The Duties of a Cat
My name is Spark, if you looked at me, were forced to describe me, you would probably say I'm an uninspiring, standard issue, tabby cat, with a white chest, tummy and socks.
You would be correct, I am unremarkable. No different than a million other cats you could see in your neighbourhood, sitting on sunny windowsills or stalking through garden shrubbery.
I am not remarkable.
I do however, live a life you, a human would not expect, or believe.
We cats see things you humans cannot. There is a world beyond your experience.
You arrogantly believe you own us, that you care for, and protect us.
But that is only partially true.
We also protect you, from things you cannot see.
It is rarely an easy job.
You humans are worse than kittens, unaware of the dangers, unable to see or hear. You stray into the path of predators you do not comprehend enough to avoid. You taunt fate, and beings you can't see, all unawares.
I now protect a family of 3, my particular charge was the boy.
There used to be a she-cat here also, she was wise and many years my senior. Had protected the family alone before the boy came to the place with the cages and chose me as his protector.
The she-cat didn't like me much, said I wasn't needed.
But now the she-cat is gone, and I am forced to take up the burden of mother, and infant that pulls my tail, as well as my boy.
The mother is the most troublesome, maybe this is why the she-cat was always grumpy, and hissed at me when I tried to get her to play.
The mother is hard work, I wish the mother was still the she-cat's responsibility. But two weeks ago the she-cat did not come home from her rounds.
I suspect she lost her battle with one of the many things that we are charged with protecting our humans from, by the great contract of Egypt.
I believe the she-cat was killed by a water entity, it rained that night. Perhaps it was a Grindylow, the she-cat battled a particularly vicious individual often, one that repeatedly attempted to gain entry through the cat door, on rainy nights.
It could have been another water entity.
Crinaeae, Kawako and Limnades enter the home through the water pipes.
The smallest room in the house often seems to be a favoured zone for incursions. The mother insists on visiting this room regularly, perching on the throne of cold white stone, containing water, and peeing. It is pointless and fails to mark her territory, but humans do many bizarre things, often involving water.
The she-cat attempted to train these humans for years; yet they never heeded her warnings of the dangers of excessive contact with water.
My primary human, the boy, seems to understand the danger of water, on some level. He often howls loudly when forced by the mother to enter the pool of hot-water, or the false rain, in the second smallest room of the house.
Because of her folly I am forced to stand guard on him while he is in there. If I didn't know better, and understand that humans cannot see the entities we battle, I would wonder if the mother were trying to kill the boy.
I have tried to demonstrate how she could clean the boy safely, by licking, as is proper. But still, she forces him to risk the waters.
It is frustrating.
Thankfully the mother does not wash the infant in the false rain, or the large pool of hot-water, with the drain that howls while gulping down the water.
Instead she chooses to wash it in a small plastic tub, never leaving it unattended. This is better, but I still worry.
Why she insists on washing the infant at all is beyond me, it always smells of milk, a scent truly criminal to wash off.
Don't get me wrong the mother is not a bad creature, she cleans the litter box, sets out the food offerings and gives most enjoyable pats as is right. She was terribly upset by the she-cats disappearance.
I can hear her crying. I should probably go and check in on her, humans are very fragile creatures and it is our duty to care for them.
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A/N
This story was written partially as a tribute to my girl Slinky who went missing just before my country went into lockdown for COVID 19, her loss breaks my heart. She was a good girl and valiantly tried to protect me from toilet monsters great and small.
It is also a story for my son and his christmas kitten Spark. i know he is in good hands.