The Sour Cat

This is my first attempt at writing a children's story.

I know a lot of children, don't have any of my own (just 4 legged ones) but something about watching a child read or be read to and seeing their eyes light up when a story moves them is too precious.

So here it goes…let me know what you think…

The Sour Cat
Chapter One: Why doesn't he like toys?

          Penny Pendleton has a cat named Pickles.  Pickles is black and white with a patch of brown around his nose.  Pickles never liked to play with Penny, but Penny loved Pickles so much she would try everything to get him to play.

          One day Penny found a ball of yarn from her mother's sewing bag.  Penny thought to herself Pickles has to like yarn, all cat's love yarn!  Penny went to where Pickles was lying in his bed and took a small string of yarn out of the ball and waved it at Pickles.

          Pickles picked up his head from his paws, looked at the string and snubbed his nose in the air and put his head back down.

          Penny held on to the string and threw the ball across the room hoping Pickles would run after it.  She looked back at Pickles and his nose was up in the air.

          Penny stood there for a moment wondering how she can make the ball of yarn look like fun for Pickles to want to play with it.

          Penny thought what if I pick it up and throw it up and down that will get Pickles to want to play.

          Penny did just that, she took the ball of yarn and threw it up to the sky and caught it in her hand.  She did this several times then looked at Pickles, who lifted his head to yawn and then curled back up to sleep.

Chapter Two: Is Pickle's sick?

          Penny was worried that Pickles may be sick; maybe that is why he won't play.

          Penny had her mom take her and Pickles to the Vet to see if there was anything wrong with Pickles to keep him from wanting to play.

          The Doctor took Pickles' temperature which was fine.  He weighed him, he was a perfect weight.  He did some tests and they all came out normal, there was nothing wrong with Pickles.

          Before Penny and Pickles left the vet's office, the doctor gave Penny a bag and whispered to Penny, try to play with Pickles with what is in the bag when you get home, it should work for sure.

          When Penny got home she watched as Pickles went right back to his bed.

          Penny opened the bag that the doctor gave her and pulled out a long multi-colored stick with a feather at the end of a fluffy tail.

          Penny's eyes lit up with glee at this amazing toy she held in her hand.  She walked over to Pickles sure that he will be as excited as she is about it.

          She swung the tail with a feather part right past Pickles, one time….two times…three…then four…

          Pickles stayed asleep.

          She touched him with the feather and swung it by him again…five, six times, seven…Pickles turned up his nose.

Chapter 3:  Maybe Pickle's is just hungry.

          Penny still didn't understand how Pickles could have snubbed his nose at such a fun toy, so Penn thought to herself maybe Pickles is just hungry.

          Penny ran to the kitchen and got out a can of tuna fish.  She opened the can with the sound of the electric can opener buzzing looked for Pickles to come running.

          Pickles never came running; he just lied in his bed stretched out with his belly showing.

          Penny brought the plate of tuna to Pickles he turned over sniffed the tuna and started eating it.  See Penny thought that was it he was too hungry to play!

          Penny walked away and let Pickles finish his snack.

          Five minutes later Penny came back into the room and Pickles was giving himself a bath.

          On the way inside Penny brought one of his toy mice from her room and placed it in her hand, she showed the mouse to Pickles, and Pickles just kept on cleaning himself.

          Penny waited a couple of hours for Pickles to clean himself and take another nap before she tried again.

Chapter 4:  Catnip cats love.

          Penny realized why Pickles may not want to play with her.  Pickles must love catnip.

          All cats love catnip, surely that would make him play with Penny.

          Penny found a ball with catnip inside and placed it by Pickles who is now lounging in the picture window.

          Pickles smells the ball, licks it, then turns his head back to the window.

          Penny had an idea!

          Pickles must want to chase bugs in the garden! Pickles loves to be outside with the bugs and the butterflies and the birds.

          Penny picks up Pickles and takes him to the fenced in back yard.  She knows that Pickles can't run away the fence is way too high so he can enjoy the outside without getting lost.

          Penny puts pickles down on the ground and Pickles rolls over on his back and rolls around on the grass.

          Penny finds a worm and picks it up with a stick and brings it to Pickles.

          Pickle's snubs his nose at the worm.  Penny sees a butterfly flying and catches it in her hand and shows Pickles, Pickles snubs his nose at it.

          Saddened Penny leaves Pickles outside to lie in the sun and she goes back in.

         Penny goes to her Mommy and Daddy and asks them why won't Pickles play with her?

          Mommy and Daddy tell her that Pickle's is just a sour cat.

Chapter 5: That's what Pickles wanted!

          Penny tired from the full day of trying to get Pickles to play with her brushes her teeth and her hair and washes up for bedtime.

          Penny yawns a really big yawn and crawls into bed.  She stares at her nightlight trying to keep awake to see if Pickles comes to his bed in her room.

          Just as Penny stops looking for Pickles and closes her eyes, she feels something walking on her bed.

          Penny opens her eyes and sees Pickles laying on her chest looking into her eyes.  Penny smiles and Pickles licks her nose.

          Penny starts to pet Pickles and Pickles starts to purr.

          Penny's Mommy and Daddy come in to say goodnight and they see Pickles laying on Penny happy and purring very loudly.

          Penny's Mommy says "Pickles is sour because he only wanted you to pet him, Pickles loves you very much."

          And Penny smiled a big smiled and said "That's what Pickles wanted all along!"

          Then Penny and Pickles went to sleep for the night.

The End.

Photo Credit: http://static.artfire.com/admin/product_images/thumbs/–60000–32438_product_419043165_thumb_large.jpg

Tagged: 4 legged children, catnip, children, children's story, happy, Penny, Pickles, purring, sour cat, writing