POV

         He looked around the room to see who was there. He noted the man and then...there she was! She was even in the spot he had most hoped for. He ran, at a slight trot, to the next room, “the food room”, he had come to call it. He planted his butt on the floor of the food room and looked up at the woman. He stared at her for a while, and nothing happened. He gave pause then decided that a noise might do it. So, in his best loud voice, he let out a plaintive cry. She turned towards the noise, then looked down with a smile on her face.

“What's the matter, bubby?” she asked, using that other name she had for him. Well, one of the other names she had for him that he didn't care for.

Another plaintive cry, with more sadness to it. Nothing was wrong! He was HUNGRY! Empty food bowl! Empty treat bowl! If she'd just look down, she'd see that! She had to understand what he wanted, as he rubbed her ankles. To his horror, his message was not understood!! Suddenly, his feet, all four of them, were several feet in the air and his face was inches from hers. (Had she had garlic tonight? He flinched as she breathed into his nose) He tried not to look as horrified as he felt, being so far off the ground. He howled with discontent, which only got a tighter hug and he found his front feet draped over her upper arm while she held his butt in her hands. He sighed as she spoke to him again.

“What's the matter Hamlet?” she cooed. If he could've given her a look of disgust, he would have.

He wiggled to indicate that being so high up had lost it's appeal very quickly and she put him down on the floor with a gentle bump. He scampered off while she resumed her activity. He proceeded into the sleeping room, as he'd come to call it, to find the man. Not sleeping. Odd. He went into the room of noise, which was large and had a lot of places to sit and sleep. There was the man, in the chair that let the humans lay down. He stood back, readied his body and lept!

“Hey!” was not what he was planning to be greeted with, along with a slight shove to indicate that this lap was not where was meant to be. Damn...surely the man would've understood the need to be fed. Feeling more hungry by the minute and very unhappy with the human race in general, he returned to the food room to more forcefully indicate his need. He rubbed the womans ankles, meowed with force and got her to look again. She was doing something that made her hands wet and he was prepared to duck falling drops of water if needed. She seemed to delight in flicking them on him from time to time and he was not doing with water!

Finally, he seemed to have her attention! She asked him again what the problem was, and in his best “I'M HUNGRY!” meow, he told her. She, of course, didn't get it, but said, simply, “show me.”. She started out of the food room (!), and started for the room of noise. He bypassed her at the chair of the man and led her back to his eating and pooping room. He sat at the bowl that held the yummy morsels she put in it and waited.

“You're bowl's empty!” she exclaimed, going for the food holder. “Here you go!” and he heard the distinctive sound of food going into the bowl.

He meowed his thanks and started eating. She left him, but she would soon be back. He could feel something going on inside of him, as he scarfed the food she'd set out for him. As he left the room, he paused, feeling a hair ball coming on. When it didn't happen, he righted himself and continued on his way.

A bit later, as he was walking through the room of noise, he paused again, feeling that hairball escaping feeling. This time, however, it was more than that. This was met with words from the man:

“EWW! You're cat threw up again!”

And the woman:

“Again? How many times do I have to tell him not to eat so damn fast? I'm about to stick something in his bowl so he has to eat slowly!” and the woman walking away to get the things to clean the spot. He ran and hid, not wanting to be in trouble, though he knew it was too late. Besides, what was this eating fast? He ate until he was full. It wasn't something he spent a lot of time doing.

Once the cleaning was done, the woman looked at him and said the one thing that would've made him cry if he could: “no treats for you tonight! Not after this!” and she walked off, heading into the sleeping room. He followed her, meowing for all he was worth. No deal. Damn. He liked his treats, how dare she withhold them? He sighed and went for some water. All of the excitement had made him thirsty. Once that was done, he felt the urge to visit the (sometimes smelly) box that he relieved himself in. He made a note to protest that at his next chance, as he felt it could be done better than it was currently.

He sat in the doorway of his eating and pooping room and watched. Ahh...there was the woman, the one who fed him and petted him and...she was going into the brushing room! He ran across the short hall and sat in front of her as she sat on a strange white chair. He heard a noise like water splashing and meowed. She looked at him and reached behind her. She started brushing him and just as it was starting to feel really good proclaimed:

“Can I not go to the bathroom without an audience?!” He looked at her, startled, and attempted to announce that no, she couldn't. Someone had to be sure she was doing it right. Now, more brushing! Stroke! Stroke! Stroke!