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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#187: Cat People

I love cats. Independent, sassy, badass, unbothered, adorable, playful, and cuddlier than popular culture makes them out to be, they’re one of life’s everyday miracles.

They live with us, but they are mysteries to us, and it can be incredibly fun to imagine their secret lives — and all the parts of their realities we aren’t privy to. This week, let’s think about ordinary and unusual cats alike, and take a moment to appreciate the magic they bring to our lives.

This week's prompts

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

Adventure – 109 stories

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

Funny – 48 stories

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

Fiction – 17 stories

Set your story in a cat shelter.

Fiction – 24 stories

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

Character – 126 stories

Stories

“Lilith’s Adventure” by Sabrina Wu

Submitted to Contest #187

“Don’t wander off, Little Lil” Ms Abigail said as she helped Lilith sit down on the bench. Ms Abigail smiled lightly and opened the door beside Lilith. She gave one last glance before she walked through the doorway and left Lilith all by herself. Lilith sat there for what seemed like an eternity but what was actually 15 seconds. She picked at her itchy formal dress, glanced around, and swung her legs back and forth. Finally after a shocking extra 5 seconds, she had had enough. After all, who expected a 3 year old to sit on a bench, doing no...

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“Fugue” by Ben Klayer

Submitted to Contest #187

Eeeet. Eeeet. Eeeet. Eeeet. Eeeet. Eeeet. Ethan suddenly came to his senses, startled by a cricket. The chirps irritated him enough to sit upright, but he couldn’t muster the energy to locate and squash the bug. A pulsing headache underlined the obnoxious noise. Eeeet. Eeeet. Eeeet. After his attention refocused, Ethan surveyed his surroundings. Trees towered above him, letting orange rays of sunlight filter through. Grass, wildflowers, shrubs, and moss thrived as far as he could see. He was stationed beside a particularly dense patch of...

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“A Stray Taco” by Christine Gries

Submitted to Contest #187

There he was again, that cat. He was nothing special to look at, your typical tabby with dark stripes. His left ear was notched, a sign of a battle. Won? Lost? One could not tell. He yawned at me through the glass of the back kitchen door and meowed loudly. "Good morning, Taco, came here for breakfast, did you?" The cat would show up periodically, I called him Taco because I thought he was the neighbor's cat across from across the street and that is what I heard the little girls that lived there call him. So, Taco it was. He acted like your ...

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“All is Cold and Bright in Lantern City” by Xiandra Baez

Submitted to Contest #187

So far he'd had a bad day and just needed something to make him feel better. The cat he was following was doing a pretty good job of that. He was still cold and walking still hurt, a lot, but this cat looked like it wanted to show him something. He likes cats. He thinks. He… can't really remember anything about his life before… before her. But he thinks he likes this cat. It's a black cat. It's good at maneuvering through the crowd of the city. He isn't. People keep bumping into him, and the bright lights of everything around him are disorie...

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“Curiosity Killed the Man” by Nox Grimm

Submitted to Contest #187

‘Twas a busy, bright, and humid day as the beating sun bore down on the denizens of The Town Olivia. Everyone had places to appear, missions to partake, and journeys to see through. If one were to rest in The Town Olivia, sojourn must they, for if one were to entertain settlement it would surely be the grave. The Town Olivia was rather small, yet a hefty fog entombed the busiest of its streets. What with the fog and the dense population, I, with no destination, traveled a road only few have known; so few, the fog ne’er dared a plume to find ...

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“The Right Timing” by Ella King

Submitted to Contest #187

TW// death Cara Stanton didn’t fit in. She never had. She never knew why, was it the way that she talked? Was it the way she presented herself? Nobody knew the answer, all she knew was that she was different. And for some reason people avoided her because of it. That meant she was used to being alone, too. She at least had her family growing up, but not really having any friends to call her own put a gap in her heart she didn’t know how to fill. She learned to get over it, but the emptiness and longing never truly left her alone. Now s...

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“Light Pole Cat” by Max Forstag

Submitted to Contest #187

“Those birds are so annoying.” The Bombay cat called Andy was intrigued by the wondrous world beyond his borders. When watching TV through the kitchen window, he would swish his tail and cry out in agitation at the sight of the crows, resident strays, or humans lounging on the patio. Supposedly off-limits to amicable house cats, the landscape was tantalizing and evoked questions worthy of further consideration: What are they bickering about? Who are those cats? WHY ARE MY HUMANS FEEDING THEM? What’s it like to pee in those giant litter boxes...

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“The Life Of Poppy” by Sharon Russell

Submitted to Contest #187

They call me “Poppy”… though I can’t for the life of me figure out why. There’s nothing remotely flowery about me. I can’t even see the colour red. I am somewhat addictive, maybe that’s it? People can’t seem to get enough of me. I couldn’t tell you how old I am either, not that it matters, I can still move around exactly like I used to. I’m supposed to have many lives anyway so really, I could be any age and no-one would know. Enough about me for now, I have a problem. I’ll never understand my family. They ask me all the ti...

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“For the Gram” by Erin Keagan

Submitted to Contest #187

The sound of bacon hitting the frying pan woke me out of my deep sleep, within moments the greasy goodness wafted through the air and into my nostrils. Sniffing the air, I followed the scent to the kitchen where she was cooking. I walked a bit slower these days even though I was only five years old. “ Lisa had rescued me from a shelter where my last owner had dropped me off. Something about a bunch of new kittens coming along and she couldn’t care for me anymore. I didn’t understand why I had to be the one to go; the crying, noisy kittens th...

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“The Midnight Hunt” by Rachael Konrad

Submitted to Contest #187

Dragon Cats had long been extinct, killed off hundreds of years ago by the human race. The massacre of this unique species was justified due to their hunting of sheep and other small farm animals. Their extinction was celebrated by the humans, but soon the celebration ceased and the memory of this ancient race was all but forgotten as a myth in the storybooks.Being lost from the world's memory would be a tragic curse. But as Trex sat upon his perch high up on the cliffs, being forgotten was the greatest blessing he could ever have received. ...

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“Essence d'or — I Am Cecil; Hear Me Roar” by Juley Harvey

Submitted to Contest #187

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“Not So Stories” by Janet Kaul

Submitted to Contest #187

Richard III. The Wicked Witch of the West. The first Mrs. Rochester. They’ve all had their day, the retelling of their stories. No longer unadulterated villains thanks to sympathetic authors, these figures have overcome the prejudices of history to revel in the spotlight of understanding. Now it is my turn to right a terrible wrong. My name is Satya, Bringer of Truth, and I am one of that most noble of creatures, a Bengal tiger. Many years ago my great-great grandfather happened upon an ailing tiger in our jungle. His name was Shere Khan, ...

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“I hope the stars don't judge me” by Carmen Osuna

Submitted to Contest #187

I stand where they forgot me. Exactly where they put me down. With my hairs standing up right and my eyes wide. They just forgot to pick me back up. Humans. Are by far. The MOST forgetful creatures that I have ever encountered. The roars of the metal machine drown my desperate meows. My people can’t hear me. I watch as the car moves along the road in a straight line. Straight as a pencil. With every minute that passes it shrinks, until it is merely a gray speck disappearing into the air. What do I do now? Did they want me to follow the...

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“Something of a Guardian Angel” by Bella G

Submitted to Contest #187

There’s a bottle of Lipton iced tea rolling beneath Bones’s palm, leftover condensation dripping down the band of his glinting watch. “Are you sure this is right?” “I’d hesitate to say there’s anything right about this.” Suki responds somewhat tetchily. He’s still adjusting to the idea of his merry band of boarding school classmates jumping onto a 13-hour flight and following him to his hometown. All in the name of a school trip. “It’s always warm this time of the year.” Laurie supplies with a breezy grin. “Even in the city?” Akaas...

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“Feline Promachos” by Alaina Armendariz

Submitted to Contest #187

It wasn't a simple job to serve as the protector of the Acropolis, but oh, it had certainly been a glorious one. The sun began its customary ascent into the sky, casting golden rays of light across the city of Athens to stir its sleeping inhabitants. Within a few hours, tourists hailing from the city and never-ending cruise ships would swarm the promontory. They would take countless photos of the ruins and learn about the ancient history, only to let it slip from their minds by the time they returned home to their beds. But Ailuros ne...

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$250

Prize money

324

Contest entries

117

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Mar 03, 2023 EST

Won by Michelle Oliver 🏆

Title: Mitzee’s Moment

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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