text: I feel a slow tossing beneath me. Faintly I hear the beginnings of my housemates alarm. It grows steadily louder until he reaches over and silences it, rolling back over in the bed. I lay on a large pillow next to him and my other housemate. She hasn’t stirred. The alarm goes off twice more before they turn on the light and start moving about the room. I remain on my pillow, quietly snoozing into the morning. I listen to them move about as I continue my rest. The two furry roommates move about the floor with the clicking and clacking of claws on hardwood. I tuck my nose under my tail and continued to snooze. As they all move down stairs I give a silent stretch, my claws reaching outward. I could get up, but it isn’t quite time. I hear the loud whirr of their morning food machine. It disturbs me, but since it is far below me, down the stairs, I am not overly concerned. One housemate leaves the house, taking the furry roommates with her. She will return shortly, but for now the house is free of them. They move so fast, and make such loud noises. Barks and woofs at every little thing outside. My other housemate continues his morning ritual. I hear the food machine again, water, more water. Eventually he returns up the stairs. He moves into my room and grabs the small black plate that holds my food. I know he is going to refill it, but I still do not stir from my spot on the pillow. I snooze and I wait. Some time later the second housemate returns, the furry ones with her. They are loud and moving quickly through the house, excited after their morning adventure. I don’t leave the house, not that I ever wanted to. Plenty could be seen from the windows. I have seen birds, squirrels, and many other wonderful things. Some days, when the windows are “opened” I can even smell and hear them. I smell and hear other things, but they are strange and loud, and I don’t want to encounter them, so I am content to wait inside the house, and smell and hear from my windows. I hear them below, the housemate giving them commands so they can earn their food. I certainly don’t do that. He brings me the food and I eat it at my leisure. He comes up the stairs clicking the plate to a hard band on his finger. Some days I will jump up and follow him to my room for the plate, but today is not one of those days, today is a day for more snoozing. Some time later, when all are back down the stairs I let out a final stretch and climb to my feet. My legs are a bit shaky, not as strong as they once were. My feet land on the floor next to the bed with a louder thud than I intended. The muscles just don’t absorb the same way they used to. I sonder across the floor to my room, where my food waits. I have to cross by the fan, it blows so loudly. I don’t like the fan, it always makes my whiskers feel strange, and it moves so fast, so loud. But I press on into my room. It is nice here. The food on my clean plate, on top of my placemat. Next to it sits a small fountain that gives me running water. It is only good out of the back corner of the dish, but I try not to complain to the housemates about it too often. A quick taste of the food reveals it is tuna. I like tuna. I have heard the housemates say chicken is my favorite, but I know they know better. They always give me more tuna in a week than chicken, and they never seem surprised when I leave most of the chicken still on the plate. After a few more licks I decide to save the rest for later, and head back to the pillow. No windows are opened yet, so I just go back to my morning nap. The noises below die down as the housemates settle into their morning. The second housemate will be up in my room soon. I haven’t know her as long, but we share a special bond. She sits ever so still while in my room, and doesn’t seem to get as excited as my first housemate. Though, admittedly, she doesn’t scratch the ears or chin enough while she sits, which is a problem. I have been trying to train her better recently by standing up where she places her hands on the desk and talking at her. When she doesn’t listen I bite her hands to get her attention. She does eventually come up, and scoops me off my pillow. I know it is going to happen, like every day, but I protest anyway. She takes me to my room and sets me in her lap. I let out a final protest and lay down on the small blanket she places on her lap. She begins her morning. On the desk above my head I hear the furious tapping of her fingers on a small contraption. She does this all day. The other housemate does something similar, but conducts it down the stairs, with the furry roommates. I lay patiently, before long the strokes will come and with them scratches as well. I am correct, soon a hand is on my head, scratching my ears. Then moving swiftly to my chin, oh how does it feel so good? I stretch and relax across the housemates lap. I can’t ask for much else. After some time I decide I am actually hungry and jump down to revisit the food plate. It is the same as before, still tuna. I eat a tad more, check the water and then make some minor protests. The housemate doesn’t really get it, but before long I am back in her lap. I stay there a long while. I eventually climb up into the tree the housemates placed in my room. It has multiple platforms and is easily accessed from the desk. It sits next to the window. From the top I can see most of the outside. Today, not much moves around outside, but that is alright, the sun enters the window just right and I can snooze in its warmth. The first housemate enters the room, he says something to the other and then leaves after they press their faces together for a brief moment. They are so weird. I continue to snooze on the tree platform. My snooze is interrupted. I am not sure what it was or is, but I am no longer snoozing so I decide it is best to just get up. I stretch. The second housemate is still tapping away at her contraption on the desk. My legs feel stiff. I roll over and push my legs underneath me. Suddenly something is wrong. I go to stand up but where there should be platform underneath my right side there is nothing. I feel my feet slipping and try to react. I am too slow, too stiff, too old. I land hard on the platform below, my leg catches on the strange pole the sticks out of it. I twist and feel something snap. It hurts. I have never felt anything like this in my life. I try to pull myself to my feet but I can’t. The second housemate is on her feet, reaching for me. She takes me in her arms, her face is covered in concern. She sets me down gingerly. I test my leg. It won’t move. Every time I try to get it to move I feel terrible pain. What is this? What happened? The concern on my housemates face grows deeper. I cry loudly and openly. She tries to comfort me, but oh the pain. She places me in the mesh bag, she calls the carrier. I protest loudly, partly because I hate this bag and partly because of the shooting pain throbbing through me. We wait. I continue protesting and she eventually pulls me back out. The furry roommates are getting excited. The pain is still there, but things are happening. I am down the stairs, not a place I typically like to be. Suddenly the first housemate is here. He strokes my head, he faces looks as the second’s does, covered in concern. I am placed back in the mesh bag and the first housemate hoists it to his shoulder. I am taken outside. We travel for sometime, then come to a stop. The first housemate takes me to a door. We wait. A new person comes and takes the mesh bag, me inside, from the first housemate. I protest loudly. Don’t leave me!. He walks away. I sit in a small cage, leg throbbing. The lady injects something and I begin to forget about the leg. More new people come. They carry me to a strange place, another strange place, everything has been strange since the housemate left. I hear things move and whirr and buzz. My leg starts to hurt again. The new lady comes back and injects me again. The hurt fades. I don’t know how long it has been. Everything is strange. I try to snooze, but between the strange place and strange everything, it is hard. I protest some to the new people I see, but they pay no mind. Sometimes my leg hurts, sometimes it doesn’t, but I eventually drift to sleep. I am woken suddenly, I protest as is my custom, but my leg hurts again. They wrap me in a towel. That usually doesn’t happen unless I had a bath, I hope I didn’t get a bath while I slept, I hate baths. They carry me through the strange place. There is something in my other leg now. A door is opened and I see the housemates. Their eyes look heavy. Why? I am placed in the first housemates lap. He begins stroking my head, scratching my ears. I nuzzle him. I love him. He has been my housemate for as long as I can remember. The first night in his house I climbed up his bedding and slept on his chest. So warm, so comfy. He would be gone from time to time, but always came back, and eventually he took me to a new place and he was there every night. I always slept on his chest then. The second housemate strokes my head too. She came along later, after I had quite some time with just the first housemate. I didn’t trust her at first, but she had some redeeming qualities. Mostly that she didn’t squirm as much as the first housemate, and he seemed to enjoy cuddling with her, so I figured I should too. I also love her. They both stroke my head and ears. It is wonderful. I can almost forget about my leg. It goes on for an eternity. I purr quietly and nuzzle them both. They day started out so normal, just like any other. I still don’t understand how I ended up here. The first housemate bends down and presses his face against my head. So weird, but I nuzzle him back. My ear begins to itch and I rub it. He begins to scratch it for me too. I roll my head into his hand. So warm. One of the new people enters the room. I continue nuzzling the housemates. I feel a pressure from the thing in my leg. I suddenly feel tired. I lay my head in the first housemates hand. He strokes my head gently. My eyes feel heavy. I close them. More pressure. My eyes don’t want to open, too heavy. The feeling of the housemates' hands fades away. I am staring up at long stairs that lead into clouds. A lone cat sits above me. It is all white. I tilt my head in confusion. It turns and heads up the stairs. I follow.