Response to "Cats" by Rhamah

Rhamah’s story Cats does a wonderful job of straying as far from genre-fiction as a story can. The story describes a normal day at the Animal-Clinic in the cat room. The protagonist is neither defined as a boy or girl but the protagonist works in the “Kitty City” with one other worker that we know of named the “Cat Lady.” You get the feeling the name is meant to be condescending and that the protagonist does not enjoy Cat-Lady’s company nor the job at which they work. We see this from the descriptions the protagonist focuses on; the stench of the litter box and the “cicada” like balls of fur that always carpet the floor. A family comes in wanting a cat but the protagonist knows they don’t want the hassle, just the image of having a cat. After they leave, a boy comes in to buy what we assume is his old cat, which swats at him leading him to decide that he wants a new kitten. I believe this is the pinnacle of the story and teaches a lesson of some sort, but I can’t figure out what the lesson is and it frustrates me. I’m not sure if it is “let go of the past and move on to the future?” If that’s the case then what does the fact that the boy, by not choosing his cat from the past, basically condemns it to a death sentence mean? I want to know what the purpose of the story is, it seemed a bit unclear to me. I also want more character definition of the narrative voice. I care nothing about the character as a person because all I know about him/her is that s/he is sarcastic, can read most people (even if it can seem a bit condescending) and hates his/her job. I want to know more. Why do they have that job? What is their personal opinion on the cat as a creature? All in all I think you have created an awesome setting and story with a lot of potential, I can’t wait to see what you will turn it into!