text: The Cat That Wouldn’t Purr April 1980 William had the rare fortune, or misfortune, to experience the greatest day of his life and the worst day of his life all in one week’s time. William was a twenty-five-year-old construction worker in Las Vegas, Nevada. Come payday, William would invest ten percent of his pay into a slot machine at one of the numerous casinos in the gambling paradise of Nevada. Many of his co-workers also gambled. Some gambled away lesser portions of their income, and some gambled away greater portions of their income on the American fantasy of winning it big in Las Vegas. William tried to be realistic about his gambling, to establish limits on his spending, and to never allow his gambling to take over and ruin his life. So when William won $850,000.00 and change, he took the same practical attitude about this stroke of fortune but with one exception. William threw a party for all of his co-workers. Pizza, beer, a few hours at a topless bar on the main strip in Vegas, and in just a few hours’ time he had spent over seven thousand dollars just so he and his friends, family, and co-workers could have a good time. The following day at work when William arrived, most of his co-workers were startled at his presence. “We thought you were quitting your job...isn’t that what you said last night so many times?” William explained that having $800,000.00 (and change) was a good thing, but not a great thing. “That’s just eighty grand a year for ten years...that’ll take me to my thirty-fifth birthday...and then what? Or forty grand a year for twenty years...that’ll take me to my forty-fifth birthday...and then what? Maybe I should try and live off twenty grand a year for forty years until I’m sixty-five? And then what? None of those choices are realistic. This money will get me a nice house and will add to my future, but it’s not enough to retire on. I need to keep working. I’m only twenty-five now, I still have time to add to my nest-egg before the golden age of retirement.” Over the next several days, many of his co-workers, family, and friends all approached William asking for necessary loans. “C’mon tough guy! Don’t be an asshole! I just need a down payment for a house, and maybe a bit extra for a new car. You can afford it, we all know how much you won.” William spent the next several days listening to numerous sob-stories concerning finances from all those in his life. There is no need to address what some of his female friends offered him in exchange for various loans and assistance. When the weekend finally arrived, William drove to Palm Springs, California, to escape the constant demands for money from what he thought were his friends and his loving family. He spent the entire weekend either in his hotel room thinking about the future, or in a nearby bar or coffee shop trying to decide what he should do with his life. Late Sunday afternoon William drove back to his apartment in Las Vegas, and was immediately overwhelmed by the vast amount of notes on his front door, the envelopes slid under the same door and all the messages on his answering machine. William was utterly disgusted by the vast amount of attention focused on him, or rather his money, and knew he had made the right decision while in Palm Springs. When he arrived at work the next morning, he gave the boss his two-week notice of quitting. “I just can’t stay in Vegas anymore...too many people know about my winnings. Hell, I can’t even stay in Nevada...somebody would track me down and ask for money. I need to put Las Vegas in my rear-view mirror forever.” Over the next two weeks, William gave various hints to his family, friends, and co-workers that he was moving to the East Coast of America. He would idly chat with the people in his life about the weather in Florida or the beauty of New England in the fall. During these two weeks, he added in numerous other travel destinations and even hinted about purchasing a recreational vehicle and touring America for the next year. On his last day at his job-site, there was no farewell party for William. Too many of his co-workers were miffed at William for not loaning or giving them money. When the workday ended, William merely drove to his apartment and continued his preparations for leaving Las Vegas. Many of his possessions were either sold or given away. He realized that far too much of his income was spent (wasted) on the mundane trivia of life as he filled numerous trash bags with worthless items. These items found a temporary new home in the garbage dumpster behind the apartment building where he lived. When all was complete, William stayed in Las Vegas for an additional two weeks visiting with his family (who never relented in their demands for money) and seeing many of the touristy attractions that the city had to offer. When it was time for his departure, his family (father, mother, and two elder brothers) didn’t bother with a going away party, nor a final meal together. They were all too upset at William for not simply handing over his winnings to them. On his last morning in Las Vegas, William loaded his final few possessions in his pickup truck and then headed for Phoenix, Arizona. He spent two days in a hotel and learned that one of his brothers had, somewhat clandestinely, followed him to Phoenix. William spent a week in Phoenix, then made a sudden departure at three in the morning for Amarillo, Texas. After a week in the city to learn if he had been followed again, he finally decided to travel to his final destination of San Diego, California. ************* May to August 1980 William had arrived in San Diego, found a modest hotel, and then began working on his future. He visited one of the colleges in town to learn of the application process, filled out the paperwork, and was surprised to receive an acceptance letter at the post office box he had rented upon his arrival in America’s Finest City. With his college dreams satisfied, he then began apartment hunting. He selected an older apartment building that was in the proverbial Goldilocks vicinity to the college...not too far, but not too close. He could still ride his bike, weather permitting, to and from college. "Weather permitting," he mused to himself, "so many people are complaining of the heat in San Diego, but not me! After twenty-five years in Las Vegas, this is perfect weather!" He planned to begin college in September. With his high school days seven years behind him, he visited the college bookshop, purchased the necessary textbooks, and began studying at home to prepare himself. He had set-up his three bedroom apartment so that one of the bedrooms was converted into an office where he could review his textbooks and read about various investments for his money. William was determined to make something of his life, and not end up in a blue-collar hell like the rest of his family who lived paycheck-to-paycheck. "After college,ć he thought aloud, "then I’ll decide where to live and buy a house. But that’s after college when my life is on track. Besides, the students at college don’t need to know I’m living in a house I own. They don’t need to know about my finances." William then began living a simple life. An exercise walk or bike ride in the mornings, followed by lingering at a coffee shop for an hour or two, then back home to study or to just enjoy his freedom from the gold-diggers back in Las Vegas. In the evenings, he would again take a brief exercise walk before retiring for the evening. And, of course, there were the occasional visits to the vast amount of bars and nightclubs in San Diego. Life was good for William, but it was soon to become better. One morning in early June, William was exiting the apartment complex where he lived for his morning bicycle ride when he heard an odd noise. Looking around the area, he noticed an incredibly thin cat with a bloated stomach mewing and making other cat noises to get his attention. The cat was located near the outside fence of the apartment complex and near an opening in the fence. William realized that this cat was acting very cautious. If anyone approached it menacingly, it had an easy escape. Walking towards the near-emaciated cat, William noticed its overall condition of neglect. Dirty, apparently hungry, fur not groomed for a long time, and a look of desperation in its eyes. “Hey, Kitty-Cat...Where’d you come from? Where’s your owner?” The cat merely looked at William and continued its pleas for attention. “You’re obviously not feral, as you haven’t run away from me yet. But what happened to your owner? Did you run away from home? And you’re so bloated? How long since you’ve eaten a decent meal?” William was surprised when the cat, seemingly understanding his words, rolled over onto its back and displayed its bloated stomach. As he looked, he saw movement from the abdominal area. “My gosh! You’re not bloated! You’re pregnant!” As William spoke, the cat turned back over, got on its paws, and slowly and cautiously approached William. William bent down to pet the kitty, and as he stroked its sparse fur, he noticed an excessive amount of fur falling off its back with each stroke. “Kitty-cat, I’m afraid to say that you seem very malnourished. You just wait here. I’ll bicycle to the local convenience store for some food and milk for you. You need to stay healthy for your kitten’s sake!” William was again surprised when the cat, again seemingly understanding his words, ended its mewing, sat down, and seemed to relax. As William walked away, he continued to talk to the cat, with his voice increasing in volume as he got further away. “You just relax now. Ten minutes, and you’ll have plenty of food and milk. Just give me ten minutes!” As an answer, the cat gave a single “Meow.” As William mounted his bicycle, he gave a look towards the cat, and he was its sole focus. When William returned, the cat was in the same location as before, near the hole in the wall of the fence, and was waiting patiently. William laid a paper plate on the ground and placed a small portion of dry and wet cat food on the plate to see which this cat preferred. In its starving condition, the cat had no preference and quickly ate everything. “That’s what I thought, little buddy. You’re damn near starved to death. That’s why I only put a little food on the plate. I’ll give you some more in about ten minutes. While you’re waiting, would you like some milk?” As he spoke, he removed a small container of milk from his backpack, cut it open with his pocketknife, and placed it near the paper plate. The cat immediately began enjoying its latest delicacy from William. As the cat feasted on the milk, William dug into his backpack, produced a thermos of coffee, and poured himself a cup. On this first visit with the cat, William stayed with it for over an hour and slowly doled out food, gave it gentle and loving strokes on its back, and talked to the cat to pass the time. As the cat slowly filled up on food, it would lovingly sit at Williams’s side and allowed William to stroke its back and scratch its neck. “O.K., Kitty-cat...Time for me to go. I need to ride the bike for some exercise today. But before I go, I’m gonna take your picture. Tomorrow I can put up some posters to help find your owners. Is that a deal?” The cat offered a single “Meow” as an answer and sat motionless as William snapped the photo. "That’s so weird," he thought aloud, "it’s almost as if the cat understands English." With the photo taken, William began his good-byes to the cat. “Don’t worry about food. I’ll bring you food in the morning before my bike ride, and some more food in the evening before my after-dinner walk. I’ll take good care of you until your owners are located. You just stay clear of any dogs. And I’d take you into my apartment, but the complex has a stringent ‘No pets allowed’ policy. O.K., kitty? See you tonight!” The cat again answered William with a single “Meow,” and then walked through the hole in the fence. With the cat fed and happy, William departed on his bike ride. That evening, William returned to the hole in the fence, but the cat was not to be seen. As he laid out the paper plate with cat food, the cat slowly exited from the hole in the fence, verified that it was William providing its dinner, and then happily walked towards William for some neck scratches and back rubs before beginning with its dinner. As the cat ate, William removed a small cardboard box of milk from his backpack, opened it with his pocket knife, and set it near the paper plate. The cat alternated between the milk and the food until it had its full, then it walked over to William and laid by his side to receive more physical attention with back rubs and neck scratches. After ten minutes, William said his good-byes to the cat and departed for his evening walk. As he looked back, he saw the cat disappearing through the hole in the fence. “That’s kind of odd,” began William as he was walking away. “That cat never purred, not even once. Well, maybe it will in time, once it gets used to me.” William mused over the cat that wouldn’t purr during his evening walk. Returning to the apartment complex, he looked for the cat near the hole in the fence, but it was not to be seen. Over the next two weeks, the situation with the cat repeated itself twice-daily. A morning feeding and an evening feeding. Each feeding session had plenty of back rubs and neck scratches for the cat, which the cat seemingly enjoyed, but the cat still wouldn’t purr. Some of these feeding sessions were short, maybe ten minutes in length, and other feeding sessions would last over an hour as William enjoyed the cat’s company. William had put up the posters searching for the owners, but he secretly hoped the owners wouldn’t see the signs, nor try to claim their cat. One of the people William routinely met on his nightly exercise walks was an older man. This man wasn’t a friend, but he did become a “Nodding companion” as these two men would exchange nods as they encountered each other. One night, William decided to talk to this man about the lost cat and to ask if he knew of anybody searching for their long-lost pet. “No, Sonny-boy, I’ve heard of no lost cats in the area. But let me come have a look at it tomorrow, and it may jog my memory. The older you get, the easier you for-get.” As the older man smiled at his little bit of wordplay, William mentioned that he didn’t look too old and that a man in his fifties shouldn’t consider himself excessively old. “In my fifties? I’m a lot older than that, Sonny-boy. A lot older! I guess I just look young. But that’s a story for a different day. But now that we’ve finally talked, we are now friends. I’ll come by to see your cat tomorrow night. Seven in the evening, did you say?” William nodded at the older man as an answer and then told him the location of the evening feed. “I’ll be there, Sonny-boy. I kinda like cats. If I can help, I’ll be glad to assist you...and the cat.” “Sure thing, old-timer. See you then!” As the older man heard the phrase “old-timer,” he gave a short laugh before walking away. The next evening, William was feeding the cat but without his new friend in attendance. “I guess the old-timer forgot after all.” William stayed with the cat for an hour that night, stroking its fur which was no longer shedding as significantly as their first encounter, and giving it scratches under its neck, which the cat particularly enjoyed. As William was enjoying his time alone with the cat, the cat suddenly leaped to its feet, arched its back and began hissing violently at something behind William. Turning to look at what the cat saw, William saw the old-timer from the previous evening about fifteen feet away. He turned back to comfort the cat, but only had a brief glimpse of it as it hastily fled the area. William then turned his attention to the older man. “That cat is terrified of you! Did you hurt it? Did you ever throw rocks at it or something? So help me God, old man, if you ever hurt that cat” “Relax, Sonny-boy. I’ve never even seen that animal before. I’m a stranger to it, and maybe it just doesn’t like strangers. Most cats don’t like my kind.” Although the older man knew why the animal fled, he kept that secret to himself. “And one more thing. Cat? That’s not a cat. That’s a kat, spelled k-a-t.” William gave him a puzzled look but asked no questions. This older man may be a bit senile, or a bit crazy, so I’ll just let him continue the story, he thought to himself. “You don’t know what a kat is? Well, let me tell you...” The older man then began his story. “A kat, once again spelled k-a-t is a cat that’s been used as a familiar for a witch. You know about those things, Sonny-boy?” “I’ve read the stories. Witches have their pets, which they refer to as familiars, but it’s just stories” “Just stories!” was said a bit too aggressively by the older man. “They are not just stories! Witches are real, and so are their familiars.” The older man paused as he calmed himself down somewhat. “I know a fair bit about witches and their familiars. I used to live in Salem, Massachusetts, and was hard-pressed to leave that place,” he said with a chuckle, “and I know all about witches and their familiars. Believe me, Sonny-boy. Witches and kats are real.” The older man continued his story in a rambling manner. He explained that a witch will either find or purchase a cat (“That’s c-a-t, Sonny-boy.”) and then will turn them into their familiars which are then called kats (“That’s k-a-t, Sonny-boy."). The familiars see and experience a lot at the hands of the witches, and it changes them. “And that change is possibly forever. One easy way to distinguish a cat from a kat is that cats purr while kats do not purr. Once in a blue moon, a kat will eventually change back into a cat, but those changes are rare. Very rare. And if a kat begins purring at you, then you know she is yours for life. By the way, was that kat pregnant?” William nodded his head at what he thought was the rambling or attention seeking of an older and lonely man. Then William had a bit of a sarcastic question for the older man. “So when the kat, k-a-t, gives birth, will it have kittens spelled with a k, or cittens, spelled with a hard c?” The older man became quiet while he considered the question. “I’ve never heard of a kat becoming pregnant, so I can’t answer your question. But here’s something to consider. Kats never leave their witches. Never. The only reason I can think of for that kat to be on the loose is that its owner, a witch, died. Check the newspapers, Sonny-boy, for any recent deaths in the area. Check back a month or more, because a kat with a witch will never get pregnant. This is a puzzler for me.” The two men stood in silence for a few minutes as the older man contemplated a pregnant kat, and William searched his memory for any deaths in the area. Neither man came to any conclusions. William then took the conversation in a different direction. “Old-timer, I’m sorry. I just don’t believe your story about witches and their familiars. I mean you no disrespect, but I’m sorry...that’s just not believable to me.” “Sonny-boy...did you know that when Apollo 11 blasted off to the moon, people were watching the launch that were very old? Most of those old-timers had learned of the Civil War and slavery upon their parent’s lap and from their direct involvement in those events. If you had told them in their twenties about men walking on the moon, they would have just laughed at you. Sonny-boy, there is so much you don’t know. Would you like to hear about ghosts now?” William gave a brief laugh, mentioned that ghosts aren’t real, and indicated that he didn’t want to hear any ghost stories. “Well,” began the older man, “time for me to go then. Headed up north to meet some friends tomorrow. Gotta get a good night’s rest tonight. If I’m back in the area, I’ll stop by and check on you and your kat. That is if the kat lets me near it. Cats, and especially kats, don’t like my kind.” “Before you go, old-timer. My name is William Jones. Most folks call me Jonesy.” As he spoke, William raised his hand so they two could shake hands as the ritualistic gesture of introductions and departures. “What’s your name?” “Giles Corey. I’m just a gentleman farmer from back in the old days in Salem Massachusetts. If I’m ever back in the area again, I’ll look you up.” The two shook hands, and then Giles Corey departed. As Giles walked away, William searched the immediate area for the cat...kat...but couldn’t find it. When he turned back in the direction that Giles was leaving, Giles was also no longer in sight. “That’s odd. He didn’t seem like a fast walker to me.” The following morning, William continued his routine of feeding the stray kat, but the kat was nowhere to be seen. “If that old man...,” began William while speaking to himself, but then the truth dawned on him. The kat had probably left the area for some privacy to give birth to her kittens or cittens. William deftly mounted the fence at their normal meeting spot, jumped into the adjacent vacant lot, and then began searching for the kat. After a few minutes, William heard the sound of something running swiftly at him, then heard a cat screaming in anger. As he turned, he noticed the kat had come to a stop twenty feet from him, and defiantly stood its ground while hissing at William. William raised his hands into the air as if being robbed. “O.K., kitty. I understand you. You gave birth, and you are just protecting your children. I get it.” As he spoke, the kat ended its hissing and sat down on its back legs while staring angrily at William. “But you have to eat. You’re nursing your offspring, and they need milk. Your milk. So you need to eat. Understand?” The kat remained quiet. “See that tree over yonder,” William said, as he pointed to a nearby tree. “I’m gonna put your food and milk over there. Once I’m gone, and you feel safe, you can eat at your leisure. Understand?” The kat remained quiet as William walked over to the tree and laid out its breakfast. As William moved, the kat never took its eyes off of him. Once finished, William walked back to the fence while giving the kat a wide berth. As he mounted the fence, he looked back at the kat and received a single “Meow” as a ‘Thank you’ from the kat. William then leaped to the other side of the fence. “That’s so spooky,” William spoke aloud as he walked to his bicycle. “That cat seems to understand everything I say to her. Maybe she is a kat after all.” Over the next three weeks, the above situation repeated itself twice daily. A walk to the fence, then jumping to the other side. Being angrily greeted by the kat, then laying out her morning and evening meals, then a careful retreat with a single meow from the kat as its form of thanks. During all of these visits, he had never seen the kittens (cittens?), and he was wondering how they were faring. Then the inevitable finally happened. As William was walking towards the fence at the usual meeting spot, the kat walked through the hole and stared at William. A staring contest began that lasted for twenty seconds. William was unsure of what to do. "Do I approach her after all her angry charges, screams, and hisses, or do I stay here and let her decide?" The kat ended the staring contest when she walked over to William and began rubbing herself against William’s leg. “Friends again?” was asked by William, but the kat gave no response. William then proceeded to the normal feeding area, laid out a paper plate and added a mixture of wet and dry cat food. He then opened a small box of milk and laid it out for the mother kat. She walked over, enjoyed a few mouthfuls of food and a few licks of milk, and then she stopped. She turned to face William, gave him an angry hiss, and William knew he needed to back up a few steps. As he began backing away, the mother kat began mewing as he had never heard before. “Rah-rah-rah-rah,” she mewed repeatedly, then became silent. After a few seconds, her litter of three kittens began emerging from the hole in the fence. As they saw the food laid out for them, they hastily ran to the food and began to gorge themselves. As they fed, the mother kat positioned herself between the kittens and William, with her emerald green eyes never leaving Williams’ face. As William watched the youngsters feed, he saw another kitten emerging from the hole in the fence. This kitten was definitely smaller than the rest and was the runt of the litter. As the runt approached the food, it found no space for it to receive its portion. “Momma kat, it’s good that you’re watching me to keep your kitties safe, but take a look at them. The bigger kitties aren’t letting the runt eat. Momma,” implored William, “look at your kitties!” As was always surprising to William, the mother kat seemed to understand his words, and she turned her attention to the kittens. When she walked over, she saw that most of the food was gone and she looked back at William. “O.K., just stay calm momma. You’re probably not gonna like this.” William then walked to within a few feet of the kittens, took off his backpack, sat down with his back against the fence and reached inside the backpack. The momma kat, not understanding what was happening, faced William and began hissing defiantly at him as she slowly approached. Her kittens crowded around her for safety. “Trust me, momma. Just trust me, O.K.?” William then pulled an additional paper plate from his backpack, along with another large can of cat food. After opening the can, he poured the majority of the food on the first paper plate, but he also poured a generous amount of food on the second paper plate. “Don’t overreact momma. Just stay calm.” William then reached over to the kittens, picked up the runt, placed him on his lap, and gave him his own plate of food from which to feed. The three larger kittens attacked the newly added food, while the runt ate peacefully on William’s lap. The mother kat stared at William for about thirty seconds, then joined her other kittens at the paper plate so she could have a decent breakfast. Slowly and carefully, William produced a container of milk and a paper bowl and laid it out for the family. He pulled out a second paper bowl, added some milk, and offered it to the runt of the litter. The runt was wholly relaxed by now and accepted the offering of milk. As the family of kitties finished their meal, the three larger kittens began looking at the momma kat for a clue as to how to behave around the first human that they had encountered. The momma kat walked over to William, climbed onto his lap, and laid down next to the runt. The other kittens walked over to William, and climbed onto his legs, or laid down peacefully against his legs. As William watched the family of kats enjoying his presence, he looked down at the momma kat, and their eyes met. William reached down and began gently petting her back. After a few minutes, the other kittens moved onto William’s lap and started enjoying his petting of them and the occasional neck scratches which they all particularly enjoyed. After a few minutes of this, William noticed the momma kat staring into his eyes again. As he stared back, she began to contently purr. “So I guess this means you are a cat now? And that your kittens are really kittens?” “Meow,” was the answer from the momma cat, but it was a long, drawn-out meow. “And that means I should go shopping for a house and give all of you a proper home?” Another long drawn-out “Meow” came from the momma cat, with her kittens joining in with their mother’s meows. When the meows ended, a slight chorus of purring was emitted by all the assembled family. “O.K., momma cat. You win. Today I begin house shopping. I noticed a nice two-story house down the street last week that’s up for sale. Will that do?” The momma cat answered with a single meow. “So that means I get to name all of you? Momma cat, how about I call you Katherine, so I can call you Kat for short. Will that do?” “Meow,” answered Kat.