I never used to pay much attention to cats as a species—you could say I lacked an understanding of them. Then Doughball began visiting me in my dreams, and though our time together was brief, it was enough to cultivate a feline appreciation within me. I didn’t want to leave Doughball, but dreams didn’t come every day, and he wasn’t always in them.

The day came that I realized I hadn’t dreamt of Doughball for a while and missed him very much. Whenever I ventured out, I couldn’t stop myself from scouring trees and bushes, hoping a cat would pop out, even though I knew it wouldn’t be Doughball.

Once I started seeking out cats, I naturally saw many of them. It turned out there were plenty of kitties on the ground: in flower beds, in the mud, in fields, beneath trees … They were everywhere, sauntering around in vast numbers, as if they had sprung from the earth itself.

Kitties are like any other vegetable. Plant melons, get melons. Plant beans, get beans. Plant cats, get cats.

In this world, there are those who plant cats, and those who pick them.

The cat planters have only to scatter cat seeds on the soil. No need for watering, fertilizing, or tending. Come spring, there’ll be a harvest of countless kitties. And it’s true—when spring arrives, the number of cats increases overnight. Once they’ve squirmed from the soil, they mature quickly.

Spring is cat-harvest time, the best season to pick them.

The springtime sun grows more plentiful each passing day. Cats emerge, alongside all of nature, as they return to life and everything is renewed, with no distinction between house cats and strays. They’ve all just gained consciousness and are now accepting their lives as cats.

The kitties stretch out their tiny paws and gingerly probe the warmth of the sun. Side by side, they sprawl out on the fuzzy carpet of the earth. In good weather, you’ll see cats energetically opening themselves up and lying flat to soak up the sunlight. When they’ve absorbed their fill, they’ll slowly open their eyes.

When the cats sense they’ve ripened, they’ll pluck themselves completely free of the soil. With all four feet on the ground, they’ll take a few experimental steps on the earth’s surface, then ramp it up until their legs are springing, fully extended, leaping ahead, sprinting.

Fresh from the soil, the cats dash swiftly in all directions. Some linger in the woods, others reach the road. You’ll often notice cats emerging onto the street. Some fear people and hide, vanishing in a puff of smoke. Others, like Doughball, are mature enough to parade themselves in front of passersby as if to say, Take me with you, take me away from here! Cat lovers pause and bend down to stroke these cats, perhaps play with them for a while, or else head to a nearby convenience store to buy some cat treats. Sometimes the cats trail these humans a little ways and only stop if they don’t look back.

Then there are cats who like people but don’t wish to leave the soil, and so choose to sprout in a place where humans gather. They learn where and when cat lovers will bring them food and water. Now that they can wander freely without needing to go hungry, these cats linger outdoors forevermore, fostering a close connection to the earth, just as many people cling tightly to their hometowns.