Cat moving to another House
by Lakshmi Menon
(Bangalore, India)
Once upon a time, in a quiet suburban neighborhood, there lived a cat named Molly. Molly had spent her entire life in the cozy little house with Mrs. Raj. She loved the house a lot, where the sun streamed through the windows, and the garden was filled with beautiful sunflowers and Marigold flowers. She loved sitting on the window sills and admiring the beauty outside. But one day, everything changed.
It was a Friday. Sitting on the sofa, and patting her, Mrs. Raj said, "Molly, we are moving to a new house, about 50 kms away from here. My office is shifted there and I have to move to the new place."
It was a sudden shock to Molly. So, Mrs. Raj is going to leave me and go, and I will be left alone, Molly said to herself. She was very upset.
"Molly, we are moving to our new house tomorrow. Won't you come with me?" asked Mrs. Raj.
Molly was happy that her owner was not planning to leave her alone to fend for herself. Mrs. Raj wanted to take her along with her.
She was happy for a minute of her owner's loving thought of taking her with her, but she was still not prepared to move to the new house. She loved her present place a lot.
"The new place is bigger, with a sprawling backyard and tall trees. I'm sure you will be happy there, Molly." Mrs. Raj tried to coax her.
Molly noticed that Mrs. Raj was excited about the change of the house. But Molly was not happy. She would miss her friends - Rani, Jessi, Mittu, Sam and Whitey. She wouldn't mind missing Sam, the black and white cat. Actually she was scared of him. Whenever he got a chance he would be attacking her, and stealing her special food. The other cats were really her friends. Rani was the next house cat. She was totally white, except her tail which had two streaks of black. Jessi was also a pretty looking yellow cat who played with her often. Mittu was always serious and rarely played with her. He preferred to watch her from a distance. He used to visit the neighbouring houses morning and evenings for food. They were generous enough to give him some food. Whitey was her best friend. He was in milk white colour, and grew up almost in Mrs. Raj's house. He was not allowed inside, but he got his food outside. Whenever Molly was given food, Mrs. Raj made sure that Whitey too got his share. Initially, Molly was jealous of him, but soon she realized that he was not a threat to her. Since then she was happy with him, and sometimes both of them sunbathed outside.
As the moving day approached, Molly noticed the boxes piling up in the living room. She watched as her favorite armchair disappeared into one of them and her scratching post was dismantled. Molly sat on the windowsill, her tail twitching nervously.
On the morning of the move, Mrs. Raj carried Molly's carrier to the car. Molly flattened her ears and dug her claws into the fabric.
She was worried about her stay and safety in the new house.
Mrs. Raj coaxed Molly into the carrier, promising her that the new house would be wonderful. But Molly remained stubborn. She yowled and hissed, making it clear that she wasn’t budging.
The drive to the new house was long, and Molly spent the entire time sulking in her carrier. When they arrived, she peeked out and saw the tall, imposing structure. It loomed over her like a giant shadow. Molly shivered.
Mrs. Raj carried Molly inside, setting her down in the middle of the living room. Molly took one look around—the high ceilings, the creaky wooden floors, the strange smell—and promptly hid under the couch.
The first few days she refused to eat anything and most of the time she was indoors. Days turned into weeks, and Molly regained her self confidence and began to explore. She noticed two other cats around. Initially she was scared of them and stayed hidden from them. Soon she realized that they were ready to be friends with her and she was happy in the new house.
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