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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

“When the Dust Settles” by Jennifer Chan

Submitted to Contest #187

It was David who brought Lester home, David who had spotted the poor thing on the side of the road one evening and who had gallantly scooped him up in his arms without a second thought."He would have died if I left him there," babe," he told me. "We have to keep him."Although I wasn't much fond of cats, I didn't have the heart to say no to David.So the cat stayed.We gave him a bath in the kitchen sink to get rid of the fleas that had taken up residence in his fur and took him to the vet the first chance we got. Fortunately, he had no existin...

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“Love is an Empty Plate” by Krystal Situ

Submitted to Contest #187

AKJHSDGFIAUFHGVOUHBADOFUV WHY WON’T HE WAKE THE FUCK UP AND GET ME SOME GODDAMN WET FOOD. My precious nails hurt from all the pawing. Re-etching the marks from mornings before, before, before. Chipping away the emerald green paint on the door to reveal all the dead trees underneath. Doesn’t he know he’s starving me? Doesn’t he care? I know for a fact it’s not because he can’t afford my Kal Kan. He springs a new obnoxious potted plant in MY house every fucking week, give me a fucking break. He’s lazy, entitled, selfish, greedy, self-indulge...

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“WITCHCrAfT” by Jason Weathers

Submitted to Contest #187

(Foul language warning)“Hey Doc.”“Kevin. Come on in.” Doctor Burd made the gesture with one hand while he held the door open with the other. “I see you brought your… cat… with you?”“Yeah, sorry. She’s not really mine, though. I just… I had to bring her.”“Well…” The Doc didn’t disapprove enough to disallow it. “Okay then.”Kevin carried the cat with him to the sofa and set her down beside him. The Doc took his place in the chair opposite, crossing one leg over the other. He looked at Kevin, and then the cat, and then back to Kevin again. But h...

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“The Cat Claws” by Ashley Brandt

Submitted to Contest #187

That cat came with the house, according to my Aunt Lenora’s Will. She’d stated it plainly on the first page, under a header called The Cat Clause. Her lawyer removed his reading glasses and shot me a smug gaze; he and my aunt had been lifelong friends, and when she’d received her diagnoses, she’d contracted her best friend and lawyer Georgie Pine Rudriger the second to draw up her last Will and testament. I sat across from him in his little office on the east side of Perdiville, across from the antique store and next door to a barber shop. ...

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“Mildred and Mildred” by Caitlin P

Submitted to Contest #187

Empty, black eyes stare off into a clear, beautiful sky. Bright, blue feathers shine in the sunlight, stuck to wings that would never again get the chance to kiss the clouds. In the distance, the remaining birds were chirping a soft dirge, breaking the morning silence. Meow. The sudden closeness of sound is jarring, instantly pulling me out of my trance. My eyes snap down to the black figure rubbing itself across my stiff legs. As soon as we lock eyes, another sound pierces through the cotton balls permanently stuck in my ear...

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“Breaks” by Lucas Malan

Submitted to Contest #187

Warning: This story contains strong language and concepts of death. Breaks Reaching down, I struggled to grab the remote. I was lying on a chesterfield sofa, the remote just out of reach. The fucking Druid had knocked it down. I was a rather irritable young man, and The Druid was my cat. I grabbed it, balanced, toppled, slid down. There was a soft thump. I rolled my eyes. I sat up and stared into empty space, my fingers moving in the usual fashion on the remote, a woman starting to speak in a matter-of-factly sort of way from above. ...

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“Cat for a day” by Brooke Coleman

Submitted to Contest #187

It was a bright beautiful sunny day in the middle of March. Dannie wasn't too fond of early mornings or long school days. It was a few weeks away from spring break and she couldn't wait just to have long days sleeping in and swinging on lazy days gazing at the sky from the porch swing. Dannie was a quiet, observate girl not to worried about hanging out with the popular kids or getting invited out. She'd rather be snuggled up to a good book or watching movies with her cat pixie. Leah, Dannie's little sister was the complete opposite. She had ...

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“ Cat's dream” by F.O. Morier

Submitted to Contest #187

You don't choose a cat. A cat chooses you, according to my grandpa. A persistent cat from the neighborhood decided to adopt me. On a hot summer evening, two huge longing eyes appeared at the kitchen door, accompanied by serenading meows. He did not flinch when I approached him. I started speaking baby talk. I don't know why, but there seems to be a neurological explanation for that. The cat, which I would later call simply Cat, seemed pleased. I gently stroked behind his grey ears. He lay on his back and let me feel the softness of his...

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“The Pledge” by Connie Concepcion

Submitted to Contest #187

I knew at some point he was going to leave me forever. I didn’t know the date exactly, but after nearly 23 years Hank and I had seen better days, and his health issues that started about a decade earlier were beginning to take their toll. I had mixed feelings about how I was going to deal with his decline and death. After all, it’s only been within the last few years that we have begun to understand that losing a cherished animal companion can be just as profound as losing a parent or a child. Unfortunately, you can’t take off any time from ...

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“A Letter I Wish You Could Read” by Aaron Vitatoe

Submitted to Contest #187

Dear Gregory, I remember the first time I heard the knocking on the door. I don't think that was your intention. I'm not even sure you knew your intention. "Go away, Greg," I had said, violently sobbing. But you wouldn't leave. It was as if you knew what I was doing in the bathroom. But there was no way for you to know, it was impossible. Yet, you insisted on coming in. Sill, I didn't want you to see me like that. To see me sobbing, on the brink of ending my own life. Still, I suppose it was better than finding my body, however you might h...

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“A Friend for Life” by Janet Kaul

Submitted to Contest #187

Mrs. Hughes had been gone for a week but Martha didn’t feel any better. Despite the veterinarian’s hackneyed assurances, time was not healing her wounds; she still desperately missed kissing that furry little face and seeing her tuxedoed darling curled into a ball at the end of the bed, paws tucked into the neat white bib that reminded Martha of Downton Abbey’s housekeeper (hence the name). Twice Martha had gotten up in the morning to get Mrs. Hughes her breakfast before remembering there was no need, her forgetfulness a cruel reminder of co...

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“The Cat and the Ring Bearer” by 3i Writer

Submitted to Contest #187

Oh no! What should I do?Danny, a 7-year-old, was to be the ringbearer and he had just lost his Big Sis’s wedding ring. And his little wallet too, that was not important. It all started when his mother left him alone when she was being asked to help out with something else. She had finished helping Danny don his best attire -- neatly trimmed white shirt, black trousers with suspenders attached, and his cute little red bow tie. The moment she left, his bladder kicked in. The toilet was very far away. Although his mother told him to stay put, D...

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“Symbiosis” by Kara Reed

Submitted to Contest #187

Humid muggy air sits still, as though it is holding its own breath, or perhaps trying to suffocate those who breathe it in. The sun beams down relentlessly, baking those who dare to stand in its rays. The hunter stepped out of his vehicle, rifle slung over his shoulder, his beady eyes slowly looking over the small huts that housed the villagers. Made of twigs and leaves, he doubted it did much to protect them from the horrors of nature–no wonder the villagers needed him. Around the edge of the village towered trees, seemingly extending infin...

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“MAHDI THE MIGHTY ” by Eshawnial Lowry

Submitted to Contest #187

Running is my life. I may not be as outspoken as the lion or as large as the tiger, but I am fast. As a matter of fact I am the fastest land animal on this planet. My head is small and round; it is set atop a long neck which is attached to a flexible spine. My chest is deep and my nostrils are large, each of these help with increased oxygen intake. My eyes are set high giving me a two-hundred and ten degree field of view. Even the pads on my feet are specialized for traction. My tail is long and powerful, acting as a rudder providing maximum...

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“Reap What You Sow” by Max Russell

Submitted to Contest #187

The tracks I followed were certainly feline, yet my patrons had neglected to inform me that my quarry walked upright on two legs. While the large cat I pursued was nimble, its claws left easy-to-follow imprints in the soil. The ever-shifting Wilds was quick to wash away disturbances, but the path of this hunting cat left a distinctly harmful trail. It was as if the plush soil had suffered a drought within the sharp talon imprints.I didn’t have any spell craft to harness, but I recognized magic’s effect on the environment. This big cat radiat...

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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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