Write about a human and a cat that come to some kind of mutual understanding.

Posted in Character on Feb 24, 2023

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✍️ 126 stories

“My Emmy” by Kevin V

Submitted to Contest #187

The cat remained still, almost too still, under the oak tree in my front yard, observing me as it has for the past three days. Siamese, of that I am sure, only because Emmy favored them. Not me. I tolerated them only for her. A dog person myself, I always had one until recently. I only owned one at a time, all King Charles Spaniels, all male (neutered of course), and all named Justin. Always wanted a son named Justin, but it never happened. No daughters either. Just as well, I suppose, Emmy hated that I wanted her named Justine. "Git!" ...

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“Black Cats and Black Sheep” by Marshall Gothage

Submitted to Contest #187

After taking a deep, controlled draw of his Italian cigar, he pointed it at me to indicate it was my turn to shoot. The game's tempo had flatlined as we played hide and seek with only the cue and eight-ball remaining on the table. Our pockets were on opposite sides, causing a stalemate in which neither of us was willing to give up a good position and risk losing the five dollars. Five dollars feels like ten when you win it in pool, twenty when you can barely make rent. There's a sweet satisfaction in hearing silence wash over a demean...

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“Jacob “Grimscar” Gregson Special: Reckoning with Roberto” by Steffen Lettau

Submitted to Contest #187

One half-eaten robin. One head and tail of a squirrel. One fish, clearly stolen. One child's toy, played with and then stolen. One adult toy- He quickly dropped that one back in with the rest of the collection; somewhere out there, a lonely lady was not happy.All this, plus more, barely fitting inside of a shoe box. The field agent could contend with a lot; superpowered villains, highly-trained assassins, insane elements from the weather to the Earth, and food poisoning (sometimes with literal poison). Roberto, however, was none of these; he...

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“The Magnificent Maron Maloney - Part 2/4” by Russell Mickler

Submitted to Contest #187

Petting the Tiger. Cooling the Water. The Spectacle. Secrets. It was a starry, starry night, and fireflies swarmed overhead like drifting embers. A light breeze blew through the whispering pines behind the Swindle & Swine. There were smells of fried pork, roasted beets, and freshly-baked cakes and pastries. Beeswax candles were lined along the porch railings. And halflings of all kinds gathered in the clearing beside the inn to attend the outdoor show. Taika knew, deep in his heart, the Magnificent Maron Maloney was a showman, and he lov...

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“above under” by Kay Carlisle

Submitted to Contest #187

Chapter 1 Home Sweet Home I look down at my lap. There it was, the thread I couldn’t stop picking at. Don’t pull at it, Lys, or your dress will fall apart. I know that’s what she’d say if she were here. But as accepting as Lula was of me, she wasn’t the kind of girl who wandered through the Under in her free time. Not that any particular girl was that way. Sure, some may find themselves in the smoke-filled alleyways and garbage-laden streets out of a kind of morbid curiosity, but this was frowned upon. Illegal, even. Well, illegal...

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“Something To Talk About In Palaio Faliro” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #187

Professor Katopodis had a habit of turning every conversation topic into an academic discussion. He had a feeling that retirement would take some time to get used to. On his first day in Palaio Faliro, a seaside town 10 km south of Athens, his wife suggested he might out go for a walk to clear his head of the 37 years of strife he had endured at the National University.Stepping outside this morning, the first thing he noticed were the oranges. Bright and plump, they littered every inch of the pavement. And then the cats. They lounged in the ...

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“Purrsistence” by Lindsey Pope

Submitted to Contest #187

It started out just like any other Sunday. Mr. Peterson sat at his kitchen table reading his daily paper with the sun as his light through the kitchen window. Every day for the past year, this had been his daily routine. The table was rather bare besides his newspaper, glasses, and his daily cup of coffee from the closest convenience store. The chair next to him remained empty; he would never dare place anything there. Inside the newspaper that day was a portrait a local artist painted of a white daffodil. Her favorite flower. He sighed befo...

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“Our Poppy” by Jane Jackson

Submitted to Contest #187

Part 1: Six months ago – The Cheetah in the Garden “I've seen the kitten again,” Jim said. How many times had he made this announcement over the last two or three weeks? Yet I'd still to catch sight of the creature, despite hearing its pleading cries on a couple of occasions when I’d taken stuff out to the compost heap. --------------- “Mew, mew!” A tiny head with wide frightened eyes stared at me from behind an old oil drum. Cautiously placing a little dry cat food on a piece of slate, I took a step back and watched as the kitten sniffed th...

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“Miscom-mew-nication” by Philippa Hibberd

Submitted to Contest #187

Great, just great. A mere misunderstanding, and now I was here of all places. “You say Artemis isn’t settling in well?” Strong hands gripped me, stopping my bid for escape off of the table. I wriggled and hissed, letting both people present know in no uncertain terms what I thought of this entire farce. “Easy there, poppet, nobody’s going to hurt you.” Poppet? I flattened my ears. How dare that strange-smelling lady call such a majestic being as myself by a name so demeaning? And nobody was going to hurt me? Like I hadn’t heard that one ...

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“Feed the Cat” by Ian Gonzales

Submitted to Contest #187

“Did you feed the cat?” “Yes, Dad. Doing it right now.” Felix crouches on the floor nearby, his back humped up and his trunk-like legs tucked under his rounded mass. He looks more like a hairy toad than a cat. His ice blue eyes stare at me impatiently, like he doesn’t get why I can’t do this one thing fast enough for him. Shaking my head, I scrape out the can of tuna. It’s just cheap canned tuna, but it was hard to find. The country is falling apart. World War III was bound to do that. What’s left of the media calls it a “limited” war, like...

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“Poe's Revenge” by Penelope Conlon

Submitted to Contest #187

Moving DaySharon climbed the three flights of stairs, carefully balancing the trolly with heaving boxes of books strapped to it. There was nasty smell in the stairwell that got stronger once she got to the third floor. One of her feet slipped on a greasy spot on the top step, and when she tried to correct herself (and not lose the trolly and her boxes), her left ankle paid the price with a nasty twist.She swore a blue streak at the inconvenience of the injury at the beginning of her moving day, knowing how many more boxes she had to get up t...

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“Day 1007” by Myranda Wren

Submitted to Contest #187

DAY 1007: The dog hasn't spoken to me since I accidentally lost his frisbee out the airlock. How was I supposed to know he had hidden it in the other space trash? "The cat was eyeballing it," he claimed before he shut me out altogether. I tried to plead with him, "I was just doing my job. I feed you and the cat and I keep the ship clean, which includes taking out the trash." He was unmoved. "I'm sorry," I added. "I was only allowed to bring one toy, Doug. And now, thanks to you, it's gone," he said with a flip of his tail, turni...

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“Starting From Scratch” by Emily Brown

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #187

In the old days, Whiskey greeted her at the front door every morning. Fourteen-hour overnight shifts were no match for the cat’s crippling separation anxiety. Now, she was lucky to get more than one glimpse of her speckled brown coat per day. “Whiskey! Breakfast!” she calls and cracks open a pink can of Fancy Feast, a feeble attempt at enticing the cat out of her hiding spot. James had never let her buy wet food for Whiskey, usually picking up one of those unappetizing orange-and-pink kibble mixes himself. It was one of the first par...

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“A Stroll to the Other Side” by Matt Savarese

Submitted to Contest #187

A Stroll to the Other Side Matt Savarese “I believe cats to be spirits come to Earth. A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through.” -Jules Verne Spirits… one I would soon become. My old flesh would not stand the test against malignant cancer, unfortunately. Not long ago my doctor informed me he did not expect me to survive the next three months. Since then I’ve elected to do the things I love regardless of how much my illness burdens me. Before my body gave way to the powers of disease I spent my days walking throug...

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“Purrl ” by Chelsey B

Submitted to Contest #187

One bright morning in early spring, cars honked, buses held up traffic, and bicycles whizzed down the street as the city awoke. The neighborhood dogs barked and howled, sounding the alarm that Purrl was slinking down the sidewalk on her way to the park. The usually bustling playground sat empty for now, and that was just the way Purrl liked it. Children often confused her. They were loud, and unpredictable. They could seem nice, but then turn mean without warning. A wild breeze sent a small green leaf spinning to the ground. Purrl pounced ...

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Write about a human and a cat that come to some kind of mutual understanding.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 126 stories

“My Emmy” by Kevin V

“Black Cats and Black Sheep” by Marshall Gothage

“Jacob “Grimscar” Gregson Special: Reckoning with Roberto” by Steffen Lettau

“The Magnificent Maron Maloney - Part 2/4” by Russell Mickler

“above under” by Kay Carlisle

“Something To Talk About In Palaio Faliro” by Scott Christenson

“Purrsistence” by Lindsey Pope

“Our Poppy” by Jane Jackson

“Miscom-mew-nication” by Philippa Hibberd

“Feed the Cat” by Ian Gonzales

“Poe's Revenge” by Penelope Conlon

“Day 1007” by Myranda Wren

“Starting From Scratch” by Emily Brown

“A Stroll to the Other Side” by Matt Savarese

“Purrl ” by Chelsey B

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with a character being led somewhere by a stray cat.

Write a story from the point of view of a big cat — whether that’s a lion, cheetah, etc., or just a chunky pet.

Write about a cat living in an ancient temple, like the Acropolis.

Set your story in a cat shelter.

Contest #187

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

324

Contest entries

117

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: