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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

“A mess at the edge of the universe” by Michael Jurasek

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #187

The morality of a truly all-powerful and omnipotent God has been an object of significant debate between religious scholars and academic philosophers. Those on the side of the almighty, particularly those of the Judeo-Christian variety, contend that an all-powerful-all-seeing god is, by definition, a moral being because his actions work to further an ethereal, eternal plan that only God knows. Their logic further argues that God, maker of all things heaven, earth, in-between, and beyond, is the standard-bearer for morality purely because he ...

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“Kill Bill” by Laura Pamenter

Submitted to Contest #187

I’m jarred awake by the sound of glass shattering; the backdoor window pane, to be specific. I remember the same noise from last month, when Dummy accidentally threw a football into the house. The chatter of shards bursting onto the kitchen floor was that of a busted dam; the pressure released itself in a violent rush of backdoor hail. He got it fixed quickly, of course, to prohibit me from going outside. So, I haven’t really forgiven him. “Shhhh!” Someone says, as if hushing works retrospectively. “What the hell, Rachel, I thought you said ...

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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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“Fern” by Lisa Cornell

Submitted to Contest #187

Opening the door I made my way carefully down my front pathway towards the mailbox.Something that used to come easily for me now felt as terrifying as balancing step by step on a plank.I paused, closed my eyes and felt for my sensor alert pendant on a lancet around my neck. A new accessory since coming home from hospital a week ago. I opened my eyes took a deep breath and continued.On my return from hospital I had reduced my daily walk to the mailbox and back but I was determined to try starting up my old long walks to the local park, cafe o...

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“The perfect present” by Cathy Gale

Submitted to Contest #187

That horrible white stuff isn’t there anymore, but I am not sure I want to go outside. The stranger slides open the glass door, looks at me and points at my territory but I can’t believe that it’s going to be any different to the last two days when my stomach sank into it, and I could feel icy wet all along. I could hardly lift my legs. I look up at the stranger and refuse to move. Oh dear. The body goes in and out and there is a lot more fur on the top of the head than on my human. Then my fears that this is a female are confirmed when she...

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“When The Fates Have Got Your Number” by Alia Bath

Submitted to Contest #187

The temple of Apollo in Delphi was a glorious, golden-stone, sun-drenched ruin high in the mountains, which you could see perfectly well from the parking area. Fortunately, you could also access the coffee stand from the parking area, as the locals were pretty astute when it came to avoiding regulations. I used my fairly meagre retainer to grab a cup, which I figured was a better use than spending it on the entrance fee. Technically, my client might think otherwise. Technically, I wasn’t entirely convinced by some of the things my client ...

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“Shelter from the Storm” by Sarah Paris

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #187

This place smells of cat pee and desperation, yet for the first time in so long, I am hopeful. I feel like I might save a life today. I sigh and scan the room. I spot her right away. She’s hunched and trembling. Alone, in the corner by the cage of buoyant, adorable kittens. Stooped and scarred, gray all over, her body shakes. I can smell her fear – tangled, yet screaming from every pore. I wonder what storms brought her here? Who abused her and discarded her? She notices me too. She’s older than the rest. The flicker of hope in t...

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“Special Pets” by Kayla Marie

Submitted to Contest #187

Every day, people walk into my cat shelter. Most of them visit in hopes of finding a furry companion to adopt and take home. Others show up asking to volunteer so they can spend time with the adorable little furballs. These people adore my cats so much that they never want to leave. and some of them never will. Every now and then a woman who I find absolutely fascinating walks in. Whether it’s because of her hair, her eyes, or the way she walks and talks. There is something about her that draws me in, and I refuse to let her leave. It’...

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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 3/4” by Russell Mickler

Submitted to Contest #187

Following the Cat. Questions. The Remedy. Benzie. It was an hour past midnight, and a slow-stalking tiger ascended a staircase found above the Swindle’s kitchen. Upon reaching a door left ajar at the top of the stairwell, the tiger gently shoved it open with her head, and it listed wide enough for her to enter. Taika Maru arrived at the foot of Elina Hogsbreath’s green-painted bed. A ward of three conjoined circles was carved into the footboard, and a matching wood dresser was similarly green and decorated with painted rose blossoms, branche...

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“Don't be an idiot (a story about a boy and a cat crossing paths in Classical Athens)” by Belladona Vulpa

Submitted to Contest #187

************************************************************Lying on the ground, in the mudGrass between my fingersHeart beating painNo courage to pull out the blade.Contemplating my destiny patientlyThe caring touch of rain on the earthWhat an ancient and sacred groundEons and eons, layer over layerDifferent colors of soil, different texturesIron, bone, and voidRoots spreading beneath, into another world.To the mystical powers of Gaia, the giantess, and her childrenTo Hecate, the goddess sorceressThe earthly Hermes, who accompanies the soul...

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“They Call Me "TC"” by Valerie Shand

Submitted to Contest #187

They call me “TC" Now, I'm sure you've guessed already, but “TC” stands for “That Cat.” I'm also sometimes called “TDC,” meaning “That Darn Cat,” but only when I've gotten in someone's way or been a bad boy, which I try not to do too often. ` I'm now almost six years old. I've lived at the animal shelter for almost my entire life because I was only about six weeks old – vet's best estimate – when I was rescued. I was found with my siblings, drowning, in a sealed-up garbage bag. There were six of us, but two died. The story goes we we...

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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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“Small act of kindness” by Jessie Winterspring

Submitted to Contest #187

I was walking home from school one day when I noticed a small, black cat slinking along the street. It wasn’t the first cat I’d seen, as cats were quite common in the neighborhood, but this one stood out. Its movements weren’t erratic; it moved with a purpose, its eyes darting from side to side, seeming to take in its surroundings. Curious, I watched it for a bit, intrigued by its behavior, and that’s when I noticed the particular way it was looking at me. It wasn’t with indifference or fear, as other cats often do, but with an inte...

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“From Feral to Tame” by Heather Winslow

Submitted to Contest #187

I watch my human as the giant machine comes to a halt. Jesus Christ, is this over yet? I hate car rides and my belly feels like it was spliced open. My sense of being must have escaped through my stomach because I feel fucking weird. My human lifts open the giant machine door. I look through the silver bars and smell the scent of hay, manure, honeysuckles, and the other familiar smells I have grown accustomed to in the past year. I am home! My human pinches the buttons on the outside of what appears to be a giant bathroom box cage (At leas...

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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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