Children’s Book
Date Published: 08-10-2025
Publisher: Magnetic Lion
Productions
An adventure with claws, courage, and a dash of cat-titude.
When Kitty and Jack arrive in a magical desert kingdom, the last thing they
expect is to adopt a wise-cracking rescue cat with a serious attitude and a
mysterious past.
Once abandoned, he dreams of stability…and a loving
home. However, the trio must navigate a series of challenges, encountering new
places and experiences.
Based on a true story and told from a
feline perspective, this heart-warming and amusing tale of friendship, feline
wisdom and second chances will suit fans of ‘Garfield’ or
‘The Travelling Cat Chronicles.’
EXCERPT
Now was the time to discover the truth behind Zeus’s smirk. He crept towards the villa, looking for evidence.
At first, everything looked normal. The gate was closed and he couldn’t hear hoomans talking. Maybe he had made a mistake and the newcomers were just like the rest. He was about to leave when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Two plastic bowls. Had he been right all along?
Qitt approached, examining each one in turn. One bowl contained water and grateful for the opportunity to drink, he lapped some of it. After quenching his thirst, he stuck his nose in the other bowl.
I knew it!
There’s a food conspiracy!
While the bowl was empty, it had a distinct odour of something meaty.
Bingo!
Someone is indeed putting out food.
Sauntering down Street 122, he discovered Batcat skittering between parked vehicles.
“What’s up?” said Qitt.
Batcat gave a feline kind of shrug.
“Nothing.”
Hmmm, doesn’t seem like it.
What am I missing?
Curtains was none the wiser.
“The eternal optimist, aren’t you?” he said to Qitt. “Plastic bowls mean nothing.”
He closed his eyes, trying to shut out the disappointment, but his gut niggled, and not because of rotten food. There was still a mystery.
Later that week, a new kitty appeared on the scene. It was a female tabby with subtle splashes of ginger. Qitt spotted her checking the empty plastic bowl. Like Batcat, she was easily startled and jumped when Qitt lapped water from the second container.
“Don’t sneak up on me like that!” she scolded.
“I wasn’t sneaking…. Anyway, this isn’t your district.”
She batted a paw at him.
“Does it have your name on it?”
“Well, no, but…there’s not enough food for all of us.”
She jerked her head in the direction of the empty bowl.
“Evidently, there is.”
Without another word, she darted across the road and disappeared through a gap in a gate.
They’re all privy to it.
Except me.
And I claimed dibs on those hoomans too.
The solution was clear. He’d need to stake out the premises and discover the truth once and for all. Qitt would also need to do it alone and couldn’t count on Curtains or the others. He sat behind a palm tree, patient and determined.
Nothing happened that first evening and he wondered if he was wasting his time. Tabby stopped by the gate, followed by Batcat, although Zeus was absent. It seemed most of the cat community were expecting a miracle too.
He returned the next day and started the surveillance earlier, praying to Sky Cat to deliver. The two bowls were in place and the street was free of cats. Qitt positioned himself behind the palm tree, wishing he had a chicken wing to nibble to pass the time.
Sure enough, the gate clicked, creaked and swung open. Both new hoomans emerged, Jack holding an object in his hands. He bent down and placed something in one of the containers.
Pawsome!
Caught them in the act!
Tip-pawing across the road, Qitt approached, his caution overridden by the gnawing ache in his stomach. The smell of something meaty wafted past his nostrils and he almost swooned at the aroma. Kitty and Jack noticed him.
“Oh look,” she said, “there’s a new cat. I haven’t seen him before.”
New?
I was here looong before you guys.
They eased back and Qitt took the first mouthful, his taste buds leaping somersaults in delight. It was so wet and juicy, nothing like the old fried chicken or shawarma his palate endured. The food slipped down his throat and into his stomach like a fish swimming downstream.
“Wow, he’s really hungry,” Jack said. “He’s finished the food already.”
Too right.
I haven’t eaten since yesterday.
Jack put another spoon of food in the bowl.
“He’s a real Greedy Gonzales,” Kitty commented.
Who are you calling Greedy Gonzales?
I’m literally wasting away.
Look, my bones are almost poking out.
He licked the saucy remains from the corners of the container. Jack stroked his head after he’d finished.
“I’m surprised he lets us touch him.”
Greedy Gonzales sat by the open gate, watching them enter their apartment and close the door. Once he realised that the hooman’s brief petting session had concluded, he walked away, licking his lips.
I came.
I saw.
I gobbled.
Strolling towards the sunset with a full stomach, he searched for Curtains and the others, eager to share the news and prove him wrong. Then it hit him. If he made it public in the feral feline network, all cats would visit this new restaurant to eat. Gonzales decided to keep it a secret, at least for now. These hoomans had the potential for adoption, and he might make his move in the near future.
About the Author
Kitty May Gruchelska loves creating fantastical worlds for her readers, full
of diverse and quirky characters. In a past life, she was probably a cat
because she likes tuna, dislikes water, and frequently knocks things over, but
luckily, she has nine lives. Kitty May teaches in a magical desert kingdom
full of sunshine, camels, and rice dishes. She loves travelling, which also
inspires her to write.
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