The Lost Cat

One day a boy named Jake woke up when his alarm went off at 7 am. He loved cats, and he had one named Cuddles. But when he checked Cuddles’ bed, the cat was not there. He checked everywhere in the house, but could not find him. He asked his best friends, Sally and Tim. They had not seen the cat either. But he did not give up. He went around his small town, asking people if they had seen the kitten, but they had not. “The cat was only a few months old, so he could have not gotten that far,” Jake said. He had not lost hope. Little did they know, but they would soon be embarking on a journey that would take them not only out of town but out of the box adventure.

The next day, Jake’s parents announced that they would go on a road trip that weekend. Jake was excited because it meant that he could sleep in his own king-size bed in a hotel with room service. His parents were excited because it meant taking three days off from the little work that they did, even though they still got a decent paycheck. They would go to the zoo the first day, the second day go swimming, and the third day go to the museum. And then they will leave.

On the first day, he thought he saw a glimpse of his cat, Cuddles. But he told himself he was imagining things. Then he saw his cat again. He again told himself, “I am imagining things”. But yet again, he saw his cat. This time he was convinced. His cat was here, during his vacation. Jake thought that the cat might be looking for his family. He was going to follow it when his parents called him to the hotel.

He was thinking about it so much, he couldn’t sleep. Not with all the things going on. He had to get the cat. The next morning, the family got ready for the pool. He was trying to have fun, but he kept on thinking about his cat, knowing that he was here. He was determined to find the cat. It was all he could think about.

He decided to put up posters not only outside in his neighborhood but in the city he was in as well. He thought if other people would see the cat, they would bring it to him. One college student thought he found the cat but hadn’t. It was another stray cat. But Cuddles had a collar! People would be able to contact him even if they hadn’t seen the posters. But had the cat taken off the collar? Then people wouldn’t be able to contact him! On the third day, no one had called, and all hope seemed lost. Jake went to the museum and saw a blur of white. It was Cuddles! But the museum was huge, and it would take ages to find a cat as small as Cuddles.

For the next few hours, Jake always wanted to go to the next exhibit. He was in a flurry to find his cat. He didn’t want to leave. He needed to find his cat, no matter what. He asked his parents to come another day, and they said that they were going to stay another day anyway! He needed to find the cat, though! He couldn’t waste a second. He would find his cat.

The next day was suspense-filled. They needed to find the cat before the day came to an end. And Jake saw the cat right out the lobby window! He needed to catch that cat before it ran away! But the cat was too small for Jake, and it squeezed through a thin alley. “No!” Jake said, wanting to get through the alley himself. But he was too big.

They headed towards the museum again, this time hoping to find the cat and catch it. Jake had already told his parents that the cat was here, so they bought a cat carrier at a nearby pet store. They were getting the cat, no matter what it would take!

Once they entered, Jake had already seen the cat! It was strolling up the steps to the second floor! Jake wondered how it had gotten in, especially since there were so many people to spot it running around. It was fast, but Jake was faster. But Jake was not small. He had to get through all the nooks and crannies by going around them. Jake’s parents let the front desk know that a cat was roaming the museum, and they reported that. “If you see a small, white cat, please report it to the front desk immediately,” the intercom blared. They would find that cat if it was the last thing they did (at the museum). Then, Jake saw the cat right in front of him. It looked up and Jake tried to snatch it, but it was too fast. It ran right out of Jake’s grasp, seeming at the speed of light. He ran right after it, but his endurance was low, and he could not catch up. He chased the cat all around the museum, but he still could not catch up. He had to catch the cat off-guard! Jake decided that the cat’s favorite place was likely the food court since the cat loved to eat. 

Jake asked a person at the front desk how the cat had gotten to the museum. The guard said that there was a woman who walked in with a cat, but the cat was overwhelmed and jumped out of the carrier. Jake immediately went to search for someone with a cat carrier, and he saw the woman with it! And Cuddles was inside! “Oh, what joy!” he thought, running after the woman with the carrier. “What joy to see my cat again!” He ran as quickly as possible, and the old woman gave him the cat. “This kitty was squirming when he first saw you,” the woman said, handing the cat to him. He called his mom and dad and said, “I found the cat!”

“You did?” his parents asked.

“Yup! A woman found him and gave him to me!”

“Well, that’s good!”

When he got back home, he showed his friends, and they took down the posters together. “I’m glad you found your cat,” Tim said.

“Me too” Sally replied.

“It’s good to have him back,” Jake said.