The junkyard cat took a running leap and landed on the hood of the truck. The piercing sound of the alarm system shattered the still morning air. Sergeant nodded approvingly from the tree. No one could possibly sleep through that noise.
John rolled out of bed. He was so tired, he felt like he had been run over by a train. Once again, he slipped on his housecoat.
Jack escaped to the basement as he heard John coming down the stairs
As soon as John stepped out of the house, he saw another cat sitting on the hood of his pick-up. “I don’t believe this is happening to me!”
Rocky thought that was funny. “Meow: Are you a little tired John?”
John once again headed over to the hose as Rocky stood up, hissing and showing
his claws. "Stop picking on my friend Jack, or else!"
John picked up the hose, but the cat disappeared before he could turn the tap on. John tried to ignore the small voice in his head, telling him that it was not a
coincidence. He turned off the pick-up’s alarm system, and walked back to the house, convinced that he’d solved his cat problems. He was wrong.
After seeing how badly one of the garbage bags had been ripped open by a local cat, John bought an aluminum garbage can. It was sitting empty by the back door, next to a ceramic plant holder.
Tiger and Bethany had moved closer to the backyard and were waiting for Sergeant's orders. As soon as John started snoring again, Jack signaled Mr. Stubbs with his tail. Mr. Stubbs passed the signal to Sergeant. Sergeant gave the order. "Meow!"
Bethany was getting older, but she could still make trouble. The older cat ran to the ceramic plant holder, and knocked it over with her front paws. It landed on a rock and shattered. At the same time, Tiger hopped onto the top of the aluminum garbage can, which fell over with a loud crash.
Jack was loving it. Chelsea was right; Sergeant did know what to do!
When John opened the kitchen door, he couldn't believe his eyes. Sitting by the knocked-over garbage can, and the smashed flowerpot were two cats. The orange tabby and the older cat didn't seem to be the least bit afraid of him.
John stepped outside and started walking toward the cats, swinging his arms and
yelling to scare them off. Suddenly, the two cats were not alone. Chelsea, Rocky, Mr. Stubbs and Sergeant had joined them.
John started to walk backwards towards the kitchen door as the cats hissed and showed their claws. The largest cat was the loudest. He definitely meant business. "Meow: You were warned to leave Jack alone, and then you tried to take his claws
away. The Split River Cat Patrol will not stand for any more of your foolishness. This is your last warning. One more slip up, and you’re finished pal."
John ran back inside the house and slammed the kitchen door behind him. He didn't feel like sleeping anymore.
CHAPTER SIX
Jennifer couldn't believe what John was saying. "It must have been a dream."
John was not giving up that easy. "Then how do you explain the broken flower pot?"
Leaning close to John, Jennifer whispered into his ear very quietly, "You broke the pot, and you're just afraid to tell me."
John stood up from the kitchen table. "It's your stupid cat's fault. They're his friends!"
Jennifer shook her head. "Do you really expect me to believe, that a bunch of cats are ganging up on you?"
Jack was happily watching the argument from the windowsill, but what followed was not funny at all. John became very serious. "Do you remember what we agreed on before we were married?"
Jennifer's appearance changed. Tears came to her eyes. "No! I won't give up Jack!"
John didn't let up. "You agreed that if it didn't work out, that the cat would have to go. You promised." John stormed out of the kitchen, slamming the door behind him.
Jack hopped off the windowsill and went over to Jennifer, rubbing his fur against her legs. "Meow: You won't get rid of your best friend, will you?"
Jennifer picked up Jack in her arms and rocked him gently back and forth. "I'm
sorry Jack, but I made a promise to John, and I have to keep it. Relationships are based on trust."
Jack was terrified. "Meow: What about us? I've always trusted you. I’m your best friend!"
Jennifer carried Jack outside, and walked back to the kitchen door. "You go out and play by yourself for a while. I need some time alone to think."
While Jack sat alone on the deck, trying to understand what had just happened,
Chelsea appeared by his side. "We really gave it to John this morning, didn't we?" Chelsea expected Jack to respond with a cheer or something. Instead, the cat meowed mournfully.
"John has convinced Jennifer to give me away!”
As the two cats sat together in silence, Sergeant walked up behind them. "You cats look like you just lost a year's supply of sardines. What's wrong?”
Jack turned to face Sergeant. “It didn’t work. He’s going to win.”
" The big cat moved closer and put his tail around Jack’s shoulders. "I can’t understand how scared you are, because nothing could be worse than being separated from your best friend. The question is, what are you willing to do, to stay with Jennifer?"
"Anything!" Jack meowed.
The big cat pondered the situation for a moment and then asked a question. "Will there be an evening soon when Jennifer won't be home?"
"Jennifer won't be home tonight," replied Jack, "because she's going to visit her friend Sally in Coastal City. She told John that she'd probably stay at Sally's apartment overnight."
Sergeant turned to Chelsea, who had been rubbing her whiskers against Jack’s fur coat. "Chelsea, I need you to deliver an important message to the Cat Patrol. All available cats are to assemble near Jack’s house, as soon as the sun goes down."
Chelsea sat at attention. "Yes Sir!," she said, and ran off to tell the other cats.
Sergeant turned back to Fluffy. "We are going to prove to John, once and for all, that the Split River Cat Patrol isn’t backing down. After tonight, you’ll be sleeping with Jennifer, and he’ll be in the basement.”
***
Later that evening a dark green van parked a short distance from Jack’s home.
Inside sat Harry and Freda. As far as the two thieves were concerned, there was no one home. John had left his pick-up at a local repair shop to get the brakes replaced, so there were no vehicles in the driveway.
Freda looked at the surrounding houses. "It’s still too early, we better come back later."
Harry didn't mind waiting. "How about a couple of burgers?"
Freda smiled as she droved the van to the end of the street. “After tonight, we won’t have to eat burgers. We’ve broken into so many houses and stores in Spit River, we’ll be rich when we sell all the loot. We will be dining on steak and lobster, in fancy restaurants.”
***
The Colonel was asleep upstairs, while Sergeant sat in the leather chair in the living room. The big cat stared at the shelves filled with books that described the lives of great generals, and the battles that they had fought. Soon, the Battle of Yorkshire Street would begin. How would cat history record the great event? There was no way John was going to force Jack out of his own home, not while he was Supreme Commander of the Split River Cat Patrol!
Sergeant walked silently up the stairs and hopped onto the bed next to The Colonel. He couldn't possibly imagine life without his friend. The Cat Patrol could not, and would not let Jack down. Sergeant rubbed his whiskers against the Colonel's face, then slipped out the window near his bed. It was time.
***
Jennifer was on the highway back to Split River after spending a fun evening with her friend Sally. She was planning to stay over in Coastal City, but she decided that it was probably best to go home. After the argument with John earlier in the day, it would be better to make up, rather than just stay angry. She knew John wouldn't actually make her give Jack away; he just said it because he was angry.
As the sun went down, the cats were all ready. One by one they climbed a large tree next to Jack’s home, and hopped onto the roof. The cats moved silently. This was serious. It was all or nothing for Jack.
Jack was waiting for the Cat Patrol. He called out from an open window. "Meow: Over here!"
The cats gathered in a tight circle near the open window. Sergeant sat in the middle. "I don't have to tell you how important this is for our friend Jack. It could be dangerous. We'll begin by shaking John up. If that isn't enough to make John sleep in the basement, then, and only then, will we use our claws."
Sergeant nodded to Bethany. "If there were any other way to stop John from threatening Jack, we wouldn’t be here tonight. Bethany is still correct, violence should always be avoided when possible, but that dog person has gone too far.”
The six cats entered through the window and followed Jack to Jennifer and John's bedroom. They could hear his snoring before they left the roof, but now it was very loud and very irritating.
Bethany moved close to Jack and whispered, "I think Jennifer made you stay in the kitchen to protect your ears."
***
Meanwhile, a dark green van pulled into the driveway at Fluffy's house. Freda and Harry climbed out of the vehicle. Harry went to the kitchen door and started to force it open with a crowbar. Freda stood behind him, watching for the police, or neighbours that might report them. They had broken into several houses in Split River without being caught, and they intended to keep it that way.
***
The cats had gathered around John's bed, waiting for Sergeant's order to pounce, when Sergeant heard the sound of Harry forcing the kitchen door open. “What’s that sound?”
Jack shrugged. "It can't be Jennifer, she has a key."
Sergeant's meow had a serious tone. "We better investigate. Let's go."
Jack wasn't happy with the change in plans. "Couldn't we pounce on John first?"
"No," replied Sergeant, "it sounds like someone is trying to break into your house. John can wait."
The cats scurried down the stairs behind Sergeant.
***
John was almost asleep when he heard an unusual sound downstairs. It had to be those stupid cats again. He knew that he couldn’t force Jennifer give Jack away, that
would break Jennifer's heart, but he had to do something about the cats. He decided to get a bucket from closet where they kept cleaning supplies, and fill it up with cold water.
***
Sergeant watched Harry as he forced open the backdoor. He could see that someone else was holding a flashlight behind him. The big cat turned to Fluffy. "What do
you think they could be after?"
Jack’s eyes opened wide in horror. "Yesterday, Jennifer brought home some sardine cans from the grocery store.”
Sergeant was furious "How low can you get? Trying to steal a cat’s sardines!”
Sergeant looked back at the other cats. "Rocky, Tiger, Mr. Stubbs: you take the one with the flashlight. Bethany, keep a watch out for John. He may wake up. The rest of us will get the guy with the crowbar. “Get your claws out, Cat Patrol!”
***
Freda followed Harry into the kitchen, but bumped into his back, when he stopped suddenly. “What are you doing?” she demanded.
"Do you see what I see?" Harry asked.
Seven pairs of eyes glared at them through the darkness.
Sergeant, lowered into a crouch like a missile about to be launched, then leapt into the air, scratching the hand that held the crowbar. Harry yelled in pain and dropped it on his foot. Hopping on one leg, he was an easy target. Chelsea reached up with her right claw and ripped a pocket off the back of his pants. Meanwhile, Jack pounced on his back
from a counter top, making him lose his balance. He fell, landing hard on the kitchen floor.
Sergeant glanced at Jack. "You'll have to show me that move!"
Freda, was no better off. Rocky and Tiger had pounced on her, digging their claws into her clothes. The more she tried to shake them off, the harder they dug their claws in. At the same time, Mr. Stubbs had leapt from the kitchen table, digging his claws into her wig.
Bethany was waiting patiently by the stairs, watching for John.
***
While the cats were battling the thieves in the kitchen, Jennifer arrived home from Coastal City. She was surprised to see a dark green van in the driveway. Perhaps
the guys at the service station had loaned it to John, while they replaced the brakes on his pick-up. She parked her car behind the van and walked towards the kitchen door.
***
Bethany heard movement, and turned to see John walking down the stairs with a bucket in his hands. Was he going to try and drown Fluffy? Bethany ran into the kitchen to warn the other cats, but they were too busy with Harry and Freda to notice her loud meows.
John looked in the the kitchen and saw an unbelievable sight; the cats that had been making his life miserable, were attacking two burglars! One of the thieves was climbing to his feet after being attacked by Sergeant, Jack, and Chelsea.
Jack froze at the sight of John holding a bucket of water, but instead of soaking
him, John dropped the bucket and focused his attention on Harry. The thief took a swing at John, but John ducked and hit him hard. Harry lost his balance and crashed on the floor.
Harry tried to stand up again, but Sergeant, had other plans. The big cat jumped onto the kitchen counter, and used his front paws to push a large metal pot over the edge. The last thing that Harry saw, before the pot landed on his head, was a large cat looking down at him.
Chelsea turned to Jack. "Why isn't John attacking you? I thought that he wanted to get rid of you."
Jack wasn't sure how to explain it. "I guess he's waiting for a better opportunity."
Freda saw Harry go down hard, and had no intention of being next. Shaking off the cats, she ran out the kitchen door.
Mr. Stubbs went flying across the kitchen, landing on a counter top. He had her wig in his claws.
***
Running into the driveway, Freda saw Jennifer getting out of her car. She grabbed Jennifer, and wrapped her arm around Jennifer's neck. A hostage. This was her only
chance. Freda started dragging Jennifer towards the green van.
Jack heard Jennifer's muffled scream. The cat ran out the kitchen door, but stopped when he saw Jennifer being held by Freda.
Freda thought that she was in control. "Make one false move, and I'll break your pretty little neck."
Jennifer knew the longer she waited, the more likely it was the woman would carry out her threat. Jennifer decided not to wait and find out.
The shoes Jennifer was wearing may have looked harmless, but they had hard soles. It was time to use everything she’d learned in the self-defence course taught at the university. Jennifer drove the heel of her shoe down the front of Freda's shin, and elbowed her in the stomach.
Freda gasped for air as she stepped back, letting Jennifer go. Now she was getting desperate. Everything had gone wrong. They were going to leave empty handed, and she was sure someone had called the police by now.
***
Across town, the Split River Police Department received a call from one of the
neighbours on Yorkshire Street. Sergeant Johnson slammed down the phone. "It's John's house! I'm taking a cruiser." Seconds later a police cruiser raced from the parking lot with sirens screaming.
***
Freda tried to grab Jennifer again, but Jennifer moved to the side. Loosing her balance, Freda tumbled to the ground.
Jack saw Freda grab a rock.
“Meow!” Not my friend!” The furious cat pounced, sinking his claws and teeth into Freda's arm. Freda let out a scream and dropped the rock.
Freda managed to shake Jack off her arm, but Jennifer was ready. By the time
John came running out of the house, Jennifer had Freda pinned to the ground.
Sergeant Jo
hnson's cruiser screeched to a halt. As he leapt from the vehicle, he saw John pointing towards the back of the house. "There's one in the kitchen too."
Sergeant Johnson threw John a set of handcuffs. "You know how to use these."
John ran back towards the kitchen. "My pleasure boss."
Sergeant Johnson immediately recognized the woman Jennifer was holding down. Freda had been in trouble with the law before. After he put her in the police cruiser, he went back to the kitchen to find out who the other crook was. Walking through the backdoor, he stopped and stared in disbelief. Harry, an escaped convict, was lying handcuffed on the kitchen floor. The criminal was covered in scratches, surrounded by cats, hissing and swishing their tails back and fourth.
Harry just kept repeating the same thing over and over again. "Nice kitty-cats, nice kitty-cats, nice kitty-cats...."
The cats followed Sergeant Johnson outside as he led Harry to the cruiser. Jack was sitting on the lawn. Nearby, John was holding Jennifer in his arms.
Jack turned to see the other cats walking onto the lawn behind Sergeant Johnson. John's not expecting anything else to happen. “We can get him now!"
And then it happened....John put his arms around Jennifer. "I love you so much.
And I know how much Jack means to you."
Jennifer raised an eyebrow. “So, you weren’t really serious about getting rid of Jack.”
The cats moved closer, they were very interested in what John had to say.
John smiled. "Of course not, I was just angry and frustrated. I would never try and separate you from Jack, he’s your friend."
Sergeant turned to Mr. Stubbs. "What do you think?"
Mr. Stubbs considered the situation carefully. "Well....John defended his territory, he obviously loves Jennifer, a cat person, and patrolling Split River in a police cruiser is a lot like prowling.”
“Are you saying that John behaves like a cat?” Sergeant asked.
“He may not have much fur,” Mr. Stubbs replied, “but he has definitely been doing things that cats do.”
Sergeant shook his head in disbelief. “Does that mean, that John could qualify as a member?”
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