My plan to finish the first draft of my feline hero story over the weekend did not come to fruition. I did accomplish a number of other things which were more time-critical, and confess I bumped doing laundry to the top of the list. I’m looking forward to getting back to this story soon, though! I love adding cats to my stories, which I’m sure is a sign that our household has been catless for far too long.

In celebration of cats and stories about cats, here’s a snippet from my story “Clyde and the Ghost Cat” from the anthology Ghost-Hunting Critters. Clyde, who is, of course, a cat, has recently moved to a new house.

On the sofa, in Clyde’s spot in the sun, lay a small calico cat.

Who was this? He was the cat of the house!

Clyde flattened his ears and arched his back, his fur bristling. He knew he looked fierce—he’d scared away birds and squirrels countless times through the window, and once had frightened a raccoon.

“Who are you?” he yowled. “This is my house, and that is my sun spot.” His tail moved back and forth. He hadn’t smelled another cat since they’d moved in. How could he have missed her?

The calico lifted her head and met his gaze. Her amber eyes were dark in the white and orange splotches on her face.

He could see the checked pattern of the sofa cushion through her fur.

Clyde jumped sideways, his legs stiff, and hissed. This wasn’t just a strange cat in his house!

It was a ghost!”

I’m sure Rosie and Jasper will love having cats…someday… 🙂