The Round Cat Trilogy

Preface

This story was meant to be read out loud with your family. There are lots of stopping points, so you can read and talk, or read and fall asleep to dream about what you’ve learned. This isn’t a Once upon a time or A long time ago story. It’s a story about living happily now, not living happily ever after. It’s a story about finding your dreams, so you can make them come true. Please use your imagination. What you dare to dream really can come true.

The Round Cat was not a heroine or special. She was ordinary and you will learn that ordinary is really wonderful. Her life was rich and meaningful and made a difference in this world, just as yours does. You will learn about nature and the natural order in life, including death. Without getting into your religious beliefs, I will show you that death is as much a part of life as birth. These important lessons about life need to be discussed with your family. If you read the book as a family, the doors will be opened for free and honest discussion about the values of your family, how they differ from the beliefs of others, and how you see those whose values are different from your own. I hope you will also find the stories entertaining. Please have fun, laugh, and cry with them. Then, learn and remember the lessons of The Round Cat.

Part 1

Growing Up at Home

There was no doubt about it. She was a round cat. Her mother never really noticed before she went to school. Although her mother had taught kitten classes at the school for more years than she cared to count, she had never seen anything like The Round Cat before. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start at the beginning.

It must have started before she was born, but no one knew it then. When she and her five brothers and sisters were born, it was only noticeable to someone with keen powers of observation. Whenever they weren’t nursing, the kittens, like all kittens before and since, would huddle together for warmth and security. The Round Cat would always let the other five kittens form a nice, tight ring and settle down to sleep. Then, she would climb into the middle of the circle and wriggle around until she was surrounded by all the other kittens. Since her brothers and sisters were all short-haired orange tigers or calicos, her long grey and white fur stood out. She looked like a grey blob of fur in the center of a big, orange Life Saver. (I suppose her mother never noticed because this was the only time of day she had any peace and quiet.)

The Round Cat was small and grey with uneven white markings on her face and ears. Her chest and all four feet were white. Her hair was short in the front, but longer in the back. She was very furry. There were even tufts of fur between her toes and behind her ears. Her feet were oversized. Her whiskers were very long and bright white. Her bold, gold eyes contrasted with her grey-and-white body. When she walked, she carried her tail straight up in the air. She was always happy, so she was always purring. Sometimes it was very loud. When she didn’t want to be noticed, it was very soft. Whenever she wanted to nap, she searched for something round in which to curl up. She found old flower pots, a curled up extension cord, the round base of a floor lamp, the bathroom sink, an old tire, her mother’s hat, and the wastebasket. If it was round, it was perfect for sleeping.

When she was born, The Round Cat had a real name. However, no one ever called her by that name, so everyone completely forgot what it was. She was known simply as The Round Cat.

By the time the other kittens started to wander around the nursing box, The Round Cat had already learned to climb over the edge. By the time her brothers and sisters could climb out of the box, she had already explored the house. She had investigated every nook and cranny, opened all the drawers and closets, and climbed the curtains. She had discovered that the afternoon sun shone through the bathroom window right into the sink, making it an ideal place for a round nap.

The Round Cat cleared away all the cobwebs as she explored so there was no need for her mother to dust. After doing the shopping, The Round Cat was already jumping out of the last bag of groceries before her mother could hang up her coat. How do you do that so quickly? her mother chided. You can get into and out of trouble faster than any other kitten can even think about it! Keeping up with this kitten was almost more than she could handle. Maybe she’s just growing up faster than the others. Maybe when she gets to school, she’ll be more normal, her mother hoped.

The Trouble Begins

The trouble became more visible when her mother started taking the kittens on field trips. Her brothers and sisters always stayed together and never strayed. The mother cat had to count noses to make sure everyone was there, before she left home and again before coming home. More precisely, she had to make sure that The Round Cat was there, and hadn’t enticed one of her brothers into one of her games. She could convince James or Timmy to follow her through a hollow log or into a box. Then, she would seal it off, or squeeze out through a space too small for them to get through. When her frustrated mother panicked that one of the kittens was missing, The Round Cat would just purr louder. This caused her mom to scold, What have you done with your brother this time?

When it wasn’t nap time, The Round Cat was always out exploring. If her mom took them out to hunt mice, she would slip away to play with the dogs down the street. If they went to the neighbor’s bird feeder to watch the birds, The Round Cat would climb the tree and quietly sneak out onto a limb above the rest of the family. Pouncing down on them instigated a counterattack by her brothers and left her sisters screaming and hissing at her. Her mother shook her head as she tried to restore order.

The mother cat went to great lengths to teach the kittens to cross the street safely. They practiced watching and listening for oncoming traffic. She taught them to feel the vibrations in the ground. They learned to look both ways. Even The Round Cat seemed to learn this lesson, which gave her mother a little hope. When at last the mother thought they were ready to try to cross on their own, she let them try one at a time. Time after time, the story was the same. The Round Cat waited until the others had crossed the street. Then, she would cross in front of traffic, walking slowly then scampering at the last second, causing her mom to panic. Secretly, her brothers admired her courage, but her sisters thought she was foolish.

By the end of that afternoon, her weary mother had just about given up on her. When everyone was safely back on the homeward side of the street, her mom counted noses and headed for home. As soon as her mom’s back was turned, The Round Cat scampered back across the street to play with her friend, Jimmy, the Squirrel.

It wasn’t until they reached their home that the peace and quiet triggered an alarm for her mom. She knew what was wrong without thinking about it. Life had never seemed this orderly since The Round Cat had opened her eyes. Admonishing the other kittens to stay in the house, the mother went back out to retrieve her troublesome kitten. The Round Cat was having a magnificent time, climbing higher and higher in the trees. She was following Jimmy, leaping from branch to branch, and running along as if each branch were a different expressway. Come down from there at once! her mother ordered. Don’t even think about making me come up after you!

The Round Cat knew from her mother’s tone that she had better comply quickly. All children know just how far they can stretch the rules, and The Round Cat knew she had gone too far this time. When she climbed down, her mother cuffed her ears and told her she was grounded. The next time the mother took the kittens out, The Round Cat would have to stay at home.

As soon as they arrived home, The Round Cat was sent to the corner to think about what she had done. Purring softly so she wouldn’t get in more trouble, she curled up in the smooth, round depression created by her frequent visits to the time-out corner. She fell asleep dreaming of the day’s wonderful adventures. To calm herself, the mother cat had a cup of tea while she prepared dinner for the other kittens. She was well aware that the time-out corner was more for her own benefit than punishment for this kitten. She looked over to see The Round Cat curled up, dreaming peacefully and purring softly. She looks so innocent, her mother thought.

Nighttime Racing

After dinner, the mother cat put the kittens to bed and relaxed in the chair with her feet up. Trying to keep track of The Round Cat had worn her out. She fell asleep right there.

That’s when it happened. The Round Cat discovered both the joy of night, and the thrill of racing around the house. She scampered over the kitchen table, down to the floor, up and over the chair where her mother was sleeping, up the stairs and across the bed where her brothers and sisters were sleeping. Then, she raced back down the hall, down the stairs to the back of the chair, jumped across her mom—who was no longer sleeping—and back to the table. Next, she leaped over onto the kitchen counter, ran through the sink, and hopped onto the window sill. That was lap one. When she got to the bed on lap two, her brothers took up the chase, making the game so much more fun!

By the time lap four started, her mom was really mad. That’s enough! Put an end to these cat-town races right now! she shouted over the din of racing kittens and crashing lamps. The boys were sent back to bed, but she grabbed The Round Cat by the scruff of the neck and shook her. What am I going to do with you? I can’t even go to bed without you turning my life upside down. With that, she grabbed The Round Cat by her grey-and-white ear and took her to the crate. The crate was used if one of the kittens was so sick that a trip to the vet was in order. In! she said, firmly locking the door. Maybe now I can get some sleep. Then, she turned out the lights and went upstairs to bed.

Once she was certain that her mother had fallen asleep, The Round Cat got up to explore this area of confinement. She had been in the crate before, of course, but no one had ever locked her in it. It was impossible to open the door from the inside. The bars were too close together to let a kitten slip out. However, at the back corner, the bars were a little different. If she turned her head sideways, and exhaled all the air in her lungs, she could just squeeze out. She played quietly on the kitchen counter, so she wouldn’t wake her mother. All her racing around had made her quite hungry, so she reached in the