Story Time

The Tale of Three Cats

A mile or two out of town, down a winding driveway, was a house neatly tucked among the trees.

The house was old but was well maintained. Inside the house lived a middle aged lady named Zelda. Zelda was a worthy woman and you may be wishing to hear more about her, but this story is about her cats.

Zelda owned three cats. She got them all at the same time and she loved them all equally. The cats were named Zizzer, Zazzer and Zuz.

Zizzer was the biggest cat. He was hard working, aggressive and efficient. Zizzer caught every

single mouse which ever dared to twitch its tail on the acreage. He also occasionally caught a bird but never any of the pretty birds. It was only the noisy, annoying birds (the kind who chased away the pretty birds) which were snagged by this talented hunter. At the end of the day, Zizzer liked nothing better than to lick his paws and curl up by the fire place. He happily shared his mice with the other cats, but didn't feel much need of social life. He was content.

There was no doubt about it - Zazzer was the handsome one who had an eye for detail. His fur

was always washed to a shine, and his whiskers were long and pronounced. At the end of the day, it was Zazzer who rolled their toy balls into a neat pile. Sometimes he hopped onto Zelda's lap when she sat in her wooden rocker by the fire, but he was careful not to let the snuggles mess up his fur. He really preferred to sit at Zelda's feet, looking sedate and aristocratic as he gazed at the flickering fire.

And then there was Zuz, who was the life of the party. When Zelda headed out the door for a

stroll around the yard, it was Zuz who was the first to bound after her and keep her company.

When Zelda sat down in her rocker, it was Zuz who was the first to take a flying hop onto her lap

and purr loudly. When Zelda had friends to tea, Zuz was delighted. She wasted no time in

endearing herself to them. She played with the toys in a most comical manner and kept everyone entertained.

The cats admired each other's talents and lived in peaceful harmony for quite awhile. The changes were subtle at first. The envious thoughts and uncharitable feelings started slowly, but like most unhealthy thought patterns that are left unchecked, they spiralled downhill.

Zizzer was often entertained by Zuz’s funny antics, but the thought crept into his mind that she

was better liked than he was. If only he were funnier. If only he were more sociable. So he spent

less time hunting and more time attempting to become popular. He hated trying to buddy up to all the visitors. He hated coming up with entertaining games when all he wanted to really do was

prowl around in the bushes outside. It was a hard life but sometimes one pays a high price for

popularity.

Zazzer had always admired Zizzer’s work ethics, but now he started to think he would be better

accepted if he were exactly like him. Not just more like him, but exactly like him. So he left the

house early every morning and forced himself to catch mice. It was a gruesome job for him. He

despised pouncing on the mice and worst of all, he hated getting so messy and dirty. But surely he would be more admired and happier if he were talented in the same areas as Zizzer.

Meanwhile, Zuz got to thinking that probably everyone was annoyed at her because she was so

impulsive. They probably all thought she was kiddish. This would not do. She would try to

become serene and well mannered like Zazzer. She sat prettily on the hearth even though it nearly drove her crazy to sit so still instead of bounding around. The more she sat, the more she thought, and the thoughts were not upbuilding ones at all.

The cats became very miserable. They couldn’t even admire each others’ traits anymore because none of them were being genuine. It was all very silly. I’m happy to report that they eventually got their problems straightened out and decided they would learn good ways from each other but from now on, they would all be comfortable being themselves.