Jack

by J. Paul Cooper

  The cat looked up at his friend. "Meow: That sounds good to me!”

  Later, just before he went into the living room, the Colonel let Sergeant go outside. Sergeant walked out to the edge of the deck, just in time to see Tiger arrive at the bottom of of the steps. Sergeant had been waiting anxiously for some information about Jack’s situation. "What do you have to report Tiger?"

  "John washed the warning right off the wall. He didn't even read it Sir," answered

  Tiger.

  "That doesn't sound good to me," replied Sergeant, "I'm heading over to Yorkshire Street to check the situation out for myself. Go and tell the other cats to meet me at Jack’s house as soon as possible."

  Chelsea was waiting with Rocky on the hood of a car parked near Jack’s house when Sergeant arrived. They both sat at attention when they saw the senior cat.

  "As you were," Sergeant meowed.

  Rocky pointed his nose at a pick-up truck in the driveway next-door. "That's John’s pick-up. He arrived home about a half-hour ago. He took out a bag of garbage before he went inside. As you can see, he washed the official warning off the wall."

  It was just as Tiger had said earlier, it was completely gone.

  Sergeant swished his tail. "He ignored our warning.”

  A few moments later Tiger arrived from his trip around the neighbourhood. He hopped onto the hood and sat at attention. Sergeant looked over his left shoulder. "At ease Tiger. Where are the other cats?"

  "Bethany can't make it today Sergeant, the Professor is taking her to the university.”

  "Mr. Stubbs," continued Tiger, "will be here shortly."

  Sergeant sat up straight, a slight breeze blowing through his whiskers; he had arrived at a decision. He winked at Tiger and Rocky. "Are you young tomcats ready for some action?"

  "Yes Sir!" the cats replied together.

  "Tiger, your target is John's section of the garden. Make sure that you don't touch any of Jennifer's plants. Rocky, your target is the garbage bag on the street. You know what to do."

  The two cats leapt from the hood of the car. Tiger ran to the back of the house, while Rocky ran to the curb by the street.

  Tiger’s sharp claws came into view as he waited by the plants in John's section of the garden. This was going to be fun....

  Meanwhile, Rocky was crouched near the garbage bag that John had left outside for collection. They waited for the final order.

  Sergeant and Chelsea had climbed into a tree near Jack’s house, watching for cars and people. They waited patiently until a jogger had passed the house. "All clear from my side," Chelsea announced.

  "All clear from my side as well," replied Sergeant. Looking out from his position in the tree, Sergeant could see Tiger and Rocky crouched near their targets. "MEOW!"

  Rocky pounced on the bag of garbage, his sharp claws slashing into the plastic. In a couple of seconds, the sides of the bag split open, and all the contents spilled onto the sidewalk. His duty completed, Rocky ran behind a bush.

  Tiger leapt into John's section of the garden, and immediately began to rip the plants apart with his claws. It didn’t take long. John's section of the garden was a disaster. Jennifer's section of the garden was untouched. Satisfied with the work of his claws, he

  joined Rocky behind the bush.

  Sergeant and Chelsea climbed down from their lookout positions, and joined Rocky and Tiger. Sergeant was pleased with their performance. "Good job cats. Rocky and Tiger, you can go home. Chelsea and I will keep watch for today."

  "Do you think he'll get the message this time?" Rocky asked Sergeant.

  "I don't know," replied the big cat, "but sooner or later we'll make him listen."

  As Tiger and Rocky walked back towards their homes, Sergeant turned to Chelsea. "We might as well get comfortable."

  ***

  John’s alarm clock went off at 1:00 pm . John forced himself out of bed, it was time to take Jack to the Vet. He had never heard of a cat having his teeth cleaned, but Jennifer assured him it was normal. Now all he had to do was get Jack in the pet carrier.

  Jack headed for the basement as soon as he heard John walking down the stairs. Hiding behind the hot water tank again, Jack heard something rattling upstairs. He

  wasn't sure what it was.

  John had taken the pet carrier out of the storage closet, and placed it in the middle of the kitchen floor. Opening a can of sardines, he put them on a dish in the pet carrier. Then he tied a string to the door of the pet carrier and moved out of sight.

  Jack could smell the sardines all the way from his hiding place. He was confused. Why would John open a can of sardines? Was he eating his sardines? The cat

  tried to ignore the smell of the sardines, but he couldn’t resist. After moving from behind

  the water heater, he climbed up the stairs.

  The pet carrier sat in the middle of the kitchen. Jack watched for John, but he couldn't see him. The sardines were in the box. All he had to do was jump inside the box, take the sardines in his mouth, and then escape to the basement. There was no way John was going to catch him, no stupid dog person was fast enough to catch a cat.

  Jack raced to the box and hopped inside.

  John pulled on the string, closing the pet carrier’s door. Jack felt foolish. If Tiger found out what happened, he’d never let him forget the day a dog person outsmarted him.

  John leaned over and looked into the pet carrier. "How's my favorite kitty-cat?"

  Jack hissed, "Don't call me your 'favorite kitty-cat'.

  The cat could feel the pet carrier being lifted off the floor and carried out of the kitchen. Jack was scared. Maybe this was it, his last meow. As John carried Jack outside, he stopped and looked at his section of the garden.

  It was shredded like someone had driven a lawn mower through it. He held up the pet carrier and looked in at the frightened cat. "Did you do that to my garden?"

  Jack ignored him.

  John had almost made it to his pick-up truck, when two cats confronted him, both hissing and showing their claws. Sergeant and Chelsea had rushed over as soon as they heard the kitchen door open.

  “Put down the box and step away from the cat!" a very angry Sergeant hissed.

  John put the box on the ground and took the garden hose off of the side of the

  house.

  "Meow: I wouldn't do that if I were you," warned Chelsea.

  Sergeant hated getting his fur wet. A moment later, Chelsea and Sergeant were driven off by a burst of water from the garden hose.

  John picked up the pet carrier and walked to his pick-up, but stopped when he saw the shredded garbage bag.

  John used words that Jack had never heard before. He wasn’t sure what it meant, but John was obviously very angry. John shoved the pet carrier into the pick-up and started the engine.

  Chelsea and Sergeant watched John's pick-up truck as it drove away. Sergeant turned to Chelsea, who was licking the water off of her fur coat. "I'm afraid that our friend Jack is on his own."

  Chelsea tried to make Sergeant feel better. "We did all that we could Sergeant. Don't blame yourself."

  Sergeant dug his claws into the ground and growled. Chelsea had never seen Sergeant so angry

  ***

  A few minutes later, Jack and John arrived at the Split River Animal Hospital. John carried him from the truck and into a room full of cats, dogs, and birds. One of the cats walked over to his box and looked in.

  "What are you here for?"

  "What do you mean?" Jack wasn't quite sure what the other cat was meowing about. He didn't even know where he was.

  "Well, if you're at the Split River Pet Hospital,” remarked the other cat, "there must be something wrong with you. I have a problem with dry skin; it's very itchy."

  Jack was confused. "I don't know why I'm at a hospital. As far as I know, I'm perfectly healthy."

  The other cat suddenly had a serious look on his face. "That doesn't sound good at all. Maybe you're going to be de-clawe
d."

  Jack couldn't believe what he was hearing. "That's ridiculous! All cats have claws."

  The other cat held up his right paw. "I couldn't rip a hole in a wet paper bag with theses paws. All I can do is bite."

  Suddenly it was all clear to Jack as he meowed to himself, "So that's what he's up to. John knows that he can't deal with my claws, so he's going to get them removed. Not

  likely!”

  A few minutes later, John picked up the pet carrier and carried him through a set of swinging doors. Jack got ready to fight.

  Dr. King was washing his hands after his last furry patient, when John arrived with Jack. He looked at computer screen. "Just put your friend, Jack, on the table."

  The vet leaned over and looked into the pet carrier. Inside, Jack was pushed against the back of the pet carrier, hissing, with claws showing. Dr. King had seen

  enough cats in his days to recognize he had a problem. "I think I better put a pair of gloves on for this one. Your cat isn't in a good mood."

  John thought that putting gloves on wasn't necessary. "I'll get him out of the pet carrier. I think he's getting used to me now."

  Dr. King wasn't convinced. "Are you sure?"

  At that moment a young woman entered the office.

  “This is my assistant Clara,” Dr. King explained, “she’s experienced dealing with angry felines.”

  John smiled confidently. "Like I said Doc, no problem."

  Clara shrugged. “I’ll get some bandages.”

  “Why does Jack need bandages?” John asked.

  “The bandages are for you,” replied Dr. King.

  Jack was waiting. He tensed as pet carrier door swung open and a hand reached in to grab him. He immediately recognized the scent. It was John. "Meow: You want my claws? Here they are!"

  John pulled his hand out. He used the same words, he’d used when he saw the ripped garbage bag. He turned to Clara. "Can I have one of those bandages, maybe two or three?”

  "If an animal is scared,” Dr. King said, “look out! Take it from someone who has been dealing with pets for over thirty years. I’ve been scratched by cats, bitten by dogs, and pecked by birds."

  Jack was prepared for another round when a gloved hand entered the box. He didn’t recognize the scent, but started hissing and scratching anyways. This time his claws didn't stop the hand from pulling him out of the pet carrier.

  "Meow: Put me down! I know my rights! I'll sue! I demand to see my lawyer Mr. Stubbs!"

  Clara wasn’t paying attention to Jack’s protests, and her grip was too strong to escape from. Soon, Jack found himself wrapped in a blanket, unable to move. He watched in horror as the man John had called Dr. King approached him with a mask. He was going to put it on Jack’s face!

  Moments later, Jack was fast asleep.

  John had to leave, because he was working a night shift. He told Dr. King that Jennifer would come for Jack after she got off work at the university.

  ***

  Jack was very groggy when he awoke to the movement of the pet carrier. He was being carried to the parking lot in front of the animal hospital. Jack immediately checked his paws and was relieved to see that he still had his claws. He could smell the sweetest

  scent in the world; Jennifer! Jennifer had saved him. She must have found out what John was trying to do, and stopped him.

  After they were both in the car, Jennifer opened up the door of the pet carrier. Jack hopped out of the box and rubbed against her blouse, purring loudly. "Meow: I'm so glad that you're here. They drugged me and tried to remove my claws!”

  Jennifer lifted up the whiskers on one side of Fluffy's face and inspected his teeth.

  "It looks like the vet did an excellent job cleaning your teeth. You should be in a toothpaste commercial. "

  "Meow: Is that what John told you? You don't actually believe that, do you?"

  As they drove back to Yorkshire Street, Jack sat in the pet carrier, meowing to himself. "He tries to drown me, she thinks it's an accident. He tries to have my claws removed, and she thinks he wanted to get my teeth cleaned. He has her brainwashed, she'll believe anything that guy says!"

  When they got out of the car at Yorkshire Street, Jack could see Sergeant and Chelsea waiting for him by the fence. He looked up at Jennifer and meowed. She could sense that he wanted to stay outside. She wasn't worried, because she knew that he wouldn't wander far from home.

  Jack waited until Jennifer was inside the house, then walked over to the two cats.

  Sergeant seemed uncomfortable, not quite as self-confident as usual. "Sorry about letting you down earlier today. We tried to stop John, but he sprayed us with the hose. That won't happen again."

  Chelsea walked over and put her tail around Fluffy's shoulders. "Are you all right? We don't know where he took you this afternoon."

  Jack started to tell his tale of adventure. "John took me to the Animal Hospital and tried to have my claws removed."

  Sergeant was outraged. "He did what?"

  Jack held up his paws and showed that he still had his claws. "Jennifer arrived just in time. John made up some lie, that I was getting my teeth cleaned, and Jennifer believed him!”

  Chelsea turned to Sergeant. "What are we going to do?"

  Sergeant sat up straight and pushed his shoulders back. The big cat spoke with complete confidence. "Tomorrow we will teach John a lesson. I want all available cats here tomorrow morning at 8:00 o'clock sharp."

  "Yes Sir," Chelsea called as she ran off to tell the other cats.

  Jack thought about the situation for a moment. "How will you get John outside?

  By that time he'll be home from the night shift and sleeping upstairs. He snores so loud, he won’t hear anything!”

  Sergeant grinned. “Have you ever looked down at John’s pick-up, from the tree in front of your house?”

  “No,” Jack admitted, “I’ve never climbed up a tree.”

  “Well,” Sergeant continued, “if you did climb that tree, you’d see a little blue light blinking inside John’s pick-up.”

  “What does that mean?” Jack asked.

  “John’s pick-up has a car alarm,” Sergeant answered, “and they are very loud.”

  Just then, Jennifer called out "Jack!”

  Sergeant nodded to Jack. "You go home before she gets worried.”

  Sergeant waited until Jack was inside, then he started walking back towards his own home. The Colonel would be waiting for him.

  ***

  The Colonel was in a chair on the deck, when Sergeant came up the stairs. He went right over to The Colonel and hopped into his lap. The Colonel, as always, was glad to see his friend. "I see that you didn't forget about the sardines."

  "Meow: A cat never forgets about sardines!"

  The Colonel scratched Sergeant behind the ears as he purred. "Let's go open that can.”

  Getting up from his chair, the Colonel went inside, Sergeant following at his heels. The old army officer smiled as he opened the can. “Happy birthday Sasha!”

  “Meow: Happy Birthday Sasha!”

  “I’ll get a muffin,” the Colonel continued, “I’ll let you have all the sardines.”

  “Meow: Very generous of you Sir, very generous.”

  ***

  The cats met near Jack’s house at 8:00 o'clock the next morning, a few minutes after John arrived home from a night shift. Jack was watching the cats through the

  kitchen window. Every few minutes one of the cats would swish a tail at him, to to let him know he hadn't been forgotten.

  The cats sat in a circle around Sergeant as he explained his plan. "John wants to get some sleep, but he isn't going to get any. Jack is going to signal us as soon as John is snoring."

  Sergeant turned to Chelsea. "You're first. Just hop on top of the hood of John's truck. Don't get off of the hood until he sees you. We'll be watching in case you need help."

  Chelsea sat at attention. "Yes Sir!"

  The cats scattered to various hiding pl
aces. Mr. Stubbs went behind a nearby bush where he had a clear view of the kitchen window. Jack was the inside cat; he would use his tail to send messages to Mr. Stubbs. Tiger hid in Jennifer's section of the garden. Sergeant was in a nearby tree with a good view of the action. Rocky was crouched near the fence. Bethany was on the trunk of a nearby car, but she could see all the action through the windows.

  Jack was in the kitchen, waiting for John to start snoring. As soon as he heard the first snore, he hopped onto the kitchen windowsill and swished his tail. Mr. Stubbs

  passed the message on to Sergeant.

  Sergeant gave the order to begin. "Meow!"

  In one powerful leap, Chelsea landed on the hood of John's pick-up. Immediately, a piercing alarm sounded as the motion detector in John's truck was triggered.

  John awoke to the sound of the car alarm. Trying to clear his head, he pulled on

  his housecoat and staggered downstairs to see what the problem was. Jack waved his tail to signal John was coming down the stairs and ran down to the basement. There was no point in confronting John while the Cat Patrol was in action.

  John wasn't expecting burglars this time of the day. Something else must have set

  off the alarm. Opening up the backdoor, he stepped off the wooden deck onto the gravel driveway with his bare feet. That woke him up.

  He couldn't believe it. Sitting on top of the hood of his pick-up truck was a grey and white cat. John reached out to shove the cat off of the hood, but he stopped as the cat stood up and hissed at him.

  "Meow: You're not that tough pal." Walking painfully over the rough gravel, he picked up the water hose and turned on the tap. Before he could spray Chelsea, she leapt from the hood of his pick-up and raced across the front lawn.

  John re-set the alarm and went back inside the house. Perhaps now he could get some sleep.

  Sergeant climbed down the side of the tree and walked over to Rocky. "It's your turn. Are you ready?"

  Rocky sat at attention. "Yes Sir!"

  Sergeant enjoyed watching Chelsea, Tiger and Rocky. He remembered how much energy he had when he was a younger cat. Sergeant climbed back up to his command post in the tree, and waited.

  Inside, Jack waited until he heard John snoring, and swished his tail. Mr. Stubbs signaled to Sergeant in the tree. Sergeant looked at Rocky and gave the order. "Meow!"