as pets. If a human doesn't buy us, they will kill us"

"Oh no." he cried "I don't want to die. I'm too young"

He cried the whole way there. When we arrived, they put us in separate cages, right next to each other. He just kept crying.

"Oh, can it." I growled after a while. I was in a bad mood. These stupid humans were interfering with my plans! They would pay for that. Well, as soon as I could get free of this cage?

We sat in those cages for three days. On the fourth day, a tall man walked in and looked at No Name.

"Well aren't you handsome." He said. The kitten looked at me, frightened.

"Don't fight them" I told him. "If you do, they will kill you"

He let the human take him out the cage and pet him. Then the human said," How much for this one"

The uniformed human told him a price. The man smiled.

"I'll take him." he said. No Name looked down at me.

"It's alright, No Name." I told him. "Just go with it. He won't hurt you. He'll give you a human name, and then you could add something to it to make your real name"

I was trying to give him a little courage, but the poor kitten was petrified. A minute later, the human left with him, and I was alone in a room full of cages.

Poor No Name I thought. Scared to death with a human. He'd learn to deal with being owned. Just like I would, if someone bought me before they killed me.

The next day, a dame was put in the cage next to mine. She smiled at me.

"Well, look at you!" she praised. "Aren't you a handsome little devil"

I smiled at the compliment. "Ay, well I do my best, miss"

She giggled. "and who might you be?"

"Rum Tum Tugger"

Her eyes widened. "I know you! You're Munkustrap's little brother"

"Yes I am." "I'm a Jellicle too! They've been looking all over for you, ever since you disappeared. You and the little brown tabby with no name"

"Yeah, he was in the very cage you are sitting in. Someone came in and took him yesterday. He has a home now"

"Well, I haven't introduced my self. My name is Jennyanydots. I'm a friend of Jellylorum"

"Oh yeah, Asparagus' daughter. I think I've seen you before now that I think about it." I cocked my head sideways to get a good look at her. "Yeah, I have seen you before with Miss. Jellylorum"

"Well, I'm glad I'll have some company while I'm here. I'm not really a stray. I'm owned, but my owners never put a collar on me, so the cat catchers picked me up. My humans should be over to get me sometime soon"

The next day, a human walked in. "There you are, Anna!" he said to Jennyanydots. "I've been looking all over for you"

As he took her out of the cage, he noticed a red tabby that was in the cage next to hers. I didn't find out his name, but he older than a kitten.

"Actually, I think I'll take him too." the human said. The cat catcher nodded.

"Alright. So sorry we got your dame here. But she really should wear a collar"

"Yes. She never ventures out of our house normally. She loves to just sit around and sleep"

The cat catcher got the red tabby and put him in a carrier. The tabby looked at me.

"Good look in finding your own family!" he said.

I stayed there, alone, for three more days. Then, they came.

"Mummy, I want a kitten! Mummy, I want a kitten"

"I know, Jimmy, we're going to get you a kitten"

A little boy, maybe three years old, ran down the hall, tugging on his mother's hand.

"Ooh, I want that one!" he pointed to one young cat. "No, that one! No, that one"

Then he looked at me "No, that one"

The boy's mother walked up to look at me. "You sure you want this one"

"Yeah! That one! That one"

She sighed. "Alright. How much for him"

The cat catcher gave her a price, and she took me out of the cage. "He is a friendly brute." She said. "I'll go get a carrier"

"No!" the boy cried. "No carrier! I want to carry him"

She handed me to the boy, and he wrapped his arms around my middle and squeezed. I yelped in pain.

"Oh, no, Jimmy, you're going to hurt him." she said, prying his little fingers from my ribs. I gasped for air as he kept squeezing. His mother went to do business with the cat catcher, and the little boy just kept squeezing the life out of me.

"His name is Spike!" he exclaimed to his mother. Oh boy I thought grumpily as I tried to breathe. What kind of family is this?

In the end, I got put into a little boy kept poking me through the bars of the cage. I tried to ignore him. It wasn't easy.

" We have to get Spike a collar." His mother told him.

"No! Spike can wear Fido's collar!" the boy told her.

"But Jimmy, that's a dog collar"

"But it's got spikes on it! Just like Spike! He gets to wear that collar"

"Fine Jimmy. Whatever you want. He's your cat"

After ten minutes of torture in the car, we pulled up at a semi-nice house in the forest. I recognised it as part of the Jellicle territory. That was good. My tribe wasn't that far away.

A man who I assumed was the little devil's father stood outside"

"Daddy!" The brat cried." "I got a kitty"

"Wow Jimmy." he said. "What's his name?"

"Spike"

As the woman carried me into the house, the man whispered, "Spike? Where does he come with these names"

"He's your son." she whispered back. She put the carrier on the floor and the boy unlocked it.

"Come out and play with me, Spike!" he exclaimed. I hesitated, before slowly walking out. The little boy snatched me up and started to squeeze into oblivion again. His parents just smiled at him.

"Play nice with Spike." His mother told him. As I tried to run away from the boy, he grabbed my tail and pulled me back.

"Why don't you show Spike his litter box Jimmy?" his father suggested. Jimmy nodded and picked me up again. He carried me to a corner and stuck me in a box full of sand.

"This is where you go potty." He told me. Excuse me? I thought. I do not do my business in a box. To prove my point, I walked over to the front door, and scratched at it, trying to tell them to let me out.

"Oh, no." the mother said. "You don't go outside until you know this is your house"

Well, you just earned a present in your bed I thought. The kid tortured me for a few more minutes, before running into a different room to watch TV. I sat there and looked at the box full of sand.

I don't think so. I thought. But it was starting to get to me. I stood and started pacing uncomfortably. No. I told myself. I will not do my business in a box of sand. I can hold it. After a few minutes, it became clear to me that I couldn't hold it much longer. I ran to the front door and started to cry at the humans to let me out.

"No, no Spike." The woman said. "Not for a few days"

Just don't think about it. I told myself. It'll go away. I winced uncomfortably. I hope I kept pacing. To occupy my mind, I went into the kitchen. Drip, drip. Someone hadn't turned off the sink all the way.

Aarrgg! I cried silently. I can't hold it any longer

I sat down and crossed my legs, hoping the humans wouldn't come in and see me in this strange position. I'm not going to use the stupid box. I'm not! I refuse to lose my dignity. I sat for about a minute, before I stood and ran into a room. Looking around, I realised it was a bedroom. Ha ha! I thought. The little creep's bed is the perfect place to relieve myself

I did my business, then went back into the living room. They wouldn't notice my present until that night. So I was pretty much off the hook until then.

"STUPID CAT"

I held back a laugh. That's what they get for not letting me outside.