That Furball Puppy and Me (2 page)

I eased closer. The rats didn't seem to notice as I inched toward them. Suddenly two of them spotted me and darted for a hole in the corner.

When they ran, it made me feel big and brave.

But …

The two other rats stopped eating and looked up. They
didn't
run.

“Hey, Nora. Look at the little kitty cat!”

“Yeah, Smitty. I've seen him before. He's the fraidy-cat, remember?”

The one called Smitty took a step toward me. “Yeah, he's the one we chased. Nearly got him, too. Reckon he's slower now? He's a lot fatter, almost big enough to eat.” Smitty licked his lips.

Nora's yellow eyes pierced like hot embers as the two rats glared at me.

My stomach did a flip-flop. I backed slowly toward the door. Both rats inched forward. They moved apart—one came at me from the right, the other from the left. I felt my tail fuzz. It sprang straight up behind me, almost as big around as the rest of me was.

They stopped and stared. Not even their whiskers twitched. Then they moved again, quicker this time. I felt a shiver as I suddenly realized they were trying to surround me. They were trying to block my escape from the big, dark barn.

Without taking my eyes from them, I backed up.

“Now!” Nora hissed in her ratty voice. “Let's get him!”

O
kay … maybe I overdid it with the happy feeling. Maybe I needed to talk to myself like Mama did. Maybe I needed to get more excited and more worked up. Maybe I needed to spend a little more time trying to convince myself that I really was big and brave and strong, before I tried to face the rats.

I was just lucky I made it through the crack between the two wooden doors. As big as I was fuzzed up, I was surprised I managed to make it. Once safely outside the barn, I headed for the house and meowed for Mama to let me in.

I checked the cat bowl on the kitchen floor. Callie had left me a few bits of egg and bacon. I gobbled them down. People were confusing. The ringy-box was confusing. And what was this
Christmas stuff? Maybe there were a few more things I needed to figure out before I got too wrapped up in this happy feeling.

The happy in our home seemed to grow with each passing day. Mama left the house more often. She would go to the driveway and start her car. It roared and sputtered. Sometimes when it wouldn't start, Mama would get out and talk mean to it. Then she would try again. One day she even got out and kicked it.

I don't think the car felt it, though. Mama did. She grabbed her foot and started hopping around on her other leg. Then she talked real mean to it again.

Each time Mama left she would come back with lots of packages. The closet was filled with boxes and paper and ribbon. When I was bored, I would investigate the weird things that were hidden away.

One day Mama started bringing all the stuff out. She wrapped colored papers around the boxes. Then she tied on long strings and bows. I watched patiently. When she wasn't looking, I grabbed the ends of the strings that dangled from the side of the packages. I pulled at the bows. I sharpened my long claws on the paper.

“Gray! Bad cat! Get away from the gifts. I'll put you outside!”

I batted at the strings one more time.

Mama picked up one of the long tube things with shiny paper wrapped around it. She whomped me right on the bottom. I scampered away and hid under the couch. Only the ribbons wiggled when the heater came on. The temptation was just too much. When I sneaked back and swatted the string again, Mama picked me up, gave me a quick rub (only she stroked my hair the wrong way), and put me outside.

“You can come in later, Gray.”

Cold wind ruffled my hair as I looked around the porch. Callie was still inside. I jumped on the rocker and fluffed my fur, trying to keep warm. There was no sunshine on the porch. It was hard to take a catnap when there was no warm sun to stretch out in.
Boy, is it nippy out here,
I thought.

Leaving the rocker, I jumped to the porch chair and looked in the window. I meowed as loudly as I could. When no one came, I went to the door and scratched at the screen with my claws. Still nobody. My fur kind of gave a little ripple—all on its own. I curled my tail around my legs and sat, watching for someone to open the door.

The sound of a car made my ears twitch. I bounced to the sidewalk to see who it was. The Daddy was getting out of his pickup truck. I hurried to rub against his leg.

“Get back, Gray! I've got to get this tree into the house.” He gently shoved me with his foot.

I stood at the end of the driveway and watched. Daddy opened the back of the truck and branches flopped out. I arched an eyebrow.
Guess Daddy ran over a tree. How else would it have fallen into the back of his truck?
He began grabbing the limbs and fighting with the thing. But instead of throwing it away, like I thought he would, he started dragging it toward me.

I scampered up the sidewalk in front of him to keep from getting smushed by the pine tree. Being a cat and getting chased by rats was bad enough. Now a tree was chasing me. I'd never been chased by a tree before.

My fur fuzzed. Eyes wide, I shot for the safety of the pecan tree. This whole thing was getting weirder and weirder. The packages were weird. The ringy-box and the happy feel in the house were weird. The packages, the shiny paper, the string … Daddy disappeared through the door. The tree chased right after him. A tree in the house … My people were carrying this stuff too far. They were going totally bonkers!

Cautiously, I crept down from the tree and went to the door. I just had to see what was going on. I didn't even have time to put my paws on the screen and peek in when the door flew open. I darted out of the way. Daddy walked toward
the barn. I hid under the rocker for a moment, until I felt it was safe, then I went back for a peek. Here came Daddy again. He carried some boards. I scampered for the rocker. Daddy held the door open and bent down to look at me.

“Come on, cat. It's cold out here. Come on in.”

I didn't know if I wanted inside or not. I mean … what if the tree started chasing me again. What if …

“Come on, Gray.”

I had to see what was happening. I darted into the house. If I could just make it to my hiding place …

Right in the middle of the living room, I came to a screeching stop!

My hiding place was gone! The furniture wasn't where it was supposed to be. A big empty space was in front of the window where the chair belonged. The couch was moved close to the wall. There wasn't any room to squeeze behind it and hide. So I pushed as close to it as I could and watched.

“What's with that stupid cat, Kay? He's been flying around, all puffed up, since I got home. Think he's sick or something?”

“I don't know,” Mama called from the kitchen. “Maybe he's just getting into the Christmas spirit. You get the tree?”

“Yeah. Got it inside, already. Where do you want me to put it?”

Mama trotted into the living room. There was a big smile on her face. My whiskers twitched as I pushed myself closer to the wall. I perked my ears, listening to the excited voices.

This was wonderful! Maybe this tree wasn't so bad (now that it was being still and not chasing me). Maybe they brought it inside—just for Callie and me. Sure. That was it. They brought a tree inside for us to climb! I couldn't wait for them to leave so I could scamper to the very top and see what was going on.

Daddy got some boards. He worked with nails and a hammer, trying to get the tree to stand up straight. As soon as it was up, Mama began putting long strings of colorful things around it. She placed them on the tree, frowned, then took them down and started again.

Quietly, I stood up and leaned out from beside the couch. Callie would know what was going on. I crept into the bedroom. She was asleep on a pillow on the bed. Callie didn't even budge when I jumped up beside her. When I meowed, she only twitched her whiskers. I would have to wait. Callie could be cranky when someone woke her up from a sound sleep.

The closet door was open. Inside I could see the packages that the Mama had been wrapping. I
hopped down for a closer look. Curiously I sniffed around. Ribbons dangling over the side wiggled when my whiskers brushed against them. I swatted a couple with my paw. The movement was like mice tails scampering away. I grabbed at them. Some of the paper on the outside of the boxes tore. It made me jump back, but for only a second. Then I was right at it again. I couldn't stop! Swat! Rip! I was making a mess, but I just couldn't help myself.

“Gray! What are you doing? I put you outside to keep you from tearing my packages. Here you are, shredding the Christmas presents!”

Mama grabbed me straight up off the floor. Not too sweetly, she carried me to the playroom.

“Sorry, Gray. I can't have you messing up everything. You'll have to stay in here if you can't be a good kitty.” She plopped me on the floor and slammed the door behind me.

My tail flipped a couple of times, all by itself, then I sat by the door and listened. The Mama and Daddy talked, their voices excited and happy. There were crinkling sounds and jingling sounds and laughter. I just had to see what was going on in the living room. I lay down on my side. There was a crack under the door. I could see light coming through. I flattened my cheek against the floor so hard that my whiskers felt smushed. If I got my eyeball close enough to the floor, I could
see through the crack under the door. Shoving my paw through the opening, I reached and tugged to see if it would open.

Everybody was ignoring me! I meowed as sadly as I could! Still, nobody came.

Finally I hopped up on the couch and curled against the pillow. I kept my ears alert, just in case the door opened. If it ever did, I could be on my feet in a flash. Before the Mama and Daddy could even blink, I would scamper out and see what was happening.

I guess I was sleeping harder than I thought. It startled me when Mama came into the playroom and picked me up. Holding me close, she carried me to the living room.

The tree didn't look like an outside tree anymore. There were tiny lights and shiny things all over it. Long glistening tails circled the branches. My eyes were wide as I tried to see everything. It was beautiful. I just wanted to get down and grab at the stuff hanging from the limbs. Squirming, I tried to get away from Mama.

Below the tree were the packages that I had been playing with. There were lots of new boxes that I had never seen before. I wiggled, trying to get closer for a better look.

Mama squeezed me tighter. “Gray! You're not
getting down. I can't trust you with the decorations and the Christmas presents.”

I knew that I was going to get into trouble, but I just couldn't stop!

“Okay, Gray!”

The next thing I knew I was back in the playroom. “Callie,” I meowed. “Callie, I need to talk to you. I need you to tell me what's going on. I need to know what all the shiny stuff is and why the tree sparkles and why there's a big bright thing on the top. Callie?”

Callie didn't answer. There was no smell of her near the playroom or in the kitchen on the other side of the door. So I guess she was still asleep on the bed.

The playroom was better than being outside in the cold, but with all the exciting things going on, being trapped in here was the pits.

L
et me out of here!” I meowed as loud as I could. Shoving a paw under the door, my sharp claws sank into the wood. I jerked and tugged. The thing rattled, but it wouldn't open.

Something grabbed my paw! It made me yank my leg back. I twisted my head to peek through the narrow opening beneath the door. Callie's fur and one eye were all that I could see.

“Gray, you'd better stop that door rattling. The Daddy will throw you out in the cold. Those sharp claws leave scratch marks in the wood, and the Daddy doesn't like it!”

I stretched my front paw and shook the door again. Callie scampered away.