Curiosity Thrilled the Cat by Sofie Kelly

Hercules, on the other hand, was indifferent. Stick catnip in, on or near anything and Owen squirmed with joy. I swear there was disdain on Hercules' furry face. Then he looked at Owen, rumbling like a diesel engine as I scratched the side of his head. Hercules climbed over my legs and sniffed the remains of Fred the Funky Chicken's head. 'Your brother is a catnip junkie,' I said to the little tuxedo cat.

Owen just kept on purring and ignored me. 'You're addicted, you little fur ball, and Rebecca is your dealer.' The cat nuzzled my chin, then laid his head against my T-shirt, closed his eyes and started to purr. 'Or maybe I should say you have a chicken on your back.'

'You have a monkey on your back.' I dropped what was left of the toy's head onto the floor and wiped my hand on my gray yoga pants. 'You have a problem, Owen,' I told the cat. It was a soggy lump of cotton with that lone yellow feather stuck on the end. He turned his head sideways and dropped what was left of Fred the Funky Chicken's head into my hand. The feather was still sticking out of his mouth. Owen climbed onto my lap and put his two front paws on my chest. I sat back against the end of the cupboard. Tipping his head to one side he looked up at me with his golden eyes. He padded over to me and put one paw on my knee. I crouched down next to the gray-and-white tabby. He rolled over onto his side and looked at me with the same goofy expression I used to get from stoned students coming into the BU library. Owen was sprawled on his back in front of the screen door, a neon yellow feather sticking out of his mouth. There was a muffled 'meow' from the back door.

'Owen, you little fur ball, I know you did this. The body was smack in the middle of my freshly scrubbed kitchen floor.

Curiosity Thrilled the Cat by Sofie Kelly