CHAPTER 1

Mr. Independent



I'm a lucky cat. I live a carefree life.

This is my territory. I know these streets like the back of my paw. Lots of cats are tied down by staying with their pet humans, but not me. I'm my own cat, and the only one I have to look out for is myself. I wouldn't have it any other way.

All I have to do is follow a few rules to stay on easy street.

First, know the good places in town to eat. The supermarket has free samples, and the dumpster at the Chinese restaurant is full of leftovers too.

But the Twirling Fork is the best place to find grub: spaghetti and meatballs, pizza, roasted chicken ... all the good stuff!

I just wait at the back of the restaurant until I see someone take a break. It's usually one of the cooks or waiters.

Once he sees me, I give him "the Look."

It took me a while to master "the Look," but it's essential to getting what I want from humans. And let's just say, I always get what I want. I mean, who can resist this face? I'm adorable!

"The Look" doesn't seem to work on all humans.

See that truck right there patrolling the neighborhood? That's bad news right there. The man inside rides around town looking for cats and dogs. He traps them in little cages and takes them to the pound!

I've heard that in the pound, hundreds of cats and dogs in cages are crying and howling to get out.

I've never been there but I'd rather not find out the hard way if it's true. That's why the #1 rule of the street is STAY ALERT!

This leads to the next rule: always have a good hiding spot.

I like the tree across from the empty house on the corner. No one has lived there for ages. The tree is perfect for a cat like me.

My last rule for a happy, carefree life is to have a few trusty friends. This yellow house is my friend Ben's place. It's really big and fancy.

And this is Ben, aka Mr. Fluffypuffypaws. He's got a lot of pet humans.

He has to deal with them every day. Or until they go to bed. IF they go to bed.

In Ben's backyard is a sweet doghouse where Ben hangs out to get away from it all. It's also where I usually meet up with him and a couple of other friends.

Farrah lives with her pet human in that white glass box on top of the hill.

Her human spoils her and gives her whatever she wants.

And this is George. George lives with a little boy and his dad in a small apartment on the other side of town.

But unlike Ben's crazy kids, George's pet human is extremely quiet and shy. He's so shy that he locks himself in his bedroom most days to play video games.

Sometimes, my friends ask me why I don't get my own pet human. They just don't know how hard it would be to find one right for me!

My pet human would have to be perfect! He or she MUST:

1) Feed me LOTS of treats

2) Give me back rubs

3) Have plenty of boxes

for me to play with

4) Be lots of fun

5) NOT smoosh me on the face, squeeze me too tightly, or pull my whiskers and tail

6) Let me sleep on his or her lap

7) Feed me a LOT!

8) Be a good and faithful companion

The perfect human just doesn't exist. They're crazy, aloof, moody, or high maintenace. I don't want to deal with that.

My friends just don't understand. I like living alone.

When they go back to their humans for the night, there's plenty I can do myself.

I can go to the Twirling Fork. I can find a tree to sleep in. I can-

Wait, where did he come from? Run!

Phew! I lost him. I have to be careful. No one is looking out for me except me.

I've had some close calls with the law, but I make sure I never get caught.

Sure, there are some benefits to having a pet human, like animal control would leave me alone. But no human can pin me down. I love my freedom way too much. I'm better off on my own.



Text copyright © 2015 by Yasmine Surovec

Illustrations © 2015 by Yasmine Surovec