Cat Lessons

“This is how you do it,” I said to Pumpkin.

It was Saturday morning. I was giving Pumpkin her first walking-on-a-leash lesson.

It had taken me a long time to find Pumpkin, because she was playing hide-and-seek with me. It took even longer to put on her leash, because she kept squirming away. Finally I snapped the leash on.

I was about to start her lesson when I saw Boo-Boo peeking out from behind the couch. Daddy had said he did not think Boo-Boo would like walking on a leash. But I was not so sure. And I had an extra leash to try with.

I called for Daddy.

“I think Boo-Boo feels left out,” I said. “I think he might want a leash too.”

“We can try,” Daddy replied.

Guess what. Boo-Boo let Daddy put the leash on.

“Will you stay and help me, Daddy?” I asked.

“Sure,” Daddy replied. “I am already amazed. Boo-Boo seems to be perking up a little bit.”

I tried to remember the hints about walking cats on leashes that I had heard on a radio show about pets. But none of them was working. Maybe I did not remember them well. Maybe I needed a book. Maybe I needed more cooperative cats.

Pumpkin was too young and frisky. She walked two steps with me, then stood up on her back paws and started batting at the leash with her front paws.

Boo-Boo was too old and short-tempered. He decided he did not like the leash after all. He lay down on the floor and started biting it.

“Oh, well,” said Daddy. “We tried.”

He took the leash off of Boo-Boo. I took the leash off of Pumpkin.

“I am going to help get lunch ready,” Daddy said. “I will call you when it is time to eat.”

I sat down on the floor next to Boo-Boo. The next thing I knew, Pumpkin had jumped onto my lap. Boo-Boo did not get up and run away.

I decided it was a good time to have a little talk with them both.

“So, Boo-Boo, how do you like having a new kitten in the house?” I asked.

Boo-Boo looked up at me and flicked his tail.

“I know you and Pumpkin are different in some ways. You are old. Pumpkin is young. You are gray with stripes. Pumpkin is black,” I said. “But you have a lot in common too. You are both cats. Neither of you will let me walk you on a leash. And there is one more important thing. I love you both a lot.”

I reached down and petted Boo-Boo with my left hand and Pumpkin with my right. And they purred softly together.

“I think the three of us are going to be okay,” I said. I felt like purring too.