Written for the LiveJournal community Watsons_Woes for their July Writing Prompts challenge. The prompt for day 25 was: So very Gorey: Surely an artist that would tickle the modern Holmes' funnybone, and possibly would have gotten a laugh (or a long, cold stare) from the ACD original. Take your inspiration from one of the works of Edward Gorey, from the man, from a random title of one of his works, or whatever else tickles your fancy.
Predictably, I was inspired by one of his cat drawings, specifically the illustration that accompanies the Rum Tum Tugger poem in T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats.
Part of my Spencer-verse (primarily canon with a few details borrowed from the Granada TV series).
_Recalcitrant Cat_
Spencer had been around for perhaps six months when he became utterly impossible to please.
If he was inside, he wanted to be outside. If he was outside, he wanted to be inside.
He shunned any food he was given, then would go in the pantry and eat something from the shelves.
If I placed him on my lap, he jumped off.
If I was reading the paper, he jumped onto my lap and cleaned himself while sitting on the very article I was trying to read.
Holmes intimated that something was wrong with him; I did not agree.
After about a week, the behavior ceased as quickly as it started.
I concluded that he was merely making sure we were paying attention to him.