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Spare Humans (1/1)

Luna and Pumpkin lounged on the back of the couch, stretched out in the afternoon sunshine, each thinking about how lucky they were to be part of such an amazing family.

"I'm so glad you all decided to let me stay and be part of the family," Luna said with a contented sigh.

"It wasn't just my decision but I really tried as hard as I could to convince the humans," Pumpkin replied. "Cammie is great but it's nice to have another cat around to talk to."

"Speaking of talking." Luna changed positions, almost like a human sunbather. "Misty from down the street seemed to have a lot to say to you on our last walk. What was she talking your ear off about?"

"She was a little mad that her mom was busy so her dad had to be the one to take her for a walk," Pumpkin explained. "But it was the strangest thing. She kept calling her dad her 'spare human'."

"What does that mean?" Luna asked.

"Misty said her mom is her favorite person by far and that she always wants them to take walks together and watch TV together." Pumpkin flexed her feet as though making biscuits in the air. "She said she only agrees to go on a walk with her dad if there's no other choice. So he's her spare human."

Luna thought for a minute. "Do we have spare humans?"

"I don't know." Pumpkin was stumped. "I hadn't ever thought about it until Misty brought it up."

"Should we try to find out?" Luna asked.

"In a little while," Pumpkin purred. "Let's enjoy some more sunshine before we do."


Pumpkin and Luna sat side by side on the table in the playroom, watching quietly as Angie did her homework.

"I need to get my homework done early because we have something special going on tonight," the young girl explained as she pulled a worksheet from her folder and smiled. "I have math tonight. I love math."

"I don't think she's the spare human," Pumpkin said. "At least not for me. I love the sound of her voice and the way she keeps talking to us even though we can't talk back to her."

"I don't even know how to do math but I love listening to her talk about it," Luna agreed.

Angie reached out as she contemplated the next question and gave each cat a scritch under the chin. They both immediately began to purr.

"Definitely not the spare," they said in unison.


"You two aren't making this any easier," Catherine said as the two playful cats dived under the fitted sheet she was trying to put on Angie's bed.

"EEEEEEEEEE!" Luna squealed. "This is my favorite game."

Pumpkin shot from the top of the bed to the bottom, bobbing and weaving to elude Catherine's hand skimming the top of the sheet trying to shoo her back to the floor.

"Youuuuu can't get me!" she screamed, but it just came out as a playful, "MEOW".

"Ok," Catherine acquiesced with a chuckle. "One quick game of hide and seek but then I have to make the bed so we can get ready for tonight."

Both cats immediately belly crawled to a spot on the top of the mattress, believing the sheet over top of them made them invisible.

"Ready or not, here I come," Catherine said in a sing-song voice.

The cats scrunched down and tried to remain still but their wiggling behinds gave them away.

"She's definitely not a spare," Luna said.

Pumpkin nodded. "Definitely not."


"It's really important to take care of my board," DJ told Luna and Pumpkin as he sat on the deck applying the special surfboard wax Auntie Kono had given him. "When you love something you have to do everything you can to make sure it stays in good shape."

Both cats looked at him with adoring eyes. There was something about the way their little male human talked to them. He did it with his heart. It didn't matter what he was talking to them about, it made them both feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Sometimes he would sit on his bed and read a story to them and those were some of their favorite times.

As he explained the best way to apply the wax they both listened attentively. They didn't really care what it was he was talking about. They just wanted him to keep talking.

As he turned his board over they sighed happily and said in unison, "Definitely not the spare."


Steve chuckled from underneath the Marquis when he heard the garage door close softly then looked up a few seconds later to see Luna and Pumpkin, heads tilted sideways, looking at him.

"Ok, I know what this is," he smiled. "I'm supposed to keep you occupied for a few minutes while they finish setting up your Gotcha Day parties inside."

The cats held their position.

"I know it's a couple of weeks early but we have so many things planned closer to Halloween we were afraid we wouldn't be able to find time for a proper party."

He barked a laugh.

"Look at me, talking about a proper Gotcha Day party for cats as though that's a real thing."

Luna and Pumpkin shared a good-natured chuckle. If only all the people who thought their human dad was a bad-ass could see him now.

"Of course I guess in a way it is a real thing because you two are definitely part of the family at this point." He smiled at them as he wiped his hands on a rag. "I even know both of your favorite colors."

He leaned over and scooped the cats up, one in each arm.

"Now I think this party is supposed to be a surprise," he told them. "So, don't let on I told you it was coming."

"Don't worry," Pumpkin reached out and touched paws with Luna. "His secret is safe with us."


Twenty minutes later, as they sat in the kitchen eating special pet safe cupcakes baked by Kaitlyn, surrounded by crepe paper decorations in their favorite colors, happy giggles and laughter filling the air, while Angie and DJ helped them open their presents, Pumpkin and Luna looked at each other and smiled in their own feline way.

"None of our humans are spare," Luna said.

"We love all of them the same," Pumpkin agreed.

Cammie raised her head and let out a soft chuff.

"You too," Pumpkin said. "But if you repeat that we'll deny it. We're cats after all. We have a reputation to uphold."

THE END


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