Get a Cat (or Don’t)

Posted byCarie JuettnerPosted inLife, PoetryTags:, , , , , ,

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Cats are such a joy.

Usually.

On one hand, they’re adorable.

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* Love *

And they provide hours of entertainment both in the form of comedy…

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“Mama, I ate ALL the catnip!”

…and drama.

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The Six Stages of a Relationship

But they can also be needy…

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“Could you bring me a beer?”

…and creepy…

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She seems to be waiting for something to come out from under the couch. (!!!)

…and owning a cat often means waking up to this:

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“Good morning. I’ve been grooming your hair while you sleep.”

It’s a tough choice.

Maybe this poem, first published by the Poetry Society of Texas in A Book of the Year 2016, will help you decide if you need a cat. (Or not.)

Get a Cat (or Don’t)
* a series of haiku *

Why you should get a
cat: Explanation for all
those mid-night noises.

Why you shouldn’t get
a cat: The increased number
of mid-night noises.

When the cat doesn’t
help: You hear a noise… the cat’s
sleeping beside you.

When the cat makes it
worse: You hear nothing… the cat
hisses anyway.

Worst possible case:
There is a ghost… the cat likes
it better than you.

What should you do? Get
rid of the cat—problem solved.
Wait… what was that noise?

© Carie Juettner
First place in the Poetry Society of Texas Fill in the Blanks Award, 2015

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Published by Carie Juettner

Carie Juettner is a former middle school teacher and the author of five books in the Spooky America series, including The Ghostly Tales of Dallas and the The Ghostly Tales of New England. Her poems and short stories have appeared in publications such as The Twin Bill, Nature Futures, and Daily Science Fiction. Carie lives in Richardson, Texas, with her husband and pets. She spends her time reading, writing, and volunteering for an organization that rehabs injured and orphaned wildlife.

12 thoughts on “Get a Cat (or Don’t)”

  6. I love your haikus–truth through literature. I say get the cat, and have since little black-and-white Tinker, who became mine when I was three. She was given to me by our doctor and was named after one of his cats–who was possibly my Tinker’s mother. It’s comforting to have a doctor who loves cats (and who hates giving shots to children, so I always blamed my mother).

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