Shirley Murphy: Cat Striking Back

As for herself, Kit knew that somewhere in the world there was a tomcat filled with her own kind of dreams. That was the mate she wanted, a cat who was all fire and muscle and challenge, who had soaring dreams and the steady spirit to follow them. A tomcat with fire in his eyes, but with a steady gentleness and a joyful laugh. One day there would be such a cat. She could almost see him, maybe a great golden or red tabby cat with curving stripes, with eyes the color of moonlight and claws as sharp as sabers.

Kit thought about Joe and Dulcie, so happy in their love and in the work they had chosen. She thought about Christmas, soon to come, with all its ceremonies and pleasures. She thought about how wonderful and exciting the world was, and suddenly she was so filled with joy that she raced down the hill straight for Lucinda and Pedric, leaped on the wall beside them and raced along it and down again, running in circles, jumping over bushes and over nothing at all, racing like a wild thing-knowing, down deep in her own cat soul, that somewhere out in the world, that tomcat was waiting, and he was looking for her.

SHIRLEY ROUSSEAU MURPHYhas received seven national Cat Writers’ Association Awards for best novel of the year, two Cat Writers’ President’s Awards, the “World’s Best Cat Litter-ary Award” in 2006 for the Joe Grey Books, and five Council of Authors and Journalists Awards for previous books. She and her husband live in Carmel, California, where they serve as full-time household help for two demanding feline ladies.

www.joegrey.com

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