A magical cat

I made a contest on best pet story because I ran across this one the other day. It is one of the few of mine that is highly personal.

My name is Zoey - that's with a capital Z and a little “y” and not those two little dots.   I don't know what they're called, but I guess they make the sound “eeee”.  Sometimes I just don't understand English.  Every time the teachers tell me a rule, I find a word that breaks the rules.  That's why I need my mom to help me with this story.  I am six years old and me and my mom wanted to write about my cat.  His name was “Wizard”. 

Since all good stories start with “Once upon a time” that's how we'll begin.

 

Once upon a time there was an amazing cat.  He was fluffy and soft and black all over.  He was born before me so I didn't get a chance to name him or I might have called him “Midnight.”  As it turned out, my mom and dad were pretty smart to name him Wizard because he was a magic cat.

 

I know you probably don't believe me, or you think I am just being cute like little kids are cute, but he really was magic.  When I came home from the hospital, Wizard was there to greet me.  There were some other cats too, named Mork and Gizmo, but I don't really remember them.  I mostly remember Wizard because he was there my whole life.

 

A Wizard in a story can do neat tricks.  When I was little and I didn't like a food, Wizard made it disappear for me.  He proudly purred and looked at me when mom told me what a good little eater I was.  I didn't know how to talk so I didn't correct her, but I thought Wizard was pretty clever, I remember that much.

 

Wizard always came when we did a certain call - we could whistle or make the sounds like a trumpet. It's hard to say it in words but you make the sound by puckering your lips.  You know - Whew whoo whoo whoo whoo whewww - and he would come running.  When he did that, he always talked first.  He said, very clearly, in his cat language, “yes, coming.” 

 

Wizard was super polite and always said please and thank you.  I heard him, I am not even joking.  He also always washed up before and after dinner.  He had the coolest meow.  I know people say cats can't understand people and people can't understand cats, but that wasn't true for me and Wizard.  I always talked to him and he always talked to me.

 

Wizard had fur between his toes and a lovely long tail.  He was so gentle even though we were not always careful with him.  By we I mean Zaynah and me.  That's Zaynah with a Z, not Dana.  We have to repeat her name all the time.  I'm not sure why my parents picked that name but they did and we're stuck with it.  Zaynah is my sister, she's four.  She has straight hair and I have curly hair, but that's just about us, and isn't really part of this story. 

 

Anyway, sometimes kids don't stop to think that cats might not like to have their tails pulled or their fur petted backwards.   But Wizard would never ever bite and scratch because magic cats know that kids don't know any better.

 

Before I was born, Wizard lost some of his teeth.  I guess there isn't a tooth fairy for cats, because mom kept his teeth in a little jar.  I am not sure why she did that, but she did.   I asked Wizard if it was alright to take his teeth for show and tell in kindergarten.   Wizard didn't mind because he wasn't using them, and everybody in my class thought it was pretty cool.

 

Wizard walked on a leash and played outside with us in his pen.  I liked taking care of Wizard and helping get his food and water every day.   Wizard was always kind to other cats, even when they weren't kind to him. 

 

Sometimes people aren't very nice to each other.  I even find it hard to be nice to my sister all the time. 

 

I think if all people and animals were like Wizard, the world would be a better place. 

 

One day something sad happened.   I don't really understand it, but Wizard got sick.  I was there and I helped my mommy take care of Wizard.  I got him a blanket and mommy put him in a crate.  Wizard had to go to the vet, but mommy said the vet could not make him better, but he could do something to  help him get away from his pain.  Wizard was very brave.  I said goodbye and wished with all my heart that things could be different than mommy said.

 

For a while my sister kept asking when would Wizard come back from the vet.  I kind of thought since he was a magic cat, he just might come back.  I even heard a song about the cat coming back on tv, and I thought of Wizard.

 

Now that you've heard my whole story, I know you're wondering how Wizard was magic.  Magic just isn't about tricks, which we already know Wizard could do.  Magic also means charming - mommy looked it up for me in something called a dictionary.  I don't think I'll ever meet a more charming cat than Wizard.   But you better not tell that to my new cat, Shakespeare, or you might hurt his feelings.  He's black and white.  Not that what's on the outside matters.  It's what's on the inside, in cats or in humans, that makes them special.    

 

Shakespeare's not quite like Wizard but he is super friendly.  I think Wizard and him would have been great pals.  I am pretty sure Shakespeare can't read, but don't show him this story, just in case. 

 

Wizard was my first cat.  I will never forget him.   I think that's pretty magical, don't you?

* Author's Note: This story was written by myself and my daughter after our cat Wizard passed away. She submitted it to a library short story contest. All of the words are hers, I just helped her format them. Of course, the librarians didn't believe her, so we didn't win.

 

 

Reviews

[redzone]

It's true, Cats are magic, Wizard was for your Zoey, as Dot was for me, believe it or not I did have a cool cat named Dot and she wrote poetry that she named "Haiku Dot's". And yes she talked all the time to me and sometimes she would sit at the window and talk to the squirrels that ran across the roof.

thanks so much for telling the story of Wizard, I liked it a lot and reminded me of Dot..

redzone

[Lyn Anderson]

That's awesome thank you for this.:)

[barleygirl]

I love your daughter's story SO MUCH!!!! I'm so tuned into the cat talk comments you included: "Yes, I'm coming!" It's so cute the way they verbalize. I never realized how sociable a cat would be! Oh yeah, the fur tufts on the feet & ears -- gotta love that! *smile* You've remembered to include so many lovely & loveable details! Told with such childlike tenderness, of course I believe your daughter came up with every word! Plus, it would follow that Zoey with a "y" would be just as articulate as her mom! (((HUGS)))

[Lyn Anderson]

Yes, I was very proud of her. She has since entered speech and spelling contests with good success.

[David Scott]

Animals can show us the depths of our natural abilities to be more "human" with each other...
My favorite pets were dogs and snakes, but we have always had cats as well...
I believe when our hearts feel lost our pets can help us find ourselves again.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

A charming story with a moral core throughout. I see you have a thing for cats KLG.

[Lydia Shutter]

There's no doubt writing is in your daughter's DNA...what a heartwarming story this is! Charming...the innocence of childhood is something difficult to capture in words, but it happened here. Lydi**

[Tom]

A heartwarming story of a much loved and missed pet !

Wizard was indeed a magical cat that brought so much happiness to you little daughter, testament through her imaginative tribute about her beloved cat !

[Jacquelene Vanessa More..]

This is the sweetest thing I've read in a long time. Very good and what a wonderful little girl you have!

[Lyn Anderson]

I think so. And thank you very much. Please enter my pet story contest if you would!

[SpeedyHobbit Armstrong]

this is such an amazing and adorable story. It sounds as though your daughter is very creative and eloquent for her age. Who knows, maybe she will write what becomes the next big thing!