PHOTO PROMPT © Sarah Ann Hall
“Scary cats, Dad. Funny watching the RSPCA man catching them all.”
They picked their way through the gloom, gagging at the stench of overflowing litter trays.
“Why did Auntie have so many cats?”
“They were drawn here, son. She wouldn’t turn them away. If she had, she could have afforded electricity. Light and warmth in the place.”
Some objects on a shelf shone bright through the dilapidation.
“What are they?”
“Urns. To keep loved ones’ ashes.”
“Auntie had so many friends.”
“But she didn’t.”
Andrew read the name on one, ‘Smudge,’ sighing he glanced over the others, ‘Marmaduke, Sox, Empress…’
Written for Friday Fictioneers – a 100 words story based on a photo prompt. Hosted by Rochelle. Read the other entries here.
Michael Wynn 
Gives me the shudders. Not a cat person. Well-drawn picture.
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Thank-you. When I was growing up there was a lady whose house and garden was full of the most spiteful cats. She had no electricity and would sit by her window at night reading by the light of the street lamp outside. When she died and people went into her house the floorboards were rotten and the rest as described in my 100 words, although another few hundred could have been used.
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Gahh. Must have been a horrible stench.
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It was
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Quite sad, though I guess Auntie was happy enough with her cats.
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I knew a lady like this when I was young. The cats were basically feral and ruled the house. She had no electricity and read t night by the light of the street lamp outside. She said she didn’t want the cats but they were attracted to her place and she couldn’t turn them away.
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So long as she was happy. I can see why she didn’t have many friends though…
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This was based on a real life person I knew when i was growing up. Sad and eccentric
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Auntie definitely loved her cats. And you have to keep their ashes somewhere. 🙂
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Thanks Sarah Ann. It’s based on a real life lady who lived in the street next to ours when I was growing up. She said she didn’t want all the cats but they came and she couldn’t turn them away. They were nasty, hissing brutes. She had no electricity and would read at night by the light of the street lamp outside. Very eccentric
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I hope that each of the Urn has a cat flap fitted, 😉
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Indeed, very funny Michael
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But I think she did have so many friends! All the kitties. Perhaps she should have stopped after a few but…. As a cat person, I found this a charming story.
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Unfortunately this was based on a real life, eccentric woman who lived round our way when I was young. She claimed she didn’t want so many cats but they came to her place and she couldn’t turn them away. They were basically feral and vicious. The house and garden were full of them. She had no power so read at night by the light of the street light outside and her floorboards were rotten and the rest quite like I’ve described it, although I could have done with a few more words to do it justice.
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I like cats, but not in such numbers that the place stinks. I suppose if most of them were ashes it wouldn’t be so bad!
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There was a lady lived close to us just like this when I was young. She was very eccentric. I like cats but hers were basically feral and vicious.
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Dear Micheal,
I like cats but not to that degree. She did have a lot of four footed friends and sometimes those are preferable to the two legged kind. 😉 Nicely done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks Rochelle. This was based on a true life character from my childhood. She said the cats just came to her and she couldn’t turn them away. They were nasty beasts that hissed and spat at us kids if we went anywhere near the place.
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Oh there is a limit to the number of cats you can take, but I guess being lonely it was her choice.
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She said it wasn’t, they just came and she couldn’t turn them away. This is about an old lady who used to live round our way when I was younger
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I do love my pets… however, I am so not keeping their ashes in my home. Nor am I throwing away money to have them cremated. To each his/her own…
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As this was based on a real life character, I don’t know whether she cremated them but I do know she read by the light of the street lamp outside her house, her floorboards were rotten as were her cats
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There are a few of them out there! Did you ever see Grey Gardens with Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange? Now that was a sight to see…
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I liked this story – poignant that her only friends and loved ones were her cats.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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Thank-you. It is based on a real life character who lived locally to us when I was growing up. She claimed she didn’t want so many but they were attracted to the house and she couldn’t turn them away.
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A portrait of obsession, and the destructive effects that can have. Do I catch just the faintest hint that Auntie may have died early as a result of neglecting herself to care for the cats?
That said, I’m a dotty old cat lady with three cats, and sometimes I surprise myself at what I put up with for their sake! Perhaps I should take your story as a cautionary tale…
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This lady was real. I don’t know if she died early but she quite possibly could have, because she had no power and when they went into the house after her death, it was a complete state with rotten floorboards and cats under all of them. Not friendly cats either, feral and vicious cats
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Loved aunties commitment, life over electricity. Rather strange commitment. But we all have choices.
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Sorry for the late reply Dan, just noticed your comment. Thanks for reading.
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