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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

“The Ferrymen” by N.M. Stech

Submitted to Contest #187

A cold moon shone over the streets of St. Louis. The light reflected in the dark glass of the quiet office buildings. It shone on the surface of the Mississippi River, travelling quietly down its course on the winter night. And it glistened in the pool of blood spreading under the dying man lying on a quiet street. His trembling hand tried in vain to quench the flow seeping from the gunshot wound in his stomach, but he was growing too weak to apply the necessary force. Usually he...

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“The Ugly People's Cat Club” by Jessica Stone

Submitted to Contest #187

Every day started the same. Before the club, that is. This rainy morning started the same as always: I looked in the mirror with my eyes squinted. The squinting helped me not to see it. I had trained my eyes only to look at my forehead, or at my lips and chin... I just couldn’t look... I could NOT look at... it. My computer is set up in one corner of my studio apartment. Sometimes to strangers in chat rooms I would refer to it as my: “home office”. It was a desk with a fold-out partition ...

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“Storms and Treasure” by Mehkyla Gibson

Submitted to Contest #187

Rain poured and the skies turned gray. Footsteps sounded like a march in union. Everyone was trying to get home and avoid the enemy above. Soon it became stronger. Trees started to bend and struggled with balance. Powerful winds struck at building signs and isolated cars. The skies above roared as if it was an angry god, the thunder looked like a vein popping out. It was a battlefield, and no one wanted to be a part of it. In the very corner of the streets lies a man in a brown suit inside his car. “I can’t believe this is happening. I ...

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“The Divine Feline” by Aaron Morgen-Goetz

Submitted to Contest #187

I’m not what you would call the adventurous sort. I have a very logical view of the world. The laws of nature can be described by calculable equations and repeatable experiments. However, I have learned that this way of thinking just doesn’t contain the full story. I was never very superstitious, but once I described the past few days, that’s the only logical conclusion. I could not deny the power of this divine beast. It was just two days ago that I had seen her for the first time. Nudging around the alley trash ca...

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“The Lion's Story” by David Sanchez

Submitted to Contest #187

The Lion’s Story By David Sanchez davesanch76@gmail.com Friends, I was on a walk through the savanna when I heard a clicking sound. It was a random number - first a couple in short bursts, then many at high speed. These were strange clicks, nothing like the mating calls from the birds in the savanna or in the treetops. I found a tuft of grass and hid behind it while I tried to find the source of the noise. I gazed toward the forest out in the distance but did not see any birds in the treetops. No sign of any elephants, zebras, or cheet...

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“MY KINGDOM” by Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #187

Who dares come into my kingdom? This vast land of beauty is my kingdom. No one comes to my kingdom unless I say so. I pace back and forth eyes unbending to these intruders who dare come into my kingdom. I roar with all my might. They look at me like I'm nothing. I am the master of this kingdom. They are not afraid. I show them my sharp teeth. They look away from me. Trespassers into my kingdom will be put down. Trespassers will learn their lesson do not come where you are not welcome. Trespassers will know who rules this might kingdom. ...

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“Messenger Paws” by Freedom Leigh

Submitted to Contest #187

Midnight combs the plateau as the American lion travels along the escarpment to a narrow winding trail that descends to a deep river valley. Halfway down he stops. There is a strange smell in the air. Strange, but familiar. It is mixed with the smell of blood. He approaches slowly-cautiously. His ears pick up the sounds of a hurt animal.Not small wining noises, but low, deep groans. It is a man. Only once before has this lion been close to a man and he remembers the smell. Nevertheless, though he has a healthy fear for these creatures, he is...

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“Mr. Merkin” by Kitty Turner

Submitted to Contest #187

“Let’s make a deal!” blared from the box in front of Mr. Merkin’s human. A woman dressed as a yellow bird flapped her feather-covered arms in great excitement. She had been selected from the studio audience and descended to the stage to great fanfare. Mr. Merkin was familiar with the format of the show. His human watched it every week and had been doing so for the last 10 years. In that time, Mr. Merkin had observed countless contestants swap one-thousand dollars for nose hair trimmers or dinette sets for home entertainment ce...

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“The Forbidden Weapons” by Augustine Maddox

Submitted to Contest #187

Humans are funny creatures. They cannot seem to decide upon their role. Are they predators? Are they prey? Do they serve us, or oppose us? Entertain, or annoy? Worship, or fear? The ones in front of me are attempting to be all of them at once, it seems. I utter a low growl of annoyance, causing the gathered humans to shriek and cower. Humans cower very loudly, which is strange. Cowering, if it must be done at all, should be done silently. Instead, they moan, and whimper, and flail their limbs about. It would be hard not to find them “hidi...

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“Cats Rarely Do” by Reginald Span

Submitted to Contest #187

Cat’s do not have a perception of time nor do they care about it and anything it touches, cat's rarely do. They go where they want, hunt where they want and sleep where they want, even if it happens to be an ancient temple of an old god. An acropolis from a land that was once covered in lush jungles, fields of fertile soil and swelling rivers which emptied into a sparkling sea. This land was called G’Usha and its capital was the seaside city of Orn’th. There were said to be many gods in G’Usha but the one worshiped in Orn’th was B’tha, ...

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“Little Glutton” by K.E. MacPhie

Submitted to Contest #187

“Thanks for coming in, it’s way easier to do this in person than over the phone” Lisa had been stopping by sporadically for the three months I had been assigned to oversee the final stages of construction on the new cat shelter and veterinary clinic here on The Rez. A City Indian myself, living at the casino hotel and commuting daily to the facility in a little work-provided sedan with the big words "Animal Humane Society" plastered along the side, I had already been quite the oddity in town. But she was always kind and wise, happy to help m...

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“A Second Chance” by Anna Westfall

Submitted to Contest #187

A loud bang awoke Fritz with a start. He lifted his head just high enough to peer through the bars and saw an overturned metal food dish and kibble strewn across the floor. “Such a waste,” he grumbled, turning over, and burying his head back under his towel. “Get me out of here!” a high, panicked voice yowled from the next cage. “Get me out of here! I don’t belong here!” Being old and a rather heavy sleeper, Fritz didn’t notice he had acquired a new neighbor. Lifting his head again just ever so slightly, he saw a young, orange tabby in the...

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“Only light clears rain” by Tharu Gala

Submitted to Contest #187

Only light clears rain In a room, seated on a couch, a man was peering out of a window. He saw rain pouring heavily through the streets. The roar was so loud that he could hear it through the walls. He looked at the picture of a boy on his phone and a darkened expression coloured his face. "This isn't good…" he muttered to himself. On the other side of town, at a bus stop, a boy was staring blankly at another creature a quarter in height to himself. It was currently grooming its orange fur. There was a tag unde...

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“Kara and Puss” by Karel Fontaine

Submitted to Contest #187

Kara and Puss is an Australian story about a feral cat. There is mention of feral cat eradication programmes and a trap.Kara and PussThere was one act of dreadful consequence that Kara Fuji was unable to forgive herself for. Her baby boy was about eight months old. They were living out the back of Laverton in the hot, baked red, willy-willy country of Western Australia. Her man was a core sampler at a nearby nickel mine. They followed the work until her man was bored or fell out with the boss. Then they moved on.&nbs...

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“Now That We Have A Mutual Understanding...” by Denese Wright

Submitted to Contest #187

“Now that we have this mutual understanding, let’s talk about your weight. You are getting very fat kitty cat. What happened?” She used to answer me with an emphatic meow. Now I wonder if she is even listening with her eyes closed. Her ears look attentive, maybe I’m being ignored. “Hey! Hey you, yes I’m talking to you. Yes, now that I have your attention, we need to address this problem. You are getting too fat, and I want you to live a long and happy life, so we’re gonna fix this. You are going on a diet little lady, with exercise. We’ll do...

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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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