The Neighborhood Cat

Sophie Lai

Age 10

The Neighborhood Cat

Milo was just a typical stray cat that you would see sprinting around in a neighborhood. Milo was called the neighborhood cat because he lived in the neighborhood, but he wasn’t owned by anyone. Milo was one color, and one color only: black. He had bright yellow eyes with black fluffy fur. He was a kind, and playful cat, and loved to be with humans! He would go to the park and see kids run around the playground. Sometimes he would even chase them around and tackle-hug them! You would look out your window some night in bed and just see sparkling yellow eyes staring at you from outside your home. The whole neighborhood came together just to make him a perfect cat house to live in. People would come by to refill his food and water everyday, and sometimes people would even brush his fur. Kids would wake up early and take the long route to school everyday just to see him. Sometimes Milo would even walk with the kids to the edge of the neighborhood. Milo would get a lot of gifts everyday. It would fill up his house so fast that some people came and built him an area where people could put gifts. Milo was a loved cat, and he knew that he had everything he could have ever wished for: water, food, a home, and a neighborhood that loved him so much! But Milo just felt like he was missing something, but he didn’t know what. After days, weeks, and months passed by, Milo began to change. He became less socialized and stayed put in his home and would never come out. The neighborhood started to notice his weird behavior and came up with a plan. When Milo woke up the next day, he found himself in a bigger and better house that was big enough for two cats! But once Milo saw this bigger and better house, it made him feel even sadder than before. The people of the neighborhood thought the problem was fixed, but it wasn’t, and they started to notice that. They tried to play with him more and give him more attention, but nothing seemed to be working! They gave him more food and refilled his water, but Milo was just cooped up like an old lazy pig. They took Milo to a vet to check if he had a problem, but the doctor just shook his head and said that he didn’t find any problem and that Milo is a healthy cat. The neighborhood became worried and didn’t know what to do!

Some people thought that Milo was just getting older and that he was less active. But one little girl in the neighborhood named Lily came up with an idea. She was thinking long and hard on what kind and color would be the perfect fit. This little girl went around the whole neighborhood to ask people about their opinion. The next day, Milo found himself outside with the whole neighborhood staring at him. Milo was wondering what was going on, but then a cat jumped out of the crowd and claimed that her name was Pepper. Pepper had short white fur with light blue eyes. Day after day, he would go to the park with Pepper and chase around the kids! Now Milo and Pepper would play together everyday, and Milo got happier everyday.

The End