The Sad Cat Who Became Very Happy

The Sad Cat Who Became Very Happy

Minou

Minou is my dear sweet cat, my twin. My parents adopted him six years ago. I was just two weeks old when my parents brought a little black kitten home and Minou quickly became a full member of the family. We grew up together, he was so much more than just a pet; he really was my twin! We used to have fun playing and laughing all day long. Except these last days; I don't know what's going on with Minou but he just isn't playing like he used to. All he does these days is eat and sleep...

"Maybe he's sick", said mom.

"Maybe he ate something bad", added my dad.

"We should take him to the vet", decided mom.

"Lina and I will take him tomorrow morning", agreed dad.

When we arrived at the pet clinic the next morning, I could tell Minou was a little bit scared. The vet, a very nice lady, inspected him carefully. She took his temperature, checked his ears, and made sure he didn't have fleas. Later she took his pulse and opened his mouth to examine his teeth. Finally, she weighed him.

"He's not sick," she said, "maybe a little too fat though!"

"Try to feed him less", she added.

We brought Minou home.

Later on that day I heard my parents talking in the kitchen

"I'm so happy he's healthy. I'm going to feed him less. Do you think this will make him playful again?" Asked mom.

"I don't know. It'll get him hungrier, that's for sure," joked dad.

"I keep thinking, said mom, cats do fall in love, don't they? Do you think he might be..."

"In love? He has never met another cat!" replied dad.

"I know why Minou is behaving like that," I almost shouted.

My parents gave me an amused look. I tried to sound as convincing as possible:

"He is sad!"

"Sad!?" exclaimed my parents

"I've never heard about cats being sad," added dad.

"Why do you think he's sad?" Asked mom.

"Because he has no cat friends to talk with, mom. I have friends, but he has none."

Two days later, my parents decided to look for another cat to adopt.

One evening my mother came home; she looked very excited and happy.

"Lina, tomorrow morning, we'll bring a new cat home. This is our birthday present for Minou: a friendly cat for him to play with!"

Pinky

I just entered the dining-room when a speedy rolling little ball bumped into my shoes. Suddenly a fluffy tiny kitten jumped over the ball and started to play with it, right in front of me. I was afraid to step forward not to hurt the little fellow. Three other kittens were playing on the carpet next to the window.

"They love playing on that carpet," said Mrs. Molly while picking up the playful kitten.

Mrs. Molly was a little old lady and she had a lot of pets in her house. She was a good friend of aunt Clara who told my mom about the kittens.

"Can I keep the kitten I like most?" I asked Mrs. Molly

"Of course, my dear," said Mrs. Molly,"as I told your mother, only three of them are up for adoption. I'm keeping the little black one and his mother."

"Did you adopt the mother cat when she was a kitten?" I asked her.

"No, my dear," answered Mrs. Molly, "I found her in the street, right in front of my house, about two months ago. She was dirty and hungry. I took her inside and gave her something to eat. I washed her, too. Now, she's family and she's such a sweet cat! I couldn't imagine life without her!"

My mother asked me to choose a kitten. They were all so cute! Finally, I chose the most colorful one; who happened to be the one playing with the little ball. She was white, orange, and black.

"The calico kitten!" Exclaimed Mrs. Molly. "She's the princess of the family."

"Does she have a name?" I asked.

"No, my dear. You'll have to give her a name; she's your cat now," said Mrs. Molly.

We thanked Mrs. Molly and before leaving she gave us a very pretty pink collar. "A goodbye present", she said, while putting it around the kitten's neck.

We were on the sidewalk, walking toward my mother's car when we heard a little voice behind us.

"Is this one of Mrs. Molly's kittens?"

"How do you know?" asked my mother turning around.

"We are neighbors", answered the little girl trying to see the kitten through the door of the little cage.

"Oh, you took the calico kitten!" She exclaimed. "Did you give her a name?"

"Not yet, but since you know her so well, do you have any suggestion?"

"Maybe... Gigi...Tess...Heather...Miss T...Mistique...I know! Pinky!"

"Why Pinky," I asked her.

"Because she's beautiful, like a princess and pink goes with princesses. Plus, I see she already has a pink collar."

My mother and I looked at each other and turning toward the little girl I said, smiling: "So, Pinky it is."

On the way back home I couldn't stop imagining Minou and Pinky playing happily together. Oh yes, he will be so pleased to see there is a cat in the house to play with!

Minou Meets Pinky

Minou was sleeping on the carpet in the dining room when we got home, but the sound of our footsteps woke him up. As we got closer to him, he raised his head, stretching his neck a little bit. He stared at us and suddenly his little yellow eyes seemed to grow bigger and rounder than ever. We stopped in front of him. Minou didn't flinch at all, waiting for the thing he sensed was going to happen, to finally happen!

My mother was holding Pinky in her arms, all covered with a huge scarf. Nobody would have guessed that somewhere, among its many folds, there was a tiny kitten sleeping. She must have been sleeping as there wasn't any movement at all. Mom put the scarf down and we all took a step backward to better see Minou's reaction at the sight of Pinky.

Minou was standing now, on all four feet, watching so intensely the scarf on the floor, that he seemed breathless. Suddenly, he took a huge leap back. The scarf was moving! Minou's back arched and his tail started twitching.

Pinky managed to surface from under the many folds and with a weak meow she stopped. She turned her head a little bit to her right then a bit to her left and while turning again to her right she noticed Minou. In fractions of a second, her tiny body arched and her hair puffed up. On tiptoes, her tail straight in the air, she was courageously advancing toward Minou, hissing with all the force she could muster.

Minou needed less than a moment to turn around, and running like a madman to the kitchen, opened the cupboard door with his paw, and hid among the pots and pans.

We were all motionless and speechless. What just happened?

The movie-like joyful meeting between the two cats, which my imagination had been nourishing these last two days, vanished forever.

"Ladies, tomorrow is another day and I'm sure it will be a good one for everybody", said my dad before going to sleep.

The next day the two cats behaved like two sworn enemies. Minou was keeping his distance and from time to time he was letting out a growl while Pinky kept hissing at him.

I was so discouraged! I was afraid we'd have to take Pinky back to Mrs. Molly.

"It's very possible," said my mom. "Don't worry, we'll adopt another cat."

"But I like Pinky!" I said bursting in tears.

The third day the two cats continued to avoid each other. We could still hear a snarl or a hiss now and then. That evening my parents decided to watch a movie. Dad put Minou on his left, on the sofa and Mom tried to keep the hyper Pinky to her right. I was drawing and coloring. Being so absorbed by what I was doing, I could hardly hear my parents whispering:

"Time to go to bed.''

The two cats were sleeping and we didn't want to wake them up. We left them on the sofa and we went to bed.

Early in the morning, while I was still sleeping, I heard a whisper in my left ear:

"Wake up, don't make a sound, follow me.. "

I followed my mother on tip-toes, without a word. The door of the sitting-room was open. Mum stopped in front of it and, slowly raising her right hand, pointed her finger toward something in the middle of the room. I turned my head and covered my mouth with my both hands not to shout.

The cats were on the sofa; Minou was licking Pinky who seemed so happy this grumpy but good-natured cat was taking care of her!