Prudence, The Cat Who Couldn't Purr

Prudence was a calico cat who lived on High Hill, in Keswick, near the River Greta, in the English countryside. Her home was nestled within the Lake District National Park. She was an indoor/outdoor cat, who preferred to roam the gardens during the day. Unlike most other cats, which are nocturnal, she liked to come inside at night to sleep beside her owner, Chelsey.

Each morning, Chelsey would wake her beloved pet, who had a tendency to lie around and sleep a lot. She made sure her kitty had enough to eat, some fresh water, and an occasional treat. She stroked Prudence and talked lovingly toward her, but for some reason Prudence wouldn't purr. It is said that a cat purrs when it is content, so it concerned the young girl that her cat never purred, no matter what she did.

One day, Prudence went out to in the garden to play. She wandered a little farther than usual, when she encountered another feline whom she had never seen before...

"Hi. My name's Prudence," she said. "What's yours?"

"I don't have one," a reply came from the orange tabby. His fur was matted and unkempt, and he looked as if he hadn't given himself a bath in quite a while.

"Really? How strange!" noted the calico. "Why not?" she asked.

"Just because," the other cat answered. "Nobody ever gave me one."

Prudence looked at him inquisitively. "Well, don't you belong to anyone?"

The other cat glanced back at her a moment. "Belong to anyone?" He paused briefly, while he thought about his response. "I used to belong to my Mum, when I was a little kitten. She fed me and kept me warm, but then one day..." A tear came to the cat's eyes, and ran down his tiger-striped furry cheek. He wiped his whiskers with the back of his paw.

"Then one day, what?" Prudence asked. "What happened to your mother?"

The tabby choked on his reply, as emotion almost left him speechless. "Some wild dogs came and chased her away," he recalled with sadness. I could hear them, off in the distance, as they ran farther and farther away. I searched and searched all night long, under the moonlight, but never could find her. That was many moons ago. I've been alone ever since." The dejected cat's head hung low, as he sniffed the ground below his feet.

Prudence was moved by his story. She felt tears well up in her topaz eyes, because she knew what it was like to have a mother, who loved her and fed her and kept her warm. "That's very sad," she said to him, as she tried to console him with her company. Then she was silent for a while, as she didn't know what to say.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. "Well, who feeds you, then?" she asked the lone cat.

"No one," he said, with a sigh, "I have to catch small birds and wild rodents, and dig what I can out of trash cans in the neighborhood. Once in a while, I eat lizards and bugs, when I can catch them. Sometimes I get lucky, and happen upon some cat food that someone has left outside by their doorstep... and sometimes I just go hungry."

Prudence could not believe what she heard, as her ears moved back, in surprise. She couldn't imagine what it was like to go hungry. She always had a bowl of food ready for her to eat or snack on whenever she liked. Just then another thought occurred to her. "So, where do you sleep? How do you stay out of the cold and the rain?" asked the curious calico cat.

The other cat let out a smirk. "Cold and rain are just part of my life. I can usually find a temporary place that's warm and dry, such as underneath a brush pile, or inside a crawlspace under a house. Most of the time, I just have to tough it out, until the sun comes out again, which isn't all that often, if you know what I mean."

"I know what you mean," said Prudence. "It rains a lot here. Once, my owner took me on a flight to Tampa, Florida, in the United States. It was so warm and sunny, I wanted to stay there the rest of my life, but eventually, we had to come back home."

"At least you have a home to come back to," said the orange tabby. "My home is wherever I find a place to grab a catnap for a couple of hours at a time. I never get to settle in and take it easy for too long. You always have to watch out for the wild dogs, you know. I don't want to meet the same fate as my Mum."

"Yes, I understand," replied the multi-colored cat. Just then, another thought occurred to her. "Say, why don't you follow me home, and I'll ask my owner, Chelsey, if she can give you something to eat. I wouldn't mind sharing it with you, if it's okay with her."

"Okay, but are you sure she won't throw anything at me, or try to shoo me away?" the cat asked. "Sometimes people can be mean, you know. I've been hit by a few flying objects, here and there."

"Oh no, Chelsey would never do that!" she said. "She loves cats -even stray ones."

So, the two cats went back to Prudence's owner's house, and were welcomed inside where it was safe, warm and dry. They ate their dinner, and Chelsey brushed their fur, and stroked each cat while talking lovingly to them. She told the orange tabby, that his name was going to be "Courage", because she could tell that he had been through a lot. Plus, she thought that his face resembled that of a lion.

Courage was proud of his new name, and curled up beside Prudence. After licking his paws and giving himself a bath, he soon fell asleep, and was dreaming sweet dreams.

Prudence watched Courage as he slept, and she was happy that she had been able to help him find a place to stay, and someone who would love him as much as she was loved. As the stars twinkled in the sky, through the window, Prudence could see the limbs bend back and forth as the wind swept through the trees. She knew that it was cold outside, but she felt satisfied that she was inside; protected from the elements and the hazards that Courage had endured.

The calico cat curled up to get comfortable, and was very content. She realized just how lucky she was, and that not all cats were as fortunate to have all that she had. For the first time in her life, Prudence started to purr, which made Chelsey, her protector, very happy, at last.

The next morning, Prudence and Courage exited the kitty door, and ran out into the gardens to play. They took turns chasing a lizard back and forth. While they weren't looking, the lizard got away and ran into a crack in the concrete, underneath the azalea bushes. Prudence followed the reptile into the brush, when she noticed another larger cat, which resembled Courage's colour.

"Hi... what are you doing here?" she asked the orange tabby, whose fur was a deep orange, almost the colour of fire.

"I'm looking for my beloved son," she replied. "I smelled his scent somewhere close by... I'm sure of it."

Just then Courage came around the corner and peeked into the bushes to see the other cat. "Mommy!" he exclaimed with delight. "I've been looking for you everywhere. Where have you been?"

"Well, I've been looking for you, too, little one!" She went over to him and they rubbed whiskers, displaying their affection for each other.

"My friend Prudence let me stay at her house, and her owner, Chelsey, fed me and kept me warm. She gave me the name, Courage, because I'm so brave!" he said excitedly. "But I missed you, Mum." His whiskers spread out as he looked at his mother.

"I missed you too, Courage... and I promise I'll never let you out of my sight again," she consoled him gently. Prudence looked on, happy that both cats were reunited again. She knew that Chelsey would put out enough cat food for the three of them, and neither Courage nor his mother would ever go hungry again. Without realizing it, Prudence was purring softly to herself, once more.