Crazy Cat's Fishy Friend

Crazy Cat sat in his favorite spot on the windowsill, watching the world outside. He saw birds, bugs, cars, and people pass by, but there was no sign of his family. Where were they? Mr. and Mrs. Humann should be coming home from work, and their son, Harry, should be coming home from school soon! Finally, Crazy Cat saw the family’s yellow car pull into the driveway. Put-put-put!

The front door opened, and there was Mr. Humann carrying a big, heavy package. There was Mrs. Humann with her arms full of shopping bags, and there was Harry with a big smile on his face.

“Hi, Crazy Cat! Did you miss us?” said Harry, giving Crazy Cat a scratch behind the ear.

Meow!” said Crazy Cat.

He flopped onto his back in the middle of the floor, causing Mr. Humann to trip over him. Down the package went, and Mr. Humann fell on top of it. Thump, thump thump!

“No, Crazy Cat! Don’t do that!” said Mr. Humann.

Harry helped his dad up, and together, they opened the package. Inside was a big glass box. What was it for?

Mr. Humann set the box on a table in the living room, while Mrs. Humann filled the bottom with sand and pebbles. That glass box looked like a fun place to play! Crazy Cat hopped right in and began clawing at the sand. Scratch, scratch, scratch!

"No, Crazy Cat! Don't do that!" said Mrs. Humann.

Crazy Cat jumped out again, kicking sand and pebbles everywhere. He watched Mrs. Humann place several colorful plants inside the glass box. Then Harry added two small figures. One was a sunken pirate ship. The other was a tiny scuba diver. Finally, Mr. Humann filled the whole thing up with water.

If the big glass box wasn’t for playing, maybe it was for eating instead. Crazy Cat jumped onto the table, stuck his head over the top of the glass box, and licked at the water. Slurp, slurp, slurp.

It tasted funny, not at all like the water in his dish! He nibbled on the plants. They were good, but not as good as catnip!

“No, Crazy Cat! Don’t do that!” said Harry.

“That’s not for you,” said Mr. Humann.

“It’s for the fish,” said Mrs. Humann.

Fish? Crazy Cat loved fish! Fish were good to eat, and Crazy Cat's favorite toy was shaped like one.

Harry reached into one of the shopping bags and pulled out a clear plastic bag. Inside, a small fish swam around in circles. “This is Fred,” said Harry.

Fred was red and blue with a long, swishy tail. He smelled like food, and he looked like a toy. Crazy Cat could hardly wait to play with Fred!

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Soon Fred was settled safely into his new home. Crazy Cat perched on the table, watching Fred swim. His tail flicked back and forth as he went by, and Crazy Cat pawed at the glass. Tap, tap, tap.

“Glub!” said Fred, and he swam away.

That night, Crazy Cat dreamed of what it might be like to live in the aquarium with Fred. Like most cats, he didn’t like getting wet, so he wore a scuba suit just like the diver in the tank to keep the water out. He and Fred explored the sunken pirate ship. Then they raced around the diver, played hide-and-seek in the plants, and snacked on fish food.

When Crazy Cat woke up, Fred was nowhere to be seen. Where did he go? He wasn’t inside the sunken pirate ship. He wasn’t hiding behind the diver. He wasn’t in the plants either!

Crazy Cat walked around the tank. He rounded the back corner, and there was Fred stuck in the aquarium filter! “Glub!” cried Fred, wiggling to try to free himself. “Glub, glub!”

Oh, no! Poor Fred was in trouble! Crazy Cat had to do something to help his new fishy friend! He ran down the hall to Mr. and Mrs. Humann’s bedroom and pawed at the door, yowling. Meow, meow, meow!

“No, Crazy Cat!” Don’t do that!” said Mr. Humann.

“Go to sleep!” said Mrs. Humann.

Crazy Cat kept meowing at the top of his lungs, but nobody was listening. Now how could he help Fred?

Crazy Cat saw a ray of yellow light from Harry’s night light peeking through a cracked door. Harry’s door was open just enough for Crazy Cat to squeeze inside. He jumped on the bed and landed on Harry’s chest, pushing his paws back and forth. Knead, knead, knead.

“No, Crazy Cat! Don’t do that!” said Harry, turning over in his sleep.

When that didn’t work, Crazy Cat leaned over and bit Harry right on the nose!

“Ouch!” cried Harry. “What did you do that for, Crazy Cat?!”

“Meow!” said Crazy Cat. He wouldn’t stop meowing until Harry followed him out the door and down the hall to the living room. He climbed onto the table where Fred’s aquarium sat and pawed at the glass.

Harry gasped. “Mom, Dad!” he called. “Come quick! Fred’s stuck!”

All the noise woke Mr. and Mrs. Humann. The hall light turned on as they sleepily made their way into the room. Soon, Mrs. Humann had the filter turned off, and Mr. Humann rescued Fred. Finally free, Fred swam away with a swish of his tail.

“Was this what you were trying to tell us, Crazy Cat?” said Mr. Humann.

“Meow!” said Crazy Cat.

“Good boy!” said Mrs. Humann.

“You saved Fred!” said Harry.

The next morning, Mrs. Humann gave Crazy Cat a big plate of his favorite treats as a reward for helping Fred. Mr. Humann gave Crazy Cat a new toy, a red and blue fish that looked just like Fred. Harry gave Crazy Cat lots of hugs and cuddles, but Crazy Cat’s favorite gift came from Fred himself.

While Crazy Cat sat in his new favorite spot by the aquarium, Fred swam right up and let Crazy Cat touch his swishy tail.

“Glub!” said Fred. He gave his new friend a wet, fishy kiss on the nose and swam away.