Trust Cat
One particularly sunny day, Cat was sleeping on the rooftop of his favorite house. He had just eaten a bowl of cream and was purring softly in ecstasy. Dog barking hysterically down below suddenly broke his thoughts.
“Cat you have to help! Owl is having particular trouble catching this one mouse and now it’s starting to kill him! Come quick!”
That doesn’t seem like a very plausible story, thought Cat, but he stood up and stretched. “I’ll be right down,” he called to Dog.
“Meet me at the willow tree in the forest, Cat. I’ll be helping Owl there and I’ll let him know you’re on your way.”
Cat stretched again and then jumped neatly off the roof and ran after Dog. I wonder what’s happened to Owl, he thought, this just doesn’t seem very probable that a mouse is beating him up. Cat reached the willow tree and looked around. Despite him being positive that he had followed Dog for the whole way, he couldn’t find him.
“Silly Cat,” Dog said. “Owl didn’t need your help, I was just hungry and I couldn’t figure out how to get you down.” As Dog was talking, Dog’s friends appeared out of the shadows, jaws clacking impatiently at their easy target. “You’re so trusting; you made it almost too easy.”
Cat started to run and ran up the nearest tree from the willow tree. Dog and his friends were barking up the tree angrily while Cat decided what to do. Just then Owl passed by with a fresh mouse in his beak. Cat waved to him and waited while he perched on a branch above Cat.
“Owl,” Cat said close to tears, “look what happened. Dog said you were in trouble and I came to help, but he tricked me because he wants to eat me. Can you help?”
Owl stared at him and said slightly bitterly: “Sure, but only if you promise not to go after my young again in the trees. It’s the only home they have.”
Cat agreed, though he couldn’t remember torturing Owl’s young ever and patiently sat still while Owl gripped Cat’s paws and lifted him off the tree. Dog and his friends followed after them, barking wildly. Soon they reached a river and Owl swooped towards the waters.
“I don’t know why Dog wants to eat you,” Owl started swooping lower, “but I don’t want you tampering with my meals. You should know it’s very hard to find a good mouse. I’m going to drop you here.”
Despite Cat’s wild cries towards the contrary, Owl dropped Cat into the freezing cold river and flew off quickly. Cat sputtered and quickly swam diagonal to the current towards the far shore from Dog. While Cat was flailing wildly, Alligator swam up next to Cat.
“Do you want a lift to shore?” she said hungrily. “I’d be more than happy.”
“No thank you,” Cat said swimming faster. Finally, his paws came in contact with the shallow part of the shore and he ran towards dry land.
“Well, fine,” Alligator cried after him and deciding he was not worth the effort, swam the rest of the way upstream.
Cat shook himself dry and breathed a sigh of relief. Then glancing warily at the river and the dispersing pack of dogs, he trotted off towards home and the sunny roof that was calling his name in order to dry his wet body and disperse his fears. And so, that’s why you should always trust your instincts because just as Cat suspected something might be wrong, you never know when a noble cause may not be what it seems.
