Our new unnamed kitten pounced around the garland. Both cats’ eyes were dilated, and the kitten was bouncing around, attacking everything.

He would lie down, panting a little, and purr loudly. Catarina would hiss. Just as loudly. “Be nice, Cat!” She looked at me and meowed.

The kitten would jump around a bit, being watched by me and Catarina. Then he’d lie down and purr. And Cat would hiss. “Be nice, Cat!” Meow.

And then the kitten weaved through the railings of the cat walk. “Kitty! Quit that!” I grabbed him. He startled. Meow. “Don’t do that! You’re going to fall!” I put him down. Puuurrrrrrrr. Hisssss. “Cat! Be nice!” She looked up at me and blinked. Meow. Did she just call me a name? I thought, feeling insulted.

“Wait, kitty! Come back!” He was weaving again. He purred loudly. Catarina hissed. He fell. Crap!
A thunk of kitten on wood. I gasped. I ran downstairs, Catarina right behind me. Mom and Heather came and Dad was sitting on the couch, looking at the kitten. Catarina halted on the last step of the stairs. She laid down, one paw over another, her extra skin and fur flowing around her.

Finally, a noise. The kitten mewed and got up, purring. Catarina hissed and jumped down onto the tile. Squeak. Everyone released their breath at a different time.

“You’re lucky he survived!" My father shouted. Shaking out his long kitten fur, he looked around, blinking.

“I didn’t push him!” Mew. Hiss. “Would you quit hissing at him, Cat?!” She looked at me and meowed.

The kitten limped slightly over to her, holding a paw in the air. He flopped onto the ground in front of Catarina. He meowed once and purred loudly. She sat up, her white chest fur puffed out. Looking down, she ‘Mow’ed in a royal ‘I’m higher up than you’ way. He blinked. She bent down and licked him between the ears. Accepted.