The Christmas Cat Tails Read online

  The Christmas Cat Tails

  The Complete Trilogy

  With Bonus Novelette

  Jasper: A Siamese Story

  by

  Peter Scottsdale

  Copyright © 2017 by Peter Scottsdale. All rights reserved.

  This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  What People Are Saying About the Tales in

  The Christmas Cat Tails

  “The Christmas Cat”

  “…heartwarming… great story to read if you have or have ever had a heart.”

  - Jessyca Garcia (Readers Favorite)

  “Wonderful ebook”

  - Crystal Martin (Amazon Reviewer)

  “…beautifully touching…”

  - Shar (Amazon Reviewer)

  “…well written…”

  - katyjane (Amazon Reviewer)

  “The Christmas Cat 2”

  “…definitely a story for all cat lovers...visual and alive.”

  - Mamta Madhavan (Readers’ Favorite)

  “Wonderful book…heartwarming and heartwrenching…”

  - Kindle Customer (Amazon Reviewer)

  “A nice inspirational story.”

  - trekker (Amazon Reviewer)

  “The Christmas Cat 3”

  “It's an enjoyable short read, that guarantees to stay with you for

  days after you've read the final word. Well done, Peter Scottsdale!”

  - Joan Mettauer (Author of Diamonds in an Arctic Sky)

  This book is a perfect example of why pets come into (and out of) our lives and help us heal ourselves.

  - Linda Penner (Author of A Hitman Is Cheaper Than Divorce: How to Stop Dragging That Breakup Ball and Chain)

  “Jasper: A Siamese Story”

  “…very touching story…”

  - Pat Meek (Author of Goldie’s Girls)

  Table of Contents

  The Christmas Cat

  The Christmas Cat 2

  The Christmas Cat 3

  Jasper: A Siamese Story

  Thank You

  Also By This Author

  About the Author

  The Christmas Cat

  He wasn’t going to apologize. Fred had spoken his mind and be damned if he was going to apologize.

  It was one day before the 25th, and they hadn’t called. But again they hadn’t called for the last two Christmases, either. So Fred sat, watching reruns of “Match Game” on the Game Show Network when he heard scratching.

  It sounded like an animal at the door. He ignored it. Somebody’s pet at the wrong door. Yet, it continued, annoying Fred as time and the scratching went on. A commercial came on and more scratching. Fred got up from his chair, deciding to scare the creature away. He left his basement suite and climbed the steps to the side door, his old knees hurting with every step.

  He opened the door with a snap, hoping to scare the creature off. He opened his mouth to yell, but nothing there. The cold hit his face and ran down his unbuttoned shirt. Quickly, he closed the door. Must be at least minus twenty out. He hoped the scratcher had found someplace warm; nothing deserves to be out in such cold.

  “Burr,” Fred said and went back downstairs into his tiny suite, sitting in his worn chair. The game show was almost over, and Fred wondered if there would be Christmas themed game shows on that day. An old “Let’s Make A Deal” with some of the audience dressed up as elves, reindeer, snowmen, Jack Frost, and Santa came on. This’ll do, he thought.

  Scratch, scratch, scratch. Fred heard it again. Not waiting for a commercial, he went upstairs and opened the door. The cold assaulted him so he barely noticed a small feline race inside and down the stairs into Fred’s home. He closed the door and stepped back downstairs. He searched for the cat as he entered his kitchen then into the living room where he found the cat sitting beside the radiator, the warmest spot in his home.

  The cat was a tortoiseshell with tabby markings. A tortietabby, Fred thought. Small paws and a shorter tail stood out to Fred. He wondered if she - he thought she was a girl, aren’t all torties girls – had a place to live in this colder than normal winter. She meowed and Fred could hear a slight purr.

  “Alright, get warm,” he said and returned to his chair. He switched the channel to the Weather Channel and waited for the local forecast. Cold, dipping down to minus thirty degrees over night. Fred hated the cold and wished he could afford to live his senior years in Florida. But he was stuck here in the frigid north. He looked over at his new friend. She appeared gaunt, probably hadn’t eaten in days. Fred got up and said, “Let’s see if I have something for you to eat here. Maybe a can of tuna?” Her eyes were wide as she watched him go into the kitchen and search the cupboards.

  “Nope, nothing,” he said, and she meowed.

  Fred pulled out his wallet and found thirty dollars he was saving to buy his grandsons Christmas gifts just in case he was invited over for Christmas dinner at his son’s and daughter-in-law’s place. But, they had not called. Again. And Fred was not going to call them.

  With it being so cold, Fred didn’t want to go out, but this cat needed a place to stay with food and a litter box. The grocery store was a ten-minute walk away, and it had what he needed for his new friend. So Fred got dressed best he could for the weather, took his wallet and ventured out into the cold.

  Fred took care on the slippery sidewalks, as some lazy people hadn’t cleaned off their walks. He walked – his foot slipping at little with each step – to the end of the block and turned left down busy Maple Avenue.

  A young man approached him. When he got nearer, Fred nodded to him, and the young man said, “Merry Christmas.” As the young man came breast-to-breast with Fred, Fred slipped on a patch ice. Falling down, Fred grabbed at the young man’s hips. And down came the pants! This broke Fred’s fall for he slid down to the icy sidewalk instead of landing hard and breaking a bone, or worse.

  “Woah!” the young man said and immediately pulled up his pants.

  “Sorry, sorry,” Fred said.

  The young man laughed and helped Fred to his feet. “Are you okay?” he asked Fred.

  “Yes, I think so. Thank you.”

  “Well, have a wonderful holiday,” the young man said and was on his way. Fred smiled. He liked that young man. The sun was shining this cold day.

  Fred made it to the grocery store without falling again. He found the pet section and picked out a small bag of dry cat food, a litter box, and litter to go in it. He went to the cashier and paid $19.37 for everything. He put the cat food and litter into the litter box to carry it home. It was heavy, but he wasn’t that old or out of shape that he couldn’t carry it home. That was until he got outside. He knew he wouldn’t get home carrying the heavy load.

  He needed a ride. He thought of calling Sam, his son, however he doubted Sam would help. After all, it had been almost three years since they had spoke. His wife saw to that.

  Fred hailed a taxi that had come into the parking lot. Grey-haired lady got out, and Fred got in. He knew it wouldn’t cost too much for a two-minute ride home. He gave the cabbie his address and apologized for it being such a short ride.

  “Don’t worry about it,” the taxi driver said. “We do short and long trips.”

  Soon, Fred was at his door. He paid the $5.25 fare and thanked him.

  Going inside, He stomped the snow off his boots, hoping the noise wouldn’t upset - who? - the cat needed a name. He found the small feline lying on his chair, curled up. Just looking down at that cat, he felt warm and secure. Fred had found a new friend, a new family member.

  Fred too
k off his coat and boots and called, “Here, kitty.” But she stayed on the chair until he poured out the cat food. The cat lifted her head with a snap and leapt to her feet. Instantly, she was at the bowl of cat food.

  “What a hungry kitty,” he said. “We need a name for you.” Fred watched her eat. She purred as she ate, and he wondered how she did that. He smiled and thought of a name.

  “Tahlia,” he said. Somehow she reminded him of his wife before cancer took her spark for living and eventually her life. So he named her after his love.

  Fred reached down, bending his stiff knees and let his fingers caress her mottled fur. The leather of her nose had different colors, black and orange with a speck of brown. Fred felt an affection for this cat that he hadn’t felt since the last time he saw his grandsons. He missed it.

  His knees hurt as he stood up to let Tahlia finish her meal. Fred left the kitchen returning to his chair and switching the channel on the t.v. “The Price Is Right” was almost on. But his thoughts drifted away from the television.

  How are my grandsons doing? How they must have grown. I hope they call, but they won’t.

  During the first commercial break, Tahlia came and sat on the floor between Fred and the television and washed her face by licking her right paw and rubbing her face. So cute, Fred thought.

  “Did you have a good lunch?” Fred asked her while she kept grooming herself. Soon Bob Barker was back on with another pricing game - the one with the yodeling mountain climber. Tahlia stopped grooming, stared at Fred, and soon jumped onto his lap. This made Fred start as he wasn’t expecting it. He smiled and stroked her. She placed her front paws on his chest and pushed her face into his and purred. Fred laughed.

  Soon, Tahlia was up on the back of the chair, and Fred could feel her sniffing his partially bald head. He only had hair around the sides of his head in typical horseshoe fashion with none on top. The hair he had was white and buzzed short. He liked it that way.

  She started licking his hair, surprising him. Fred and his wife had had a Siamese she called Bubba that talked a lot but never licked his head. Even the cat his sister owned – a silver tabby – when they were kids never groomed him. Fred figured she needed to bathe him, and he liked it. It was affection for a lonely old man. Her rough tongue felt like a massage, but soon the licking started to hurt as Tahlia concentrated on one spot. He winced as she groomed. It was slightly painful, but he didn’t want her to stop. So he moved his head to the left, and she focused on a new spot.

  The Showcase Showdown was beginning when Fred realized no Christmas decorations were up. There hadn’t been any hung since the last Christmas he had with his son three years before. But now he had company, a new addition to the household. Tahlia stopped licking him and jumped down. Fred got up and went to his storage room, pulling out his box of Christmas decorations.

  He unpacked red and green and blue ornamental balls that go on the tree, tinsel, and garland. Then he remembered tinsel can seriously damage a cat’s insides if eaten, so he packed away the tinsel and pulled out a small artificial tree. He stretched the collapsed tree from the top and bottom, and the branches popped out. A silver Christmas tree appeared. Next came the beautiful blue lights he loved.

  Fred decorated the tree and soon found Tahlia playing with one of the red balls hanging from a low branch. He stood back from the tree, taking a good look. Something was missing. Presents. He gathered the gifts he bought his son and grandsons the last two Christmases that were never delivered. Already wrapped, the gifts were placed under the tree. A fine looking tree, he thought. All that’s missing is family.

  Fred sighed and remembered three Christmases ago to what he was now realizing was his mistake.

  Sam and his wife, Jessie, had invited him over for Christmas dinner and gift exchange, and Fred was to spend the day. It started with the gift opening at 8am as soon as Fred arrived. They had waited for him. The youngest, Roger, was chosen to open his presents first. He was eight years old.

  “Awh, why can’t I go first? He always goes first,” Joe – who was two years older – said.

  “The youngest goes first,” his mother said.

  “Not fair,” Joe said and crossed his arms.

  Roger opened his gifts and soon after Joe followed. They each got toys, clothes, and a DVD movie. Then the adults were up. From the youngest – Jessie – to the oldest – Fred. Fred opened a blue housecoat from the boys and a big screen t.v. from his son and daughter-in-law. Then the boys started to argue.

  Joe wanted to watch his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles DVD first with Roger wanting his first.

  “I want Sponge Bob,” Roger protested, raising his voice.

  Soon Fred’s grandsons were screaming at each other, which got a response from their mother, who sent them to their rooms.

  “If you can’t get along on Christmas day, you can stay in your rooms,” Jessie said.

  The boys stomped upstairs to their rooms and slammed the doors. This angered Jessie, and she went upstairs, yelled at each of them, and confined them until dinner. Jessie returned to the living room.

  “You shouldn’t have grounded them to their rooms on Christmas day. It’s Christmas, Jessie,” Fred said. He had come over to see his family, including his grandsons.

  “Fred, I’ve had enough of their fighting. If they can’t behave peacefully, they can rot.” Jessie’s voice snapped.

  “Rot?” Fred said. “You’re a poor mother.”

  Jessie opened her mouth to speak but shut it without saying a word. She glared at Sam and pointed to the kitchen. Sam and Jessie stepped into kitchen, and Fred heard loud voices, mostly Jessie’s. A few minutes later, Sam emerged and told Fred he would drive him home. Fred was angered and disappointed but got his coat and boots on, and they left with his gifts.

  On the way back to Fred’s basement suite, Sam said, “You shouldn’t have called her ‘a poor mother’.” And that’s was the only thing said on the drive there. Sam helped Fred bring in his gifts and said, “Goodbye.” They had not spoken since. Three years minus a day.

  Fred thought about calling his son. “The Price Is Right” was over, and Tahlia jumped on him again, looking to get petted and share a purr. Fred petted her. He needed to call his daughter-in-law first. He picked up the phone and dialed. She answered.

  “Jessie, it’s Fred.”

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Jessie, I want to apologized. I’m sorry for calling you ‘a poor mother’. You were right. Whether it was Christmas or not, the boys shouldn’t be fighting like that. I’m sorry.”

  A silent pause.

  “Okay, hold on a minute,” she said.

  A minute later, Sam spoke into the phone. “Dad, would you like to come over for Christmas dinner tomorrow? We’d love to have you.”

  “I sure will,” Fred said through a smile. “And I’ve got a new addition to the family I have to tell you about. See you tomorrow.”

  “I’ll pick you up in the morning at eight so we can open gifts together again.”

  “See you then,” Fred said and hung up. “Yes, yes, yes!” He picked up Tahlia and kissed her face. She meowed. Fred hoped the gifts he bought for the previous Christmases were good enough, because he was broke. But he would make the best of it.

  “This is going to be quite a good Christmas, Tahlia.” And he hugged his new cat.

  The Christmas Cat 2

  Chapter One

  - 1 -

  “What do you say we get Chelsey a cat for Christmas?” Ken asked his wife.

  “Christmas is less than a week away.”

  “That’s perfect. We can go to the SPCA, and she can pick one out. I miss having a cat.”

  “After Red died, you said you didn’t want another cat only to watch him die. It just hurt too much,” Darla said and put the carrots Ken sliced into the pot.

  “I still miss Red. He was such a beautiful orange one.” Ken thought for a moment. “I think it’s time for a new cat. It’s been three years.”


  “Is this cat for Chelsey or you?” Darla laughed.

  “Well, Chelsey. Obviously. But I can still love him.” Ken stirred the soup.

  “She’ll love having her own cat…Okay, we’ll go tomorrow afternoon. But I want to surprise her if we can,” Darla said.

  “I know how we can have her pick out a cat and surprise her Christmas Eve. It’ll have to be Christmas Eve. It’s hard to hide a new cat that’ll probably meow all night in a new home. What do you think?”

  Darla nodded and called her daughter.

  Chelsey ran from her bedroom, down the stairs, and into the kitchen. “What? Is supper ready?” Her red hair dangled over ears and shoulders, and Darla loved her daughter’s freckled face.

  “Do you want to go to the SPCA Monday and get a new cat?” Darla asked her nine year old.

  “Really?” Chelsey’s eyes grew wide and sparkled. She clapped her hands together. “Really? For sure?”

  “Well, we’ll see what they have,” Darla said.