Dusty the Cat from Florida Visits Hillary, New Haven's Feline Activist!
I shouldn't have been surprised when my friend Raymond Hazelwitz, rodent activist showed up at my back gate with Hillery, feline activist of New Haven and her friend from Florida, Dusty. Raymond knows everything about what is going on in this town as well what's going on in most of the adjacent towns.
What sort of amazed me, was who was with him on this day. Sitting just behind Raymond, was Hillary, feline activist of New Haven.
At her side was another cat. Frankly, I had never seen a cat which looked like this animal. My first instinct was to laugh but I withheld my vulgar display by sucking in my gut and trying to smile nicely. It didn't work! I broke down! Strange sounds issued from my mouth when I saw the animal who was standing next to Hillary!
Finally, after glares from Hillary and Raymond, I regained my composure. "Hello Hillary. It's nice to see you again. Please introduce me to your charming friend. I didn't know you were intimitely acquainted with dogs?" Oh, how the fur bristled! How the fur did fly!
"I beg your pardon," hissed the animal standing at Hillary's side. "I am a cat! A cat! Do you hear me? A cat!"
"Of course you are a cat!" I said lamely, trying to hide my embarrassement at my error. "I'm a great kidder, your know. Always making jokes! Huh, Raymond?"
Raymond shook his head at me. "Well, Pussycat," he chattered softly, "you opened your mouth and put your paw in it."
"I've never seen a cat who looks like that!" I defended myself. "Is it a she or a he cat?"
"Dusty is a she cat, silly! She came up here to learn something about feline activism from Hillary. Now say something nice about her fur cut!"
"Well I was just remarking to Raymond, how lovely you look," I purred. "I've never seen such an attractive furdo like yours on any of our neighborhood cats!"
The cat Dusty, sniffed and raised her chin. "For your information, in Florida, a fur cut like mine is all the rage among cats who are in the know and keep up with fashion!"
"Of course! Of course!" I agreed, "but I am but an ignorant cat from the small town of Hamden. Something as exotic and beautiful as you, Dusty, has never crossed my path before." I crossed my paws hoping the great cat in the heavens above would not let my housemates, Stella and Helen, open that back door onto the deck!
But my purrs were not answered. Helen, curious about what was going on outdoors, pushed the door open. She stared at Dusty, her eyelids blinking rapidly. "Were you run over by a lawn mower or something?" she asked Dusty, her mouth curved in a smirk. "If it wasn't a lawn mower, then you should shoot your fur dresser!"
Well, one meow and hiss led to another and then Stella heard all the screeching and she too, came crashing through the back door onto the deck, followed by Tonya and Sidney. They came to a sudden halt at the sight of poor Dusty who was by now, crying loudly on Hillary's shoulder.
Stella's gasped in astonishment. Her mouth gaped in a terrible cry!
"That is what happens to bad cats who annoy their housemates, Stella!" warned Tonya. "You get sent to bad cat rehab where they shave off all your fur and clip your toenails! Be warned, Stella, or you too will look like this poor creature here!
Eventually, toward sunset, every cat calmed down and Dusty regained her composure. Helen, dear Helen had the presence of mind to apologize to Dusty from Florida. She managed to prepare a plate of tuna patties and brewed a pot of catnip tea. She even found a bit of left over salmon for Dusty and presented it to her on a bed of freshly picked catmint. Stella recovered from her shock and was then reassured by Tonya, that no such punishment would be imposed upon her if she would behave herself and stop jumping on my butt and that of other felines in the house, everytime we visited the litter box.
Raymond Hazelwitz said he would get a good story out of this afternoon's little drama and hoped to write a screen play around it. "Or maybe a script for a situation comedy. I'll submit it the fall season," he chattered.
