Seth the Cat

Seth the cat sauntered his way to the puddle of water that lay bright under a Chicago streetlight.  He had experienced the unpleasantness of water; a master of his, immature and arrogant, had recently thrown him five feet across his backyard and into a kiddie pool.  He was terrified at the thought of not being able to stand on his own four paws, but luckily the pool was only half full so he was able to plod through this nightmare of all cats, leap across the lawn and run into the alley in a split second.  How can any master do that to their own cat? he thought as he instinctively licked himself clean of garden hose water.  He felt a pang of jealousy as he saw the family dog having the time of his life splashing and barking with excitement in the very same pool.  Seth sat and watched as the oblivious animal had fun in such a situation that, to Seth, was so disturbing. 

                The day of the kiddie pool fiasco passed, and night arrived.   Seth was getting ready to roam the streets with his cat friends.  The fact that most of them didn’t have masters like he did didn’t bother him.  His former years of living on the streets took away any arrogance he might have had.  All Seth had to do to have one of his masters open the door to the backyard was weave through his or her legs, purr, and meow affectionately.  This always worked like a charm, but that night his family was busy.  The kids were running all over screaming as they threw Nerf balls and shoes at each other.  The parents were busy running after their running children, trying to bring peace to the large suburban house.  The window was soon opened by the Mother so that a subtle amount of peace filled the kitchen.  

                Seth, enthralled, leapt as cats did about three feet up to the sill of the window.  He then jumped to the porch, without looking back to the chaotic house.  His cat friends always met at the corner alley.  He didn’t know them by name, but by the sound of their purring and meowing, and the appearance of their coats.  The atmosphere of the night was just what a cat wanted: not too cold, not too hot.  His fur and the temperature made him very comfortable, unlike some of those hot summer days when his choice place of leisure was limited to the shadow of the oak tree in the backyard, or under the porch during the icy days of winter, where his paws were safe from salt. 

                Three of his buddies showed up; the orange haired one with a white tail, the black one with bright green eyes that widened before a mouse chase, and the grey overweight one that was the most domesticated cat Seth had ever known.  The grey one lived for these nights, when he could leave his gourmet food and feather bed behind and just lose it all.  They had their path down, partly because it was the same one they had taken for the past year or so.  They had met one night through their lonely cries that echoed from garbage can to garbage can, garage door to garage door.  Also, scents guided them where to go; places to turn or to avoid.  Their carefree nights where only threatened by the scent of a dog.  This was when caution was necessary.  Seth had only come into contact with a leashless dog once, and it was even scarier than his kiddie pool experience.  He managed to jump a fence the dog couldn’t jump and find safety.  The other day Seth had seen the same dog, became terrified, and quickly wove through a fence that only a cat could weave through.

                They often walked through the alleys side by side, meowing and keeping an eye out for anything that met their path.  Seth and his fellow cats were always alert for dogs on leashes walking with their masters.  Sometimes they couldn’t avoid being seen by these dogs and they had to dart across a street or a lawn at the speed of light, and in response the dogs barked wildly and pulled their leashes almost to the point where the dogs’ masters were being walked instead.  After any such experience, Seth and his friends’ hearts beat wildly as they realized they had just escaped death.  Once they regained their calm, they continued their night’s journey with a trot, one that demonstrated the understanding of life on the streets. That night they only needed to elude one such dog, and after the encounter they ran into an alley and pranced over some gravel as their tails swayed gently.  Seth walked up to the puddle that was radiant under the streetlight.  He drank some water and caught up with his friends.  They were eager to find their next adventure together.