New Cat
by Poster (2011)
Genres: Slice of life

You are the new cat, but you do not have a name. Today, He has left the door to your place open. If you explore the new world, can you get a name?

action: %
response: I do not have a name, but I think that someday soon I will. I have heard Him talk many times of other things that have names, things like Mom, Dad, Emily, Stuart, God. So I think I will have a name someday soon, although I do not know how I get a name. Is it something I have to do? Is there somewhere I have to go? All I know is that for now, He calls me just one thing: Cat.

You live in a nice soft place inside a bigger space that has three ows, and one moveable ow. You call these things ows because they hurt when you run into them, and the moving ow (mow) only He can move. The soft place is where you sleep and it smells like you. Outside the soft space is where He puts the food and water. The food is ok, but the milk you used to have was much better. You wonder if He could get some of that again.

He always shuts the mow, but today he has left it open. You do not know what is beyond it, except what you have heard him talk about. There is another thing called GoodCat/BadCat. It must have another name as well, because it was here when you got here, but it is far away and when He talks to it, you can only hear GoodCat or BadCat. You must be related, because you both are called Cat.

You have always wondered where He goes when He closes the mow and what lies beyond it. "Could there be even more mows and ows? Could my place be just one place inside a much bigger place? I want to find out. Maybe if I find out, I can get a name," you think.

[If this is your first time playing, type "ABOUT".]
action: About yourself
response: You look at yourself and see your black fur from head to toe. You feel that your tail is a little long for you, but you haven't seen many other cats. Maybe that is normal. You are small, but you know you will get bigger someday, and someday you will have a name.
action: Exit
response: Your Place surrounds the soft place. It's much bigger and it is soft on your feet, but not as soft as the soft place. You can run around here but the three ows stop you. Nothing has changed from this morning when He left -- the food dish, the water bowl, the sandbox, and the ledge are in their same places and they smell the same. The most interesting thing, though, is the mow. It's wide open in front of you and smells from outside are rushing in.
action: F.
response: This is a strange place. It's long, like maybe if your place were stretched out to your right and to your left taller than He is. The scents that invaded your place came from here, or at least some of them did. The ows are dabbed with white that doesn't go with the rest of the ow and they smell new somehow. The floor is soft like it is in your place but it smells wild -- images sweep over you of Him, others like Him, a world filled with flying things and grass, clean scents and many others that you've never smelled before. Faintly, you also detect a sweet yet salty wild smell that can only be Goodcat/Badcat.
action: Smell floor
response: It smells wild -- images sweep over you of Him, others like Him, a world filled with flying things and grass, clean scents and many others that you've never smelled before. Faintly, you also detect a sweet yet salty wild smell that can only be Goodcat/Badcat.
action: F.
response: You can go to your right and to your left down the hall, and behind you back to your place.
action: R.
response: You are halfway down the hall, up to a good speed when you see something that compels you to stop and look. Here two mows face each other -- one that is not completely solid and one that doesn't reach the floor. The non-solid mow has slats from the top to the bottom, like what is on the window in your place. It has a wonderful fresh smell that makes you want to lie down and go to sleep, if only there were something soft enough to sleep on. Mmrrow. You can't help yourself and rub lazily against it. It feels good. The solid mow on the opposite side greets you with a welcoming and familiar scent from between it and the floor. You would know it anywhere -- it is Him. He is not here, but beyond is surely His lair.
action: Slatted
response: It's much too large and heavy for you to move it.
action: You examine slatted
response: It is a mow, but you're not sure how He moves it, because there is no blob of metal halfway up. It's not solid, like other mows are, and you can see fluffy colored things beyond; an almost-dizzying sleepy fresh smell comes from beyond it.
action: Smell slatted
response: The sleepy fresh smell comes from beyond the mow. It's so good that it almost makes you dizzy.
action: R.
response: You can go behind you back to New Hall and in front of you to the end of the hall.
action: F.
response: You are up to a good speed before you notice the ow coming at you. You come to a butt-burning halt. Youch!

The long room ends here at an ow with one room on either side. The one to your right has sun filtering in through slats that make you want to rest in its warm spaces and play with the shadows. The room to your left is dark and presents several different smells relating to water. The ows seem really tall here and you feel fenced in and nervous.
action: R.
response: The air is warm here, and light spills in across the room from the window on the far side of the room. Shadows and light play across the floor in hypnotizing patterns, threatening to lull you to sleep. Scattered across the room are brown boxes, arranged in no particular order, some of which are very tall. You get the feeling that the boxes were just moved here and that the room wasn't built too long ago: the whole place smells new.

You can see a short box, a tall box and a towering box here.
action: You look at short
response: This is shortest box. It is held closed by a brown stripe, and you can easily jump up to it from the floor.
action: You jump on short
response: You leap up to the box and then look around, surveying your new surroundings.
action: About yourself
response: You look at yourself and see your black fur from head to toe. You feel that your tail is a little long for you, but you haven't seen many other cats. Maybe that is normal. You are small, but you know you will get bigger someday, and someday you will have a name.
action: You examine the tall box
response: You're too far away from it. Maybe if you were on it, you could do that.
action: You look at your surroundings
response: You can go in front of you or out to leave the room.
action: You examine the tall box
response: This is the second-tallest box. It is held closed by a green stripe.
action: You open tall
response: You're not sure how. The box is held together with a stripe that keeps it shut everywhere.
action: You pull the stripe
response: What do you want to pull: brown stripe or green stripe?
action: You look
response: Sun Room (on the tall box)
The air is warm here, and light spills in across the room from the window on the far side of the room. Shadows and light play across the floor in hypnotizing patterns, threatening to lull you to sleep. Scattered across the room are brown boxes, arranged in no particular order, some of which are very tall. You get the feeling that the boxes were just moved here and that the room wasn't built too long ago: the whole place smells new.

You can see a short box and a towering box here.
action: You jump on short
response: You move your head up and down a few times, judging the distance, and then decide to go for it. You feel a few moments of glorious weightlessness and then you settle on the box with a gentle "thump".
action: You look
response: Sun Room (on the short box)
The air is warm here, and light spills in across the room from the window on the far side of the room. Shadows and light play across the floor in hypnotizing patterns, threatening to lull you to sleep. Scattered across the room are brown boxes, arranged in no particular order, some of which are very tall. You get the feeling that the boxes were just moved here and that the room wasn't built too long ago: the whole place smells new.

You can see a tall box and a towering box here.
action: You jump on the tall box
response: You leap up to the box and then look around, surveying your new surroundings.
action: F.
response: (first getting off the tall box)

The long room ends here at an ow with one room on either side. The one behind you has sun filtering in through slats that make you want to rest in its warm spaces and play with the shadows. The room in front of you is dark and presents several different smells relating to water. The ows seem really tall here and you feel fenced in and nervous.
action: Go down
response: You jump artfully to the floor and land on all four paws.
action: Scratch brown stripe
response: You try that but find out that it is a most perverse thing. When you scratch it, it gets sticky which makes your paws feel icky! You spend a few moments humiliated, licking them clean.
action: F.
response: The long room ends here at an ow with one room on either side. The one behind you has sun filtering in through slats that make you want to rest in its warm spaces and play with the shadows. The room in front of you is dark and presents several different smells relating to water. The ows seem really tall here and you feel fenced in and nervous.
action: F.
response: This room is darker than the others, and a whole plethora of scents rush out to find you. You take a moment perched on the threshold to decipher what they all mean. The first smell smells like He does sometimes -- like growing things, like the outside. It's too strong for you and it causes your nose to wrinkle involuntarily. The next strongest smell is a fresh, clean smell that must be some kind of water. You know by the third smell that this is His place, because He has marked it. Mixed in with that territorial odor are lesser notes that smell like all sorts of yummy things. You're so glad he marked the area so you'd know where they are! It's odd, though. You look around but don't see a litterbox anywhere.

Instead, off to the right you see what looks like a very long water bowl. It has sides so you can jump up on it and take look inside. It smells like that water smell. Opposite it is a fat water bowl, where the territorial smell and the yummy smells come from. You could jump up on it, too. Right beside you are wooden boxes, and on top of them is a tall dark window.

Wait! There's something in the window. Your hackles rise and your fur poofs out. It's another cat, the same size as you!
action: Hiss
response: You let out a bloodcurdling meow of warning, but she doesn't respond. Her mouth moves, but no sound comes out.
action: You touch the Cat
response: You're too far away to do much of anything.
action: F.
response: You can go behind you or out to leave the room.
action: You jump
response: You jump a foot into the air just for fun.
action: You look
response: The hallway light provides the only light in this dark room. Your eyes adjust and your nose comes alive with the many different scents inside. The first smell smells like He does sometimes -- like growing things, like the outside. It's too strong for you and it causes your nose to wrinkle involuntarily. The next strongest smell is a fresh, clean smell that must be some kind of water. You know by the third smell that this is His place, because He has marked it. Mixed in with that territorial odor are lesser notes that smell like all sorts of yummy things. You're so glad he marked the area so you'd know where they are! It's odd, though. You look around but don't see a litterbox anywhere.

Instead, off to the right you see what looks like a very long water bowl. It has sides so you can jump up on it and take look inside. It smells like that water smell. Opposite it is a fat water bowl, where the territorial smell and the yummy smells come from. You could jump up on it, too. Right beside you are wooden boxes, and on top of them is a tall dark window.

The other cat mimics your motions, her eyes fixed on you. You'll have to respond to her challenge somehow.
action: You jump on the toilet
response: (the toilet)
With feline agility, you leap up to the deep water bowl.

You are halfway between the dark window and the floor, perched on the fat water bowl. It's not soft, but it is fairly slick. The wonderful smells rise up from the hollow center, down in the water. You see above you a wide ledge that runs underneath the window. You could easily jump to it, or jump down to the bathroom floor.

The house settles and creaks, giving you a start.
action: You jump on the ledge
response: With amazing grace, you land on the space above the handles with a solid "whump".

You barely notice the rest of the surface except for the sink, which smells like his breath and some sort of plant. The dark window takes up the entire wall and inside there is another cat! Her fur is poofed out just like yours and her green eyes stare back at you in challenge.
action: You hit the Cat
response: You can't quite reach her. She seems to be on the other side of the window. She can't quite reach you, either.

The house settles and creaks, giving you a start.

You hear a faint ring coming from somewhere from somewhere far away.
action: Meow
response: You warn her off, but she doesn't reply. She must be unable to speak.

You hear a faint ring coming from elsewhere.
action: You open the window
response: You try, but nothing interesting happens.

You hear a faint ring coming from elsewhere.
action: Wave
response: You don't know how to do that.

You hear a faint ring coming from elsewhere.
action: Smell Cat
response: You lean your nose in to smell her and she does the exact same thing. Then you realize what seemed so strange about all of this: you never once smelled her. How can she have no scent and no voice? What sort of cat is that? You realize, too, that she only does what you do. If you stop, she stops; if you groom yourself, she grooms herself; if you blink, she blinks. She does whatever you do because she is you, somehow. Only not you and only in the dark window. It's weird, but you're glad you're not a human and have to deal with such complexities.

You hear a faint ring coming from elsewhere.

You feel like you have achieved something particularly kittenish.
action: You jump on the tub
response: Not from here. It's too far away!

You hear a faint ring coming from elsewhere.

You notice that the faint ringing sound has stopped.
action: Go downwards
response: You can jump down, back to the bathroom, or you can jump to the fat water bowl.
action: You jump down
response: You raise and lower your head a few times, estimating the distance. On a whim, you decide to go for it and you jump down. It takes you a moment to get your breath back.

The hallway light provides the only light in this dark room. Your eyes adjust and your nose comes alive with the many different scents inside. The first smell smells like He does sometimes -- like growing things, like the outside. It's too strong for you and it causes your nose to wrinkle involuntarily. The next strongest smell is a fresh, clean smell that must be some kind of water. You know by the third smell that this is His place, because He has marked it. Mixed in with that territorial odor are lesser notes that smell like all sorts of yummy things. You're so glad he marked the area so you'd know where they are! It's odd, though. You look around but don't see a litterbox anywhere.

Instead, off to the right you see what looks like a very long water bowl. It has sides so you can jump up on it and take look inside. It smells like that water smell. Opposite it is a fat water bowl, where the territorial smell and the yummy smells come from. You could jump up on it, too. Right beside you are wooden boxes, and on top of them is a tall dark window.

You see your reflection peeking down at you from the window, green eyes glowing in the dark.
action: You jump on the tub
response: You're a bit hesitant to jump where you can't see, so you jump up on the surrounding ledge instead.

You are perched uncomfortably on the narrow ledge around the  tub. The surface beneath you is hard and damp, and that clean water smell comes from all around you. You can either enter the tub, or jump down back into the bathroom.
action: You get down
response: You can jump down to the bathroom floor, or you can enter the tub.
action: You enter the tub
response: You walk around inside the tub and notice, strangely, that this place smells like His paws. Does He stand up in it? It looks long enough for him to lie down in it. The water smell saturates the area, and you know that this place must usually be wet. Right now it is only damp. He calls this place "tub".
action: You enter the tub
response: You're already in it!

You scramble back up on the narrow side.

You are perched uncomfortably on the narrow ledge around the  tub. The surface beneath you is hard and damp, and that clean water smell comes from all around you. You can either enter the tub, or jump down back into the bathroom.
action: You jump down
response: You jump down with a faint "oof".

The hallway light provides the only light in this dark room. Your eyes adjust and your nose comes alive with the many different scents inside. The first smell smells like He does sometimes -- like growing things, like the outside. It's too strong for you and it causes your nose to wrinkle involuntarily. The next strongest smell is a fresh, clean smell that must be some kind of water. You know by the third smell that this is His place, because He has marked it. Mixed in with that territorial odor are lesser notes that smell like all sorts of yummy things. You're so glad he marked the area so you'd know where they are! It's odd, though. You look around but don't see a litterbox anywhere.

Instead, off to the right you see the tub. It has sides so you can jump up on it and take look inside. It smells like that water smell. Opposite it is a fat water bowl, where the territorial smell and the yummy smells come from. You could jump up on it, too. Right beside you are wooden boxes, and on top of them is a tall dark window.

You see your reflection peeking down at you from the window, green eyes glowing in the dark.
action: You look at the boxes
response: They are wooden things taller than you are and they puff out a little. Where they puff out, you smell His hands, and past that, harsh, artificial smells that you don't like. "Why would he need such bad-smelling things," you wonder.
action: You jump on the toilet
response: (the toilet)
With feline agility, you leap up to the deep water bowl.

You are halfway between the dark window and the floor, perched on the fat water bowl. It's not soft, but it is fairly slick. The wonderful smells rise up from the hollow center, down in the water. You see above you a wide ledge that runs underneath the window. You could easily jump to it, or jump down to the bathroom floor.
action: You enter the toilet
response: (the toilet)
Jumping to it is much more kittenish.
action: Smell boxes
response: That's too far away.
action: You jump in
response: You must name something more substantial.
action: You jump down
response: You jump down to the tiled floor below with matchless ease.

The hallway light provides the only light in this dark room. Your eyes adjust and your nose comes alive with the many different scents inside. The first smell smells like He does sometimes -- like growing things, like the outside. It's too strong for you and it causes your nose to wrinkle involuntarily. The next strongest smell is a fresh, clean smell that must be some kind of water. You know by the third smell that this is His place, because He has marked it. Mixed in with that territorial odor are lesser notes that smell like all sorts of yummy things. You're so glad he marked the area so you'd know where they are! It's odd, though. You look around but don't see a litterbox anywhere.

Instead, off to the right you see the tub. It has sides so you can jump up on it and take look inside. It smells like that water smell. Opposite it is a fat water bowl, where the territorial smell and the yummy smells come from. You could jump up on it, too. Right beside you are wooden boxes, and on top of them is a tall dark window.

You see your reflection peeking down at you from the window, green eyes glowing in the dark.
action: Drink water
response: You're not thirsty, but you can't pass this opportunity up -- the smells are too interesting. Carefully you lower yourself into the toilet and take ten deep laps of the water. Then you pull yourself back up on the rim and luxuriate in the taste of tea, yogurt, and submarine sandwiches. You're thankful again that He was so kind to mark the area so that you'd know to find it.

You feel like you have achieved something particularly kittenish.
action: B.
response: You feel more relaxed.

The long room ends here at an ow with one room on either side. The one in front of you has sun filtering in through slats that make you want to rest in its warm spaces and play with the shadows. The room behind you is dark and presents several different smells relating to water. The ows seem really tall here and you feel fenced in and nervous.
action: B.
response: The hallway light provides the only light in this dark room. Your eyes adjust and your nose comes alive with the many different scents inside. The first smell smells like He does sometimes -- like growing things, like the outside. It's too strong for you and it causes your nose to wrinkle involuntarily. The next strongest smell is a fresh, clean smell that must be some kind of water. You know by the third smell that this is His place, because He has marked it. Mixed in with that territorial odor are lesser notes that smell like all sorts of yummy things. You're so glad he marked the area so you'd know where they are! It's odd, though. You look around but don't see a litterbox anywhere.

Instead, off to the right you see the tub. It has sides so you can jump up on it and take look inside. It smells like that water smell. Opposite it is a fat water bowl, where the territorial smell and the yummy smells come from. You could jump up on it, too. Right beside you are wooden boxes, and on top of them is a tall dark window.

You see your reflection peeking down at you from the window, green eyes glowing in the dark.
action: R.
response: You turn to face to your right and bound away.

Halfway down the hall, the non-solid mow has slats from the top to the bottom, like what is on the window in your place. It has a wonderful fresh smell that makes you want to lie down and go to sleep, if only there were something soft enough to sleep on. The solid mow on the opposite side greets you with a welcoming and familiar scent from between it and the floor. You would know it anywhere -- it is Him. He is not here, but beyond is surely His lair.
action: F.
response: This is a strange place. It's long, like maybe if your place were stretched out behind you and in front of you taller than He is. The scents that invaded your place came from here, or at least some of them did. The ows are dabbed with white that doesn't go with the rest of the ow and they smell new somehow. The floor is soft like it is in your place but it smells wild -- full of scents that draw you to investigate them. Faintly, you also detect a sweet yet salty wild smell that can only be Goodcat/Badcat.
action: R.
response: You can go behind you and in front of you down the hall, and to your left back to your place.
action: B.
response: Halfway down the hall, the non-solid mow has slats from the top to the bottom, like what is on the window in your place. It has a wonderful fresh smell that makes you want to lie down and go to sleep, if only there were something soft enough to sleep on. The solid mow on the opposite side greets you with a welcoming and familiar scent from between it and the floor. You would know it anywhere -- it is Him. He is not here, but beyond is surely His lair.
action: F.
response: The long room ends here at an ow with one room on either side. The one to your right has sun filtering in through slats that make you want to rest in its warm spaces and play with the shadows. The room to your left is dark and presents several different smells relating to water. The ows seem really tall here and you feel fenced in and nervous.
action: R.
response: You can go in front of you back to New Hall and behind you to the end of the hall.
action: F.
response: The hall from behind you ends here at a soft ow about half as tall as an ordinary ow. This ow is made of crossed strings and you can see through it; beyond are shiny tall metal boxes, almost taller than Him, on a shiny floor. You instinctively sniff the ow. Goodcat/Badcat has left a scent message that welcomes you to his world if you can get over the ow. He calls it something rather impolite.

The tall stringy gate bars progress in front of you.
action: You examine the gate
response: It is a tall stringy ow. Through it, you can see the shiny place beyond. It is marked with a welcome message from Goodcat/Badcat whom suggests that getting past it is difficult.
action: Smell gate
response: It is marked with a welcome message from Goodcat/Badcat whom suggests that getting past it is difficult.
action: You climb the gate
response: You bound to the gate, spring upwards, and latch your claws into the material. Then, putting one paw in front of another, you climb up to the top of the gate and leap gracefully down. You turn and look behind you, your tail crooked, feeling proud of yourself.

Just to your right, the shiny and slippery floor begins and the large shiny things sit. The opposite way, you see softer but equally large things, but also a plant that sits in what looks like a square water bowl. The carpet is soft and it leads in front of you, but behind you is the stringy ow that you'll have to climb to get over.

The tall stringy gate bars progress behind you.

You feel like you have achieved something particularly kittenish.
action: You look at the carpet
response: It is a light brownish color. You smell around and take several minutes to soak up the knowledge of who ate what, where they were going, and how they were feeling. The knowledge makes you feel quite important, as if you had discovered the key to understanding what happens around here.

The house settles and creaks, giving you a start.
action: Go upwards
response: You can go to your right, to your left, in front of you, or climb the gate to go behind you.
action: R.
response: Here enormous metal boxes reach upward from a shiny floor that you can skid across if you run fast enough and suddenly stop. The tallest box is cold, vibrates, and smells like food! The shorter boxes also smell like food, but not as strongly. The whole area smells like trees -- a fresh, outdoors kind of scent, which doesn't make sense, because this is indoors. Goodcat/Badcat is in this room; his scent is strong. You whip your head around but don't see him anywhere. Is he waiting to pounce you? You continue looking around carefully.

Halfway to the ceiling (it seems) a shiny surface ledge runs like a pathway, over a shorter box and connects to the tallest one. It's wider than the ledge in your place. In the middle of the floor is a large brown circle held up by four legs. Underneath it are two smaller versions, with one pulled away from the other. You wind your way around these things and quickly smell what their names are. The large thing is called a table. The smaller things are called chairs (one is His and the other is guest). The names seem strong, but dull. You hope He doesn't name you any of those names.

You hear the sound of a cat scratching itself and know that it must be Goodcat/Badcat.
action: You jump on the table
response: That's too far away. You ponder jumping to something closer instead.
action: You jump on his chair
response: You agilely leap upwards into the chair.

You hear the sound of a cat scratching itself and know that it must be Goodcat/Badcat.
action: R.
response: From here you can go behind you and you can jump to His chair.

You hear the sound of a cat scratching itself and know that it must be Goodcat/Badcat.
action: You jump on the table
response: You easily jump up on the table, your claws clutching the threaded surface.

This is a small place, a little bit larger than the soft place but not as large as the place around it. If you ran around here, you'd definitely fall off the edges. The floor feels like a bunch of string, tightly wound together and it is arranged in colors and in patterns of things you don't recognize. From here, you can see a shiny surface you could easily jump to, and you can view most of the room and the next room over, which pulls your kittenish heart with what looks like large and soft beds. Taking a quick sniff, you realize that this area is used for eating food, but there is no food here now. You also realize the names of the two objects on the table, and your interest is piqued.

You can see a phone and a remote here.
action: You look at the phone
response: A curvy thing on a square thing that He uses for talking to people when they are not here. You're not sure how that works, but you know by sniffing it that that's what He does. Goodcat/Badcat says that it can be annoyingly loud.
action: You examine remote
response: A black bar about half as long as you are, filled with a lot of buttons. It's obviously made for hands like His as the buttons are too small for you to push individually.
action: You take the remote
response: You take it into your mouth, but you're barely able to keep a good grip on it. You're not sure you could do anything besides walking.
action: You drop the remote
response: Dropped.
action: You examine the fridge
response: Brr! It's cold, but it smells like all kinds of yummy things. He calls this "fridge". Goodcat/Badcat agrees with your assessment, so you naturally rub against it to add your opinion officially to his.

The phone right next to you suddenly starts Ringing VeRy LOUDLY. You almost involuntarily leap off the table in surprise.
action: You touch the phone
response: You brush your whiskers by it, but nothing amazing happens.

The phone rings right beside you. It's loud!
action: You hit the phone
response: You attack the phone, trying to Make The Ringing Stop. You smack the curvy part with your paw and send it flying. The ringing stops! But then you hear a concerned female voice talking out of it. It's saying some kind of greeting.

A concerned female voice speaks from the phone right beside you.

You feel like you have achieved something particularly kittenish.
action: Meow
response: You say "Meowr?" to let the voice know that you are here and want to know what's going on. The voice asks you a question that you don't understand, laughs, and then says some other things, and finally it says "goodbye". You know then it will go away and it does.

An artificial voice from the phone repeats itself with strange quiet parts between.

You feel like you have achieved something particularly kittenish.
action: You jump on the fridge
response: You jump on it for a moment, but quickly tire of the one-sided play.

An artificial voice from the phone repeats itself with strange quiet parts between.
action: You listen to the phone
response: You can't hear it from so far away.

An artificial voice from the phone repeats itself with strange quiet parts between.
action: You hit the phone
response: You attack, but the voice keeps repeating the same words like it can't hear you.

An artificial voice from the phone repeats itself with strange quiet parts between.
action: You jump down
response: After a few moments of weightless falling and the rude impact, you are once again walking around on the shiny floor.

Here enormous metal boxes reach upward from a shiny floor that you can skid across if you run fast enough and suddenly stop. The tallest box is cold, vibrates, and smells like food! The shorter boxes also smell like food, but not as strongly. The whole area smells like trees -- a fresh, outdoors kind of scent, which doesn't make sense, because this is indoors.

Halfway to the ceiling (it seems) a shiny surface ledge runs like a pathway, over a shorter box and connects to the tallest one. It's wider than the ledge in your place. In the middle of the floor the brown table towers over you. The guest chair sits underneath it, and His chair is nearby.

You hear the sound of a cat scratching itself and know that it must be Goodcat/Badcat.

A horrible grating sound comes from the phone on the table!
action: You open the fridge
response: You claw at what seems to be the weakest point of the cold box, but you can't get it open.

You hear the sound of grooming coming from somewhere nearby.

A horrible grating sound comes from the phone on the table!
action: Examine boxes
response: One of them smells more like water than food, and the other smells like fire and food.
Both of them have parts that stick out that look like you could walk on them, but they are too narrow.
Goodcat/Badcat indicates that these are interesting only when open, but the hot-smelling one hurts.

You hear the sound of grooming coming from somewhere nearby.

A horrible grating sound comes from the phone on the table!

The awful grating sound stops and the phone is silent once again.
action: You open the oven
response: You don't see how. Maybe if you were a lot larger, you could.

You hear the sound of grooming coming from somewhere nearby.
action: You jump on the oven
response: You jump on it for a moment, but quickly tire of the one-sided play.
action: Go upwards
response: This is a small place, a little bit larger than the soft place but not as large as the place around it. If you ran around here, you'd definitely fall off the edges. The floor feels like a bunch of string, tightly wound together and it is arranged in colors and in patterns of things you don't recognize. From here, you can see a shiny surface you could easily jump to, and you can view most of the room and the next room over, which pulls your kittenish heart with what looks like large and soft beds. Taking a quick sniff, you realize that this area is used for eating food, but there is no food here now.

You can see a remote and a phone here.
action: You jump to the shiny surface
response: That doesn't look far away. You take a quick look and with a little jump you land safely on the countertop.

From up here, you can see the entire shiny place. It makes you feel powerful and important, like perhaps you controlled the whole area and had a few cat soldiers to do your bidding as well. If it was softer and not so narrow, it would make a great bed. From here, you can jump up to the metal box. The most distinctive smell is the scent of Goodcat/Badcat. He is near.
action: You examine the metal box
response: What do you want to examine: Ftop or the fridge?
action: You jump on the metal box
response: What do you want to jump on: Ftop or the fridge?
action: Ftop
response: You leap up to the top with the greatest of ease.

On top of this cold metal cube, you find what you've been expecting the whole time: Goodcat/Badcat. He is a refined grey cat with black stripes who sits with his body perpendicular to yours, his head facing you. He has two large yellow eyes and seems unaffected by your arrival, as though he had been expecting you.

You can see Goodcat/Badcat here.
action: You examine the Cat
response: You look at him and you feel his eyes staring a hole through yours. He seems angry; you feel decidedly nervous.
action: Purr
response: You only do that when you are talking to Him. That's the fun part. When He gets back, you let out all the purrs you have saved up the whole day.
action: Smell Cat
response: You approach him but at the last moment, back off. His fierce stare seems to shout, "How dare you approach when we have not properly greeted one another yet!"
action: Meow
response: You're not sure how you talk with another cat, after all, your only memories are hazy and indistinct ones of your littermates and mom. So you try talking to Goodcat/Badcat like you were talking to Him. You let out a curious "Meowr". His eyes fix upon you.
action: Growl
response: He blinks his eyes and yawns. He doesn't take your angry words seriously. In fact, he seems to have studiously overlooked them, and you feel embarrassed at your poor behavior. Involuntarily, your tail falls down between your legs.
action: You go to the north
response: Interact

> New Cat Background
Interact
action: Go north
response: > Interact

> Interact
action: You groom yourself
response: You feel clean and smell like yourself. You don't see the need to groom yourself right now.
action: Scratch cat
response: Looking back on it, you realize that this was one of those things that would have never worked out. You pounced him and he responded with a bloodcurdling hiss and a swift paw that sent you flying right off the vibrating metal box. You landed on the ledge below and backed away just in time to avoid him jumping on you. Fear and adrenaline ran through your veins and you jumped, jumped, and ran like your tail was on fire. Now you're on the other side of that stringy ow, catching your breath, the image of him turning away with a refined departing spit echoing in your ears. His departing words were, "And don't come back!"

The hall from  ends here at a soft ow about half as tall as an ordinary ow. This ow is made of crossed strings and you can see through it; beyond are shiny tall metal boxes, almost taller than Him, on a shiny floor. You instinctively sniff the ow. Goodcat/Badcat has left a scent message that welcomes you to his world if you can get over the ow. He calls it something rather impolite.

The tall stringy gate bars progress .
action: Lick cat
response: He good-naturedly pushes you away with his paws and resumes his usual placid, royal mien.
action: You jump down
response: You lean down the side and take a half-jump the rest of the way down.

From up here, you can see the entire shiny place. Only the refrigerator top gives a better view. It makes you feel powerful and important, like perhaps you controlled the whole area and had a few cat soldiers to do your bidding as well. If it was softer and not so narrow, it would make a great bed. From here, you can jump up to the metal box. The most distinctive smell is the scent of Goodcat/Badcat. He is near.
action: Continue
response: You look down hesitantly at the floor. That's too far away!
action: You look
response: From up here, you can see the entire shiny place. Only the refrigerator top gives a better view. It makes you feel powerful and important, like perhaps you controlled the whole area and had a few cat soldiers to do your bidding as well. If it was softer and not so narrow, it would make a great bed. From here, you can jump up to the metal box. The most distinctive smell is the scent of Goodcat/Badcat. He is near.
action: You jump on the table
response: You span the distance with a soft jump and skid to a stop on the table.

This is a small place, a little bit larger than the soft place but not as large as the place around it. If you ran around here, you'd definitely fall off the edges. The floor feels like a bunch of string, tightly wound together and it is arranged in colors and in patterns of things you don't recognize. From here, you can see a shiny surface you could easily jump to, and you can view most of the room and the next room over, which pulls your kittenish heart with what looks like large and soft beds. Taking a quick sniff, you realize that this area is used for eating food, but there is no food here now.

You can see a remote and a phone here.
action: You jump down
response: After a few moments of weightless falling and the rude impact, you are once again walking around on the shiny floor.

Here enormous metal boxes reach upward from a shiny floor that you can skid across if you run fast enough and suddenly stop. The tallest box is cold, vibrates, and smells like food! The shorter boxes also smell like food, but not as strongly. The whole area smells like trees -- a fresh, outdoors kind of scent, which doesn't make sense, because this is indoors.

Halfway to the ceiling (it seems) a shiny surface ledge runs like a pathway, over a shorter box and connects to the tallest one. It's wider than the ledge in your place. In the middle of the floor the brown table towers over you. The guest chair sits underneath it, and His chair is nearby.
action: You examine his chair
response: Although it looks like the other chair, this is the one He sits in. He calls it His chair. It is not under the table, which makes jumping to it pretty easy.

You hear the sound of a cat scratching itself and know that it must be Goodcat/Badcat.
action: Go outside
response: Just in front of you, the shiny and slippery floor begins and the large shiny things sit. The opposite way, you see softer but equally large things, but also a plant that sits in what looks like a square water bowl. The carpet is soft and it leads to your left, but to your right is the stringy ow that you'll have to climb to get over.

The tall stringy gate bars progress to your right.
action: R.
response: You can go in front of you, behind you, to your left, or climb the gate to go to your right.
action: You climb the gate
response: You clamber over the gate again, quickly, but not silently.

The hall from in front of you ends here at a soft ow about half as tall as an ordinary ow. This ow is made of crossed strings and you can see through it; beyond are shiny tall metal boxes, almost taller than Him, on a shiny floor. You instinctively sniff the ow. Goodcat/Badcat has left a scent message that welcomes you to his world if you can get over the ow. He calls it something rather impolite.

The tall stringy gate bars progress behind you.
action: F.
response: This is a strange place. It's long, like maybe if your place were stretched out in front of you and behind you taller than He is. The scents that invaded your place came from here, or at least some of them did. The ows are dabbed with white that doesn't go with the rest of the ow and they smell new somehow. The floor is soft like it is in your place but it smells wild -- full of scents that draw you to investigate them. Faintly, you also detect a sweet yet salty wild smell that can only be Goodcat/Badcat.
action: You look at solid
response: It's a large mow (like they all are) with a metal handle about half-way up. It doesn't reach the floor, and  underneath it is a white thing. Beyond it is his lair.
action: F.
response: The long room ends here at an ow with one room on either side. The one to your right has sun filtering in through slats that make you want to rest in its warm spaces and play with the shadows. The room to your left is dark and presents several different smells relating to water. The ows seem really tall here and you feel fenced in and nervous.
action: Nap
response: You lie down and curl yourself into a little ball. You squinch your eyelids shut and feel your limbs go slack. As the haze of sleep comes over you, before you know it, you are somewhere else entirely.

Palace (in a catnap) (on the golden oval)
Here, the sun shines in from above to form a golden oval in the center of a stone dais. Around you are furry and soft places, but none as soft as the golden oval, which is why you're relaxing upon it. On one side is a milkfall where milk falls down over squares and all you have to do is turn your head to one side to drink. On the other side is a waterfall of clear and cool water. As you wait, smaller cats wearing bells and silly red-and-green clothes over their fur nose delicate trays up to you to eat, should you care to. It is early morning in this wonderful palace, where you are the Queen.

On the delicate trays are choice meats.
action: You drink the milk
response: You incline your head ever-so-slightly and take a refreshing drink, making sure to lick your mouth daintily afterwards.
action: You eat the meat
response: As you're not particularly hungry, you nibble several different offerings distractedly, enjoying the various tastes and textures.

With a sudden "bang" the dream world disappears and your eyes flit open. You hear His voice, talking to Goodcat/Badcat. You stretch and lazily mewl to let him know you are here.

He discovers you and then picks you up. He is surprised, and then kind. He pets you over and over again, chuckling at some of the things you have done. "I suppose I will have to name you now," he says. He holds you high in the air and then triumphantly christens you, "Merry. Yes, that's the perfect name for you." You nuzzle your face into his arms, turning the name around and around in your mind. Merry. It's a good name, well, as good as humans get at these things, you think. You beam up at Him as He carries you.

*** The End ***

In that game you scored 5 out of a possible 20, in 170 turns.
action: %
response: I do not have a name, but I think that someday soon I will. I have heard Him talk many times of other things that have names, things like Mom, Dad, Emily, Stuart, God. So I think I will have a name someday soon, although I do not know how I get a name. Is it something I have to do? Is there somewhere I have to go? All I know is that for now, He calls me just one thing: Cat.

You live in a nice soft place inside a bigger space that has three ows, and one moveable ow. You call these things ows because they hurt when you run into them, and the moving ow (mow) only He can move. The soft place is where you sleep and it smells like you. Outside the soft space is where He puts the food and water. The food is ok, but the milk you used to have was much better. You wonder if He could get some of that again.

He always shuts the mow, but today he has left it open. You do not know what is beyond it, except what you have heard him talk about. There is another thing called GoodCat/BadCat. It must have another name as well, because it was here when you got here, but it is far away and when He talks to it, you can only hear GoodCat or BadCat. You must be related, because you both are called Cat.

You have always wondered where He goes when He closes the mow and what lies beyond it. "Could there be even more mows and ows? Could my place be just one place inside a much bigger place? I want to find out. Maybe if I find out, I can get a name," you think.

[If this is your first time playing, type "ABOUT".]
action: You go up
response: There's only one way out and that's in front of you (or out).
action: You look at the food
response: It looks like a lot of little claws, but it is softer and tastes salty. You're not hungry, though, because you've already eaten.
action: You look at the sandbox
response: It's a tough box filled with sand that's just right for taking care of wastes.
action: You enter the sandbox
response: Fortunately, you've already gone this morning.
action: You look
response: Your Place surrounds the soft place. It's much bigger and it is soft on your feet, but not as soft as the soft place. You can run around here but the three ows stop you. Nothing has changed from this morning when He left -- the food dish, the water bowl, the sandbox, and the ledge are in their same places and they smell the same. The most interesting thing, though, is the mow. It's wide open in front of you.
action: Mew
response: You mew. Nothing happens and you feel faintly disappointed.

The house settles and creaks, giving you a start.
action: You look at the ledge
response: It juts out below the window, but you can't reach it. It's colored like cream.
action: Go outside
response: This is a strange place. It's long, like maybe if your place were stretched out to your right and to your left taller than He is. The scents that invaded your place came from here, or at least some of them did. The ows are dabbed with white that doesn't go with the rest of the ow and they smell new somehow. The floor is soft like it is in your place but it smells wild -- images sweep over you of Him, others like Him, a world filled with flying things and grass, clean scents and many others that you've never smelled before. Faintly, you also detect a sweet yet salty wild smell that can only be Goodcat/Badcat.
action: R.
response: You are halfway down the hall, up to a good speed when you see something that compels you to stop and look. Here two mows face each other -- one that is not completely solid and one that doesn't reach the floor. The non-solid mow has slats from the top to the bottom, like what is on the window in your place. It has a wonderful fresh smell that makes you want to lie down and go to sleep, if only there were something soft enough to sleep on. Mmrrow. You can't help yourself and rub lazily against it. It feels good. The solid mow on the opposite side greets you with a welcoming and familiar scent from between it and the floor. You would know it anywhere -- it is Him. He is not here, but beyond is surely His lair.
action: You look at solid
response: It's a large mow (like they all are) with a metal handle about half-way up. It doesn't reach the floor, and  underneath it is a white thing. Beyond it is his lair.
action: You pull the sock
response: You reach out for it and snag it in your claws; surprised, you pull back and pull it out into the room. You smell it more carefully and know that He put this on his paw two suns ago, had circular meat-bread for dinner, and generally felt happy. You remember that day. The covering itself is soft and yet stretchy. He calls this "sock". You look at it curiously, trying to understand why He needs a covering for his paws.

You feel like you have achieved something particularly kittenish.
action: You look at solid
response: It's a large mow (like they all are) with a metal handle about half-way up. It doesn't reach the floor. Beyond it is his lair.
action: You open door
response: Only He can do that. You're too small, at least right now. Who knows how big you'll get?
action: Meow
response: You mew. Nothing happens and you feel faintly disappointed.
action: Hiss
response: You remember your mother telling you to use that tone of voice only when you really had to. Fortunately, this is not one of those times.
action: You examine the slats
response: It is a mow, but you're not sure how He moves it, because there is no blob of metal halfway up. It's not solid, like other mows are, and you can see fluffy colored things beyond; an almost-dizzying sleepy fresh smell comes from beyond it.
action: You climb the slats
response: You claw frantically at the mow but don't manage to get very far up.

The house settles and creaks, giving you a start.
action: B.
response: You turn to face behind you and bound away.

Halfway down the hall, the non-solid mow has slats from the top to the bottom, like what is on the window in your place. It has a wonderful fresh smell that makes you want to lie down and go to sleep, if only there were something soft enough to sleep on. The solid mow on the opposite side greets you with a welcoming and familiar scent from between it and the floor. You would know it anywhere -- it is Him. He is not here, but beyond is surely His lair.

You can see a sock here.
action: Keep going
response: Halfway down the hall, the non-solid mow has slats from the top to the bottom, like what is on the window in your place. It has a wonderful fresh smell that makes you want to lie down and go to sleep, if only there were something soft enough to sleep on. The solid mow on the opposite side greets you with a welcoming and familiar scent from between it and the floor. You would know it anywhere -- it is Him. He is not here, but beyond is surely His lair.

You can see a sock here.
action: You take the sock
response: You take it in your mouth.
action: You climb the gate
response: You clamber over the gate again, quickly, but unfortunately not silently.

Just to your right, the shiny and slippery floor begins and the large shiny things sit. The opposite way, you see softer but equally large things, but also a plant that sits in what looks like a square water bowl. The carpet is soft and it leads in front of you, but behind you is the stringy ow that you'll have to climb to get over.

The tall stringy gate bars progress behind you.
action: R.
response: Here enormous metal boxes reach upward from a shiny floor that you can skid across if you run fast enough and suddenly stop. The tallest box is cold, vibrates, and smells like food! The shorter boxes also smell like food, but not as strongly. The whole area smells like trees -- a fresh, outdoors kind of scent, which doesn't make sense, because this is indoors. Goodcat/Badcat is in this room; his scent is strong. You whip your head around but don't see him anywhere. Is he waiting to pounce you? You continue looking around carefully.

Halfway to the ceiling (it seems) a shiny surface ledge runs like a pathway, over a shorter box and connects to the tallest one. It's wider than the ledge in your place. In the middle of the floor is a large brown circle held up by four legs. Underneath it are two smaller versions, with one pulled away from the other. You wind your way around these things and quickly smell what their names are. The large thing is called a table. The smaller things are called chairs (one is His and the other is guest). The names seem strong, but dull. You hope He doesn't name you any of those names.

You hear the sound of grooming coming from somewhere nearby.
action: You jump up
response: You must name something more substantial.

You hear the sound of a cat scratching itself and know that it must be Goodcat/Badcat.
action: You jump on the table
response: That's too far away. You ponder jumping to something closer instead.
action: You jump on the chair
response: What do you want to jump on: the guest chair or His chair?
action: Guest
response: You don't think you'll make it, but you go for it anyways. YOW! You bop your head on the underside of the table and spend a few moments wincing away the pain.

You hear the sound of a cat scratching itself and know that it must be Goodcat/Badcat.
action: You jump on the table
response: That's too far away. You ponder jumping to something closer instead.

You hear the sound of a cat scratching itself and know that it must be Goodcat/Badcat.
action: You jump on his chair
response: You agilely leap upwards into the chair.

You hear the sound of a cat scratching itself and know that it must be Goodcat/Badcat.
action: You jump on the table
response: You easily jump up on the table, your claws clutching the threaded surface.

This is a small place, a little bit larger than the soft place but not as large as the place around it. If you ran around here, you'd definitely fall off the edges. The floor feels like a bunch of string, tightly wound together and it is arranged in colors and in patterns of things you don't recognize. From here, you can see a shiny surface you could easily jump to, and you can view most of the room and the next room over, which pulls your kittenish heart with what looks like large and soft beds. Taking a quick sniff, you realize that this area is used for eating food, but there is no food here now. You also realize the names of the two objects on the table, and your interest is piqued.

You can see a phone and a remote here.
action: You jump on counter
response: That doesn't look far away. You take a quick look and with a little jump you land safely on the countertop.

From up here, you can see the entire shiny place. It makes you feel powerful and important, like perhaps you controlled the whole area and had a few cat soldiers to do your bidding as well. If it was softer and not so narrow, it would make a great bed. From here, you can jump up to the metal box. The most distinctive smell is the scent of Goodcat/Badcat. He is near.
action: You give the sock to the Cat
response: Goodcat/Badcat sniffs the air and then sniffs the sock, taking his time to inhale all of its scents. He looks thoughtful for a moment and then rubs you, pressing into your fur one of his secrets. Fascinated, you ponder all the fun you'll have when you chew off a piece of meat-bread and leave it behind the vibrating box for twenty suns so that you too can have a smelly play toy!

You feel like you have achieved something particularly kittenish.
action: You talk to the Cat
response: You're not sure how you talk with another cat, after all, your only memories are hazy and indistinct ones of your littermates and mom. So you try talking to Goodcat/Badcat like you were talking to Him. You let out a curious "Meowr". His eyes fix upon you.

Suddenly a loud ringing sound comes from the table and it startles you a foot into the air.
action: Hi
response: There is no reply.

The phone on the table nearby rings, and it's loud!
action: Mew
response: You're not sure how you talk with another cat, after all, your only memories are hazy and indistinct ones of your littermates and mom. So you try talking to Goodcat/Badcat like you were talking to Him. You let out a curious "Meowr". His eyes fix upon you.

The phone on the table nearby rings, and it's loud!
action: You jump on the counter
response: You jump down and land on the countertop with a noticeable "thud".

From up here, you can see the entire shiny place. Only the refrigerator top gives a better view. It makes you feel powerful and important, like perhaps you controlled the whole area and had a few cat soldiers to do your bidding as well. If it was softer and not so narrow, it would make a great bed. From here, you can jump up to the metal box. The most distinctive smell is the scent of Goodcat/Badcat. He is near.

The phone on the table nearby rings, and it's loud!
action: You jump on table
response: You span the distance with a soft jump and skid to a stop on the table.

This is a small place, a little bit larger than the soft place but not as large as the place around it. If you ran around here, you'd definitely fall off the edges. The floor feels like a bunch of string, tightly wound together and it is arranged in colors and in patterns of things you don't recognize. From here, you can see a shiny surface you could easily jump to, and you can view most of the room and the next room over, which pulls your kittenish heart with what looks like large and soft beds. Taking a quick sniff, you realize that this area is used for eating food, but there is no food here now.

You can see a phone and a remote here.

The phone rings right beside you. It's loud!

Suddenly but thankfully, the phone stops ringing.
action: You look at the phone
response: A curvy thing on a square thing that He uses for talking to people when they are not here. You're not sure how that works, but you know by sniffing it that that's what He does. Goodcat/Badcat says that it can be annoyingly loud.
action: You jump on the chair
response: What do you want to jump on: the guest chair or His chair?
action: His
response: You gracefully jump down into the chair.

You hear the sound of a cat scratching itself and know that it must be Goodcat/Badcat.
action: You jump down
response: You don't see how to do that from where you are.

You hear the sound of grooming coming from somewhere nearby.
action: Go downward
response: You don't see how to do that from where you are.

You hear the sound of a cat scratching itself and know that it must be Goodcat/Badcat.
action: You look
response: Kitchen (on His chair)
Here enormous metal boxes reach upward from a shiny floor that you can skid across if you run fast enough and suddenly stop. The tallest box is cold, vibrates, and smells like food! The shorter boxes also smell like food, but not as strongly. The whole area smells like trees -- a fresh, outdoors kind of scent, which doesn't make sense, because this is indoors.

Halfway to the ceiling (it seems) a shiny surface ledge runs like a pathway, over a shorter box and connects to the tallest one. It's wider than the ledge in your place. In the middle of the floor the brown table towers over you. The guest chair sits underneath it, and His chair is nearby.
action: You jump on the table
response: You easily jump up on the table, your claws clutching the threaded surface.

This is a small place, a little bit larger than the soft place but not as large as the place around it. If you ran around here, you'd definitely fall off the edges. The floor feels like a bunch of string, tightly wound together and it is arranged in colors and in patterns of things you don't recognize. From here, you can see a shiny surface you could easily jump to, and you can view most of the room and the next room over, which pulls your kittenish heart with what looks like large and soft beds. Taking a quick sniff, you realize that this area is used for eating food, but there is no food here now.

You can see a phone and a remote here.
action: You jump down
response: After a few moments of weightless falling and the rude impact, you are once again walking around on the shiny floor.

Here enormous metal boxes reach upward from a shiny floor that you can skid across if you run fast enough and suddenly stop. The tallest box is cold, vibrates, and smells like food! The shorter boxes also smell like food, but not as strongly. The whole area smells like trees -- a fresh, outdoors kind of scent, which doesn't make sense, because this is indoors.

Halfway to the ceiling (it seems) a shiny surface ledge runs like a pathway, over a shorter box and connects to the tallest one. It's wider than the ledge in your place. In the middle of the floor the brown table towers over you. The guest chair sits underneath it, and His chair is nearby.

You hear the sound of a cat scratching itself and know that it must be Goodcat/Badcat.
action: B.
response: Just behind you, the shiny and slippery floor begins and the large shiny things sit. The opposite way, you see softer but equally large things, but also a plant that sits in what looks like a square water bowl. The carpet is soft and it leads to your right, but to your left is the stringy ow that you'll have to climb to get over.

The tall stringy gate bars progress to your left.
action: You climb the gate
response: You clamber over the gate again, quickly, but not silently.

The hall from in front of you ends here at a soft ow about half as tall as an ordinary ow. This ow is made of crossed strings and you can see through it; beyond are shiny tall metal boxes, almost taller than Him, on a shiny floor. You instinctively sniff the ow. Goodcat/Badcat has left a scent message that welcomes you to his world if you can get over the ow. He calls it something rather impolite.

The tall stringy gate bars progress behind you.
action: Look around
response: This room is darker than the others, and a whole plethora of scents rush out to find you. You take a moment perched on the threshold to decipher what they all mean. The first smell smells like He does sometimes -- like growing things, like the outside. It's too strong for you and it causes your nose to wrinkle involuntarily. The next strongest smell is a fresh, clean smell that must be some kind of water. You know by the third smell that this is His place, because He has marked it. Mixed in with that territorial odor are lesser notes that smell like all sorts of yummy things. You're so glad he marked the area so you'd know where they are! It's odd, though. You look around but don't see a litterbox anywhere.

Instead, off to the right you see what looks like a very long water bowl. It has sides so you can jump up on it and take look inside. It smells like that water smell. Opposite it is a giant white chair that is hollow in the middle, where the territorial smell and the yummy smells come from. You could jump up on it, too. Right beside you are wooden boxes, and on top of them is a tall dark window.

Wait! There's something in the window. Your hackles rise and your fur poofs out. It's another cat, the same size as you!
action: You jump on the toilet
response: (the toilet)
With feline agility, you leap up to the deep water bowl.

You are halfway between the dark window and the floor, perched on the white chair. It's not soft, but it is fairly slick. The wonderful smells rise up from the hollow center, down in the water. You see above you a wide ledge that runs underneath the window. You could easily jump to it, or jump down to the bathroom floor.
action: Drink water
response: You're not thirsty, but you can't pass this opportunity up -- the smells are too interesting. Carefully you lower yourself into the toilet and take ten deep laps of the water. Then you pull yourself back up on the rim and luxuriate in the taste of tea, yogurt, and submarine sandwiches. You're thankful again that He was so kind to mark the area so that you'd know to find it.

You feel like you have achieved something particularly kittenish.
action: You jump down
response: You jump down to the tiled floor below with matchless ease.

The hallway light provides the only light in this dark room. Your eyes adjust and your nose comes alive with the many different scents inside. The first smell smells like He does sometimes -- like growing things, like the outside. It's too strong for you and it causes your nose to wrinkle involuntarily. The next strongest smell is a fresh, clean smell that must be some kind of water. You know by the third smell that this is His place, because He has marked it. Mixed in with that territorial odor are lesser notes that smell like all sorts of yummy things. You're so glad he marked the area so you'd know where they are! It's odd, though. You look around but don't see a litterbox anywhere.

Instead, off to the right you see what looks like a very long water bowl. It has sides so you can jump up on it and take look inside. It smells like that water smell. Opposite it is a giant white chair that is hollow in the middle, where the territorial smell and the yummy smells come from. You could jump up on it, too. Right beside you are wooden boxes, and on top of them is a tall dark window.

The other cat mimics your motions, her eyes fixed on you. You'll have to respond to her challenge somehow.
action: You jump on the tub
response: You're a bit hesitant to jump where you can't see, so you jump up on the surrounding ledge instead.

You are perched uncomfortably on the narrow ledge around the  tub. The surface beneath you is hard and damp, and that clean water smell comes from all around you. You can either enter the tub, or jump down back into the bathroom.
action: You jump down
response: You jump down with a faint "oof".

The hallway light provides the only light in this dark room. Your eyes adjust and your nose comes alive with the many different scents inside. The first smell smells like He does sometimes -- like growing things, like the outside. It's too strong for you and it causes your nose to wrinkle involuntarily. The next strongest smell is a fresh, clean smell that must be some kind of water. You know by the third smell that this is His place, because He has marked it. Mixed in with that territorial odor are lesser notes that smell like all sorts of yummy things. You're so glad he marked the area so you'd know where they are! It's odd, though. You look around but don't see a litterbox anywhere.

Instead, off to the right you see the tub. It has sides so you can jump up on it and take look inside. It smells like that water smell. Opposite it is a giant white chair that is hollow in the middle, where the territorial smell and the yummy smells come from. You could jump up on it, too. Right beside you are wooden boxes, and on top of them is a tall dark window.

The other cat mimics your motions, her eyes fixed on you. You'll have to respond to her challenge somehow.
action: Paw Cat
response: You can't quite reach her. She seems to be on the other side of the window. She can't quite reach you, either.
action: You groom yourself
response: You feel clean and smell like yourself. You don't see the need to groom yourself right now.
action: Meow
response: You let out a bloodcurdling meow of warning, but she doesn't respond. Her mouth moves, but no sound comes out.
action: Smell Cat
response: You lean your nose in to smell her and she does the exact same thing. Then you realize what seemed so strange about all of this: you never once smelled her. How can she have no scent and no voice? What sort of cat is that? You realize, too, that she only does what you do. If you stop, she stops; if you groom yourself, she grooms herself; if you blink, she blinks. She does whatever you do because she is you, somehow. Only not you and only in the dark window. It's weird, but you're glad you're not a human and have to deal with such complexities.

You feel like you have achieved something particularly kittenish.
action: You examine the sink
response: It's a bowl that's part of the ledge. It's damp, empty, and smells of his breath and some sort of fresh plant.
action: You jump down
response: You raise and lower your head a few times, estimating the distance. On a whim, you decide to go for it and you jump down. It takes you a moment to get your breath back.

The hallway light provides the only light in this dark room. Your eyes adjust and your nose comes alive with the many different scents inside. The first smell smells like He does sometimes -- like growing things, like the outside. It's too strong for you and it causes your nose to wrinkle involuntarily. The next strongest smell is a fresh, clean smell that must be some kind of water. You know by the third smell that this is His place, because He has marked it. Mixed in with that territorial odor are lesser notes that smell like all sorts of yummy things. You're so glad he marked the area so you'd know where they are! It's odd, though. You look around but don't see a litterbox anywhere.

Instead, off to the right you see the tub. It has sides so you can jump up on it and take look inside. It smells like that water smell. Opposite it is a giant white chair that is hollow in the middle, where the territorial smell and the yummy smells come from. You could jump up on it, too. Right beside you are wooden boxes, and on top of them is a tall dark window.

You see your reflection peeking down at you from the window, green eyes glowing in the dark.
action: Back
response: You feel more relaxed.

The long room ends here at an ow with one room on either side. The one in front of you has sun filtering in through slats that make you want to rest in its warm spaces and play with the shadows. The room behind you is dark and presents several different smells relating to water. The ows seem really tall here and you feel fenced in and nervous.
action: R.
response: You can go to your left down the hall, in front of you to the dark room, or behind you to the sunny room.
action: You look at your surroundings
response: You turn to face to your left and bound away.

Halfway down the hall, the non-solid mow has slats from the top to the bottom, like what is on the window in your place. It has a wonderful fresh smell that makes you want to lie down and go to sleep, if only there were something soft enough to sleep on. The solid mow on the opposite side greets you with a welcoming and familiar scent from between it and the floor. You would know it anywhere -- it is Him. He is not here, but beyond is surely His lair.
action: R.
response: Here enormous metal boxes reach upward from a shiny floor that you can skid across if you run fast enough and suddenly stop. The tallest box is cold, vibrates, and smells like food! The shorter boxes also smell like food, but not as strongly. The whole area smells like trees -- a fresh, outdoors kind of scent, which doesn't make sense, because this is indoors.

Halfway to the ceiling (it seems) a shiny surface ledge runs like a pathway, over a shorter box and connects to the tallest one. It's wider than the ledge in your place. In the middle of the floor the brown table towers over you. The guest chair sits underneath it, and His chair is nearby.
action: You jump on his
response: You agilely leap upwards into the chair.

You hear the sound of grooming coming from somewhere nearby.
action: You jump on the table
response: You easily jump up on the table, your claws clutching the threaded surface.

This is a small place, a little bit larger than the soft place but not as large as the place around it. If you ran around here, you'd definitely fall off the edges. The floor feels like a bunch of string, tightly wound together and it is arranged in colors and in patterns of things you don't recognize. From here, you can see a shiny surface you could easily jump to, and you can view most of the room and the next room over, which pulls your kittenish heart with what looks like large and soft beds. Taking a quick sniff, you realize that this area is used for eating food, but there is no food here now.

You can see a phone and a remote here.
action: You jump on the counter
response: That doesn't look far away. You take a quick look and with a little jump you land safely on the countertop.

From up here, you can see the entire shiny place. Only the refrigerator top gives a better view. It makes you feel powerful and important, like perhaps you controlled the whole area and had a few cat soldiers to do your bidding as well. If it was softer and not so narrow, it would make a great bed. From here, you can jump up to the metal box. The most distinctive smell is the scent of Goodcat/Badcat. He is near.
action: You jump on the ftop
response: You leap up to the top with the greatest of ease.

You are on top of the cold metal cube, better known as "refrigerator" and "Goodcat/Badcat's lair". Strangely, it is not cold here, but fairly cozy with the faint smell of food. You can see why he chose this location for a lair. You think you'd probably have done the same.

You can see Goodcat/Badcat here.

Goodcat/Badcat seems to be considering your actions carefully.
action: You stare at the Cat
response: He draws back and gives you a withering look as though you had the manners of a canine.
action: You watch the Cat
response: You look at him and you feel his eyes staring a hole through yours. He seems angry; you feel decidedly nervous.
action: You wait
response: Goodcat/Badcat seems to be considering your actions carefully.

Time passes.
action: You examine the kitchen
response: (the kitchen floor)
It's shiny and smooth, but it gives you just enough to grip on. You skid occasionally when you stop suddenly, but you don't glide.
action: You jump on the counter
response: You jump down and land on the countertop with a noticeable "thud".

From up here, you can see the entire shiny place. Only the refrigerator top gives a better view. It makes you feel powerful and important, like perhaps you controlled the whole area and had a few cat soldiers to do your bidding as well. If it was softer and not so narrow, it would make a great bed. From here, you can jump up to the metal box. The most distinctive smell is the scent of Goodcat/Badcat. He is near.
action: You jump on the table
response: You span the distance with a soft jump and skid to a stop on the table.

This is a small place, a little bit larger than the soft place but not as large as the place around it. If you ran around here, you'd definitely fall off the edges. The floor feels like a bunch of string, tightly wound together and it is arranged in colors and in patterns of things you don't recognize. From here, you can see a shiny surface you could easily jump to, and you can view most of the room and the next room over, which pulls your kittenish heart with what looks like large and soft beds. Taking a quick sniff, you realize that this area is used for eating food, but there is no food here now.

You can see a phone and a remote here.

The phone right next to you suddenly starts Ringing VeRy LOUDLY. You almost involuntarily leap off the table in surprise.
action: You get the remote
response: You already have the sock in your mouth!

The phone rings right beside you. It's loud!
action: You jump on the counter
response: That doesn't look far away. You take a quick look and with a little jump you land safely on the countertop.

From up here, you can see the entire shiny place. Only the refrigerator top gives a better view. It makes you feel powerful and important, like perhaps you controlled the whole area and had a few cat soldiers to do your bidding as well. If it was softer and not so narrow, it would make a great bed. From here, you can jump up to the metal box. The most distinctive smell is the scent of Goodcat/Badcat. He is near.

An artificial voice from the phone on the table repeats itself with strange quiet parts between.
action: You jump on ftop
response: You leap up to the top with the greatest of ease.

You are on top of the cold metal cube, better known as "refrigerator" and "Goodcat/Badcat's lair". Strangely, it is not cold here, but fairly cozy with the faint smell of food. You can see why he chose this location for a lair. You think you'd probably have done the same.

You can see Goodcat/Badcat here.

Goodcat/Badcat seems to be considering your actions carefully.

An artificial voice from the phone on the table repeats itself with strange quiet parts between.
action: Wave tail
response: But you aren't holding you.

An artificial voice from the phone on the table repeats itself with strange quiet parts between.
action: You drop the sock
response: He studiously ignores you.

A horrible grating sound comes out of the phone on the table! Goodcat/Badcat makes a disgusted face and his baleful eyes blame you.
action: You take the sock
response: You already have the sock in your mouth!
action: You give the sock to the Cat
response: He studiously ignores you.

The awful grating sound stops and the phone is silent once again. Goodcat/Badcat exhales loudly and fixes you with an expression that clearly communicates, "Let's not do that again, shall we?" You feel embarrassed but relieved.
action: You check your inventory
response: You are carrying:
a sock
action: You jump on the counter
response: You jump down and land on the countertop with a noticeable "thud".

From up here, you can see the entire shiny place. Only the refrigerator top gives a better view. It makes you feel powerful and important, like perhaps you controlled the whole area and had a few cat soldiers to do your bidding as well. If it was softer and not so narrow, it would make a great bed. From here, you can jump up to the metal box. The most distinctive smell is the scent of Goodcat/Badcat. He is near.
action: You jump on the table
response: You span the distance with a soft jump and skid to a stop on the table.

This is a small place, a little bit larger than the soft place but not as large as the place around it. If you ran around here, you'd definitely fall off the edges. The floor feels like a bunch of string, tightly wound together and it is arranged in colors and in patterns of things you don't recognize. From here, you can see a shiny surface you could easily jump to, and you can view most of the room and the next room over, which pulls your kittenish heart with what looks like large and soft beds. Taking a quick sniff, you realize that this area is used for eating food, but there is no food here now.

You can see a phone and a remote here.
action: You jump down
response: After a few moments of weightless falling and the rude impact, you are once again walking around on the shiny floor.

Here enormous metal boxes reach upward from a shiny floor that you can skid across if you run fast enough and suddenly stop. The tallest box is cold, vibrates, and smells like food! The shorter boxes also smell like food, but not as strongly. The whole area smells like trees -- a fresh, outdoors kind of scent, which doesn't make sense, because this is indoors.

Halfway to the ceiling (it seems) a shiny surface ledge runs like a pathway, over a shorter box and connects to the tallest one. It's wider than the ledge in your place. In the middle of the floor the brown table towers over you. The guest chair sits underneath it, and His chair is nearby.

You hear the sound of grooming coming from somewhere nearby.
action: R.
response: The carpet ends here at a mow like the one that leads out of your place. You're not sure how He manages to open these things, but He must be strong. This mow looks a lot like the shiny floor, actually; it looks like it is made up of different tiles, all different colors. Sniffing the edges, you realize that it is a gateway to the outside. Images of grass, bright sunshine, concern, danger, and burden roll over you and you think that the outside is a fearful but wonderful place, and amazingly large. You also smell a distinctively female scent, like flowers, but far too strong; yet it is similar to Him. It is the scent of his littermate, the one he calls "sister" and "Emily".
action: B.
response: You turn to face behind you and bound away.

Just to your left, the shiny and slippery floor begins and the large shiny things sit. The opposite way, you see softer but equally large things, but also a plant that sits in what looks like a square water bowl. The carpet is soft and it leads behind you, but in front of you is the stringy ow that you'll have to climb to get over.

The tall stringy gate bars progress in front of you.
action: R.
response: This is a comfortable room that also has strange things in it. The carpet gets very thick and comfortable in the middle of the room and it changes colors too. A narrow cloth bed (it looks like your bed, but it is so large that it must be for Him) touches the hall and beyond it is a wide cloth bed. They look soft and you can't wait to get your paws on them. Far away is a mow through which you can see the outside. Beside it is a plant that grows in a tall water dish. Near the plant there is a large black shiny square and a frozen bug on top of it, and beside the narrow bed is a puffy ball held in place by some kind of stick. The smells here fuse into one onrush of aroma that makes you feel relaxed and at home. You can't wait to smell each thing and find out how it got here and what Goodcat/Badcat has to say.
action: Smell tv
response: The square has a scent history that tells you about the people that made it, but they are all far away. He doesn't often touch it and Goodcat/Badcat indicates that this is useful for distracting other humans.
action: You examine remote
response: A black bar about half as long as you are, filled with a lot of buttons. It's obviously made for hands like His as the buttons are too small for you to push individually.
action: You look at the tv
response: It's a large black square, although it's also pretty shiny. You're too far away to note much else.
action: Smell the sofa
response: You smell nothing particularly interesting.

The house settles and creaks, giving you a start.
action: You look under the sofa
response: You look under it, but only see the floor.
action: You look
response: This is a comfortable room that also has strange things in it. The carpet gets very thick and comfortable in the middle of the room and it changes colors too. A narrow cloth bed (it looks like your bed, but it is so large that it must be for Him) touches the hall and beyond it is a wide cloth bed. Far away is a mow through which you can see the outside. Beside it is a plant that grows in a tall water dish. Near the plant there is a large black shiny square and a frozen bug on top of it, and beside the narrow bed is a puffy ball held in place by some kind of stick. The smells here fuse into one onrush of aroma that makes you feel relaxed and at home.
action: Smell ball
response: You try to reach it, but it's too high up. Maybe if you were in the narrow bed.
action: You jump on bed
response: What do you want to jump on: the sofa or the love seat?
action: Narrow
response: You jump on the smaller springy-soft bed (this is a "love seat") and luxuriate in how it feels on your paws. You sniff around. There are several stories here, but they are simple ones. This place is one of Goodcat/Badcat's favorites. He was here earlier in the day and was feeling gassy. He thinks he shouldn't have eaten that crunchy thing he found under the tall vibrating box. There is that smell of Emily, again! She was visiting yesterday and was concerned that He had no offspring. She seems to think that He is too immature. You immediately think ill of her and want to show Her that He does have offspring -- you!
action: You examine the ball
response: It's a curiously large bumpy ball with some kind of wooden stick holding it up. You sniff it and smell its papery, dusty kind of smell that reminds you of old things. It was put together with a lot of care and attention by men who wear lenses in front of their eyes.
action: You jump on the ball
response: You jump on it for a moment, but quickly tire of the one-sided play.
action: Smell ball
response: The globe smells like Him, as He has touched it many times, and you can tell that He longs to go to faraway places. The globe also smells like the forest and some kind of paper made from trees. The forest is not right outside, but it is one near to here.
action: Turn ball
response: [You can turn around, or you can turn left or right.]
action: Rub globe
response: You idly rub against it and let the world know that you were here.

From right outside, you hear what sounds like a storm -- a rumbling, grumbling, coughing sound. You look around for somewhere to hide, but before you can find a place, it's over. Then you hear a slamming like the mow when He leaves and right before He sees you. Is He coming back?
action: Describe the surroundings
response: You can only go behind you.
action: B.
response: Without visiting the large soft bed? You promise yourself that you will get your paws on it sometime today.

(first getting off the love seat)
Edge of Kitchen
Just in front of you, the shiny and slippery floor begins and the large shiny things sit. The opposite way, you see softer but equally large things, but also a plant that sits in what looks like a square water bowl. The carpet is soft and it leads to your left, but to your right is the stringy ow that you'll have to climb to get over.

The tall stringy gate bars progress to your right.
action: B.
response: This is a comfortable room that also has strange things in it. The carpet gets very thick and comfortable in the middle of the room and it changes colors too. A narrow cloth bed (it looks like your bed, but it is so large that it must be for Him) touches the hall and beyond it is a wide cloth bed. Far away is a mow through which you can see the outside. Beside it is a plant that grows in a tall water dish. Near the plant there is a large black shiny square and a frozen bug on top of it, and beside the narrow bed is a puffy ball held in place by some kind of stick. The smells here fuse into one onrush of aroma that makes you feel relaxed and at home.

You hear some kind of metallic scratching sound and then you see the mow in the tiled area open. There He is! He shuts the mow, puts down His bag and greets Goodcat/Badcat. You meow energetically to let him know that you are here.

He discovers you and picks you up. He strokes kindly you as He walks through the house, laughing at all the things you have done. "You are quite the little explorer, aren't you?" he asks. You purr. "That effort deserves nothing less than a name!" He holds you high in the air and then triumphantly christens you, "Isabella. Yes, Isabella is your name." You nuzzle your face into his arms, turning the name around and around in your mind. Isabella. It's a good name, well, as good as humans get at these things, you think. You beam up at Him as He carries you.

*** The End ***

In that game you scored 7 out of a possible 20, in 170 turns.
action: %
response: I do not have a name, but I think that someday soon I will. I have heard Him talk many times of other things that have names, things like Mom, Dad, Emily, Stuart, God. So I think I will have a name someday soon, although I do not know how I get a name. Is it something I have to do? Is there somewhere I have to go? All I know is that for now, He calls me just one thing: Cat.

You live in a nice soft place inside a bigger space that has three ows, and one moveable ow. You call these things ows because they hurt when you run into them, and the moving ow (mow) only He can move. The soft place is where you sleep and it smells like you. Outside the soft space is where He puts the food and water. The food is ok, but the milk you used to have was much better. You wonder if He could get some of that again.

He always shuts the mow, but today he has left it open. You do not know what is beyond it, except what you have heard him talk about. There is another thing called GoodCat/BadCat. It must have another name as well, because it was here when you got here, but it is far away and when He talks to it, you can only hear GoodCat or BadCat. You must be related, because you both are called Cat.

You have always wondered where He goes when He closes the mow and what lies beyond it. "Could there be even more mows and ows? Could my place be just one place inside a much bigger place? I want to find out. Maybe if I find out, I can get a name," you think.

[If this is your first time playing, type "ABOUT".]
action: Abcd
response: Restore failed.
action: You look at the ows
response: They smell new and are dabbed with white. They run pretty far to your right and a shorter distance to your left.
action: You examine the mow
response: What do you want to examine: the solid mow or the slatted mow?
action: You pull the white thing
response: You reach out for it and snag it in your claws; surprised, you pull back and pull it out into the room. You smell it more carefully and know that He put this on his paw two suns ago, had circular meat-bread for dinner, and generally felt happy. You remember that day. The covering itself is soft and yet stretchy. He calls this "sock". You look at it curiously, trying to understand why He needs a covering for his paws.

kittenish.
action: You smell it
response: You smell it more carefully and know that He put this on his paw two suns ago, had circular meat-bread for dinner, and generally felt happy. You remember that day. The covering itself is white and soft, yet stretchy. You look at it curiously, trying to understand why He needs a covering for his paws.
action: You describe your surroundings
response: Your Place surrounds the soft place. It's much bigger and it is soft on your feet, but not as soft as the soft place. You can run around here but the three ows stop you. Nothing has changed from this morning when He left -- the food dish, the water bowl, the sandbox, and the ledge are in their same places and they smell the same. The most interesting thing, though, is the mow. It's wide open behind you.
action: R.
response: You can go behind you back to New Hall.
action: Look around
response: This room is darker than the others, and a whole plethora of scents rush out to find you. You take a moment perched on the threshold to decipher what they all mean. The first smell smells like He does sometimes -- like growing things, like the outside. It's too strong for you and it causes your nose to wrinkle involuntarily. The next strongest smell is a fresh, clean smell that must be some kind of water. You know by the third smell that this is His place, because He has marked it. Mixed in with that territorial odor are lesser notes that smell like all sorts of yummy things. You're so glad he marked the area so you'd know where they are! It's odd, though. You look around but don't see a litterbox anywhere.

Instead, off to the right you see what looks like a very long water bowl. It has sides so you can jump up on it and take look inside. It smells like that water smell. Opposite it is a fat water bowl, where the territorial smell and the yummy smells come from. You could jump up on it, too. Right beside you are wooden boxes, and on top of them is a tall dark window.

Wait! There's something in the window. Your hackles rise and your fur poofs out. It's another cat, the same size as you!
action: You jump on the bowl
response: With feline agility, you leap up to the deep water bowl.

You are halfway between the dark window and the floor, perched on the fat water bowl. It's not soft, but it is fairly slick. The wonderful smells rise up from the hollow center, down in the water. You see above you a wide ledge that runs underneath the window. You could easily jump to it, or jump down to the bathroom floor.
action: Drink water
response: You're not thirsty, but you can't pass this opportunity up -- the smells are too interesting. Carefully you lower yourself into the toilet and take ten deep laps of the water. Then you pull yourself back up on the rim and luxuriate in the taste of tea, yogurt, and submarine sandwiches. You're thankful again that He was so kind to mark the area so that you'd know to find it.

kittenish.
action: Smell mirror
response: You lean your nose in to smell her and she does the exact same thing. Then you realize what seemed so strange about all of this: you never once smelled her. How can she have no scent and no voice? What sort of cat is that? You realize, too, that she only does what you do. If you stop, she stops; if you groom yourself, she grooms herself; if you blink, she blinks. She does whatever you do because she is you, somehow. Only not you and only in the dark window. It's weird, but you're glad you're not a human and have to deal with such complexities.

kittenish.
action: Go downwards
response: You can jump down, back to the bathroom, or you can jump to the fat water bowl.
action: You examine the stripe
response: What do you want to examine: brown stripe or green stripe?
action: Go down
response: You jump artfully to the floor and land on all four paws.
action: F.
response: The hallway light provides the only light in this dark room. Your eyes adjust and your nose comes alive with the many different scents inside. The first smell smells like He does sometimes -- like growing things, like the outside. It's too strong for you and it causes your nose to wrinkle involuntarily. The next strongest smell is a fresh, clean smell that must be some kind of water. You know by the third smell that this is His place, because He has marked it. Mixed in with that territorial odor are lesser notes that smell like all sorts of yummy things. You're so glad he marked the area so you'd know where they are! It's odd, though. You look around but don't see a litterbox anywhere.

Instead, off to the right you see what looks like a very long water bowl. It has sides so you can jump up on it and take look inside. It smells like that water smell. Opposite it is a fat water bowl, where the territorial smell and the yummy smells come from. You could jump up on it, too. Right beside you are wooden boxes, and on top of them is a tall dark window.

You see your reflection peeking down at you from the window, green eyes glowing in the dark.
action: You look around
response: You turn to face to your left and bound away.

Halfway down the hall, the non-solid mow has slats from the top to the bottom, like what is on the window in your place. It has a wonderful fresh smell that makes you want to lie down and go to sleep, if only there were something soft enough to sleep on. The solid mow on the opposite side greets you with a welcoming and familiar scent from between it and the floor. You would know it anywhere -- it is Him. He is not here, but beyond is surely His lair.

The house settles and creaks, giving you a start.
action: You climb the gate
response: You bound to the gate, spring upwards, and latch your claws into the material. Then, putting one paw in front of another, you climb up to the top of the gate and leap gracefully down. You turn and look behind you, your tail crooked, feeling proud of yourself.

Just to your right, the shiny and slippery floor begins and the large shiny things sit. The opposite way, you see softer but equally large things, but also a plant that sits in what looks like a square water bowl. The carpet is soft and it leads in front of you, but behind you is the stringy ow that you'll have to climb to get over.

The tall stringy gate bars progress behind you.

kittenish.
action: You examine the bed
response: What do you want to examine: the sofa or the love seat?
action: You jump on the sofa
response: You jump up on the large springy-soft bed (what they call a "sofa") and love how it feels on your paws -- so soft! You sniff around and are startled by all the big cats that have sat here and their stories. It takes you several sniffs to make them all out. Apparently He sits here when he is tired; He sat here yesterday. He also sat here two days ago (the day of the big noise) with Barry, and they talked about far-away places. Barry wants to romance his broodmate, but won't tell Him. Then there is the scent of an older big cat, who must be very wise, because he gives knowledge to others all day. He seems to be related to Him, but you're not clear how. He's not a mother or a littermate.
action: You look at the plant
response: It looks like a rather large plant sitting in a bowl of dark dirt. It has a lot of green leaves and it reaches almost as high as the black square!
action: You examine the square
response: It's a large black square, although it's also pretty shiny. When you walk by it, you see something blurry moving inside it, but you can't smell what it is. The square has a scent history that tells you about the people that made it, but they are all far away. He doesn't often touch it and Goodcat/Badcat indicates that this is useful for distracting other humans.
action: You jump on the plant
response: You jump on it for a moment, but quickly tire of the one-sided play.
action: Poop
response: You can't even imagine how much trouble you'd get into if you did that. Besides, you've already gone in the sandbox this morning.
action: You go downwards
response: You spring down to the floor.
action: You jump on the seat
response: You jump on the smaller springy-soft bed (this is a "love seat") and luxuriate in how it feels on your paws. You sniff around. There are several stories here, but they are simple ones. This place is one of Goodcat/Badcat's favorites. He was here earlier in the day and was feeling gassy. He thinks he shouldn't have eaten that crunchy thing he found under the tall vibrating box. There is the scent left by His littermate; She was visiting yesterday and was concerned that He had no offspring. She seems to think that He is too immature. You immediately think ill of her and want to show Her that He does have offspring -- you!
action: You look at the globe
response: It's a curiously large bumpy ball with some kind of wooden stick holding it up. You sniff it and smell its papery, dusty kind of smell that reminds you of old things. It was put together with a lot of care and attention by men who wear lenses in front of their eyes.
action: You rub it
response: You idly rub against it and let the world know that you were here.

Suddenly a loud ringing sound comes from somewhere nearby and it startles you a foot into the air.
action: Go downward
response: You spring down to the floor.

You hear a ringing sound. It's pretty loud, and it's coming from nearby.
action: B.
response: Just in front of you, the shiny and slippery floor begins and the large shiny things sit. The opposite way, you see softer but equally large things, but also a plant that sits in what looks like a square water bowl. The carpet is soft and it leads to your left, but to your right is the stringy ow that you'll have to climb to get over.

The tall stringy gate bars progress to your right.

You hear a ringing sound. It's pretty loud, and it's coming from nearby.
action: F.
response: Here enormous metal boxes reach upward from a shiny floor that you can skid across if you run fast enough and suddenly stop. The tallest box is cold, vibrates, and smells like food! The shorter boxes also smell like food, but not as strongly. The whole area smells like trees -- a fresh, outdoors kind of scent, which doesn't make sense, because this is indoors. Goodcat/Badcat is in this room; his scent is strong. You whip your head around but don't see him anywhere. Is he waiting to pounce you? You continue looking around carefully.

Halfway to the ceiling (it seems) a shiny surface ledge runs like a pathway, over a shorter box and connects to the tallest one. It's wider than the ledge in your place. In the middle of the floor is a large brown circle held up by four legs. Underneath it are two smaller versions, with one pulled away from the other. You wind your way around these things and quickly smell what their names are. The large thing is called a table. The smaller things are called chairs (one is His and the other is guest). The names seem strong, but dull. You hope He doesn't name you any of those names.

You hear the sound of a cat scratching itself and know that it must be Goodcat/Badcat.

The phone on the table nearby rings, and it's loud!
action: You jump on his chair
response: You agilely leap upwards into the chair.

You hear the sound of a cat scratching itself and know that it must be Goodcat/Badcat.

The phone on the table nearby rings, and it's loud!
action: You jump on the table
response: You easily jump up on the table, your claws clutching the threaded surface.

This is a small place, a little bit larger than the soft place but not as large as the place around it. If you ran around here, you'd definitely fall off the edges. The floor feels like a bunch of string, tightly wound together and it is arranged in colors and in patterns of things you don't recognize. From here, you can see a shiny surface you could easily jump to, and you can view most of the room and the next room over, which pulls your kittenish heart with what looks like large and soft beds. Taking a quick sniff, you realize that this area is used for eating food, but there is no food here now. You also realize the names of the two objects on the table, and your interest is piqued.

You can see a phone and a remote here.

The phone rings right beside you. It's loud!

Suddenly but thankfully, the phone stops ringing.
action: Go down
response: You spring down to the floor.

Suddenly a loud ringing sound comes from somewhere nearby and it startles you a foot into the air.
action: B.
response: Just in front of you, the shiny and slippery floor begins and the large shiny things sit. The opposite way, you see softer but equally large things, but also a plant that sits in what looks like a square water bowl. The carpet is soft and it leads to your left, but to your right is the stringy ow that you'll have to climb to get over.

The tall stringy gate bars progress to your right.

You hear a ringing sound. It's pretty loud, and it's coming from nearby.
action: F.
response: Here enormous metal boxes reach upward from a shiny floor that you can skid across if you run fast enough and suddenly stop. The tallest box is cold, vibrates, and smells like food! The shorter boxes also smell like food, but not as strongly. The whole area smells like trees -- a fresh, outdoors kind of scent, which doesn't make sense, because this is indoors. Goodcat/Badcat is in this room; his scent is strong. You whip your head around but don't see him anywhere. Is he waiting to pounce you? You continue looking around carefully.

Halfway to the ceiling (it seems) a shiny surface ledge runs like a pathway, over a shorter box and connects to the tallest one. It's wider than the ledge in your place. In the middle of the floor is a large brown circle held up by four legs. Underneath it are two smaller versions, with one pulled away from the other. You wind your way around these things and quickly smell what their names are. The large thing is called a table. The smaller things are called chairs (one is His and the other is guest). The names seem strong, but dull. You hope He doesn't name you any of those names.

You hear the sound of grooming coming from somewhere nearby.

The phone on the table nearby rings, and it's loud!
action: You jump on his chair
response: You agilely leap upwards into the chair.

You hear the sound of grooming coming from somewhere nearby.

The phone on the table nearby rings, and it's loud!
action: You jump on the table
response: You easily jump up on the table, your claws clutching the threaded surface.

This is a small place, a little bit larger than the soft place but not as large as the place around it. If you ran around here, you'd definitely fall off the edges. The floor feels like a bunch of string, tightly wound together and it is arranged in colors and in patterns of things you don't recognize. From here, you can see a shiny surface you could easily jump to, and you can view most of the room and the next room over, which pulls your kittenish heart with what looks like large and soft beds. Taking a quick sniff, you realize that this area is used for eating food, but there is no food here now. You also realize the names of the two objects on the table, and your interest is piqued.

You can see a phone and a remote here.

The phone rings right beside you. It's loud!
action: Attack phone
response: You attack the phone, trying to Make The Ringing Stop. You smack the curvy part with your paw and send it flying. The ringing stops! But then you hear a concerned female voice talking out of it. It's saying some kind of greeting.

A concerned female voice speaks from the phone right beside you.

kittenish.
action: Mew
response: You say "Meowr?" to let the voice know that you are here and want to know what's going on. The voice asks you a question that you don't understand, laughs, and then says some other things, and finally it says "goodbye". You know then it will go away and it does.

An artificial voice from the phone repeats itself with strange quiet parts between.

kittenish.
action: You sniff the phone
response: It smells like His hands, because He holds it often. It also smells like His breath, because He talks into it. You find out that it was made far away and sent here on something that travels across water and that inside, it is delicate.

An artificial voice from the phone repeats itself with strange quiet parts between.
action: You jump on the ledge
response: That doesn't look far away. You take a quick look and with a little jump you land safely on the countertop.

From up here, you can see the entire shiny place. It makes you feel powerful and important, like perhaps you controlled the whole area and had a few cat soldiers to do your bidding as well. If it was softer and not so narrow, it would make a great bed. From here, you can jump up to the metal box. The most distinctive smell is the scent of Goodcat/Badcat. He is near.

An artificial voice from the phone on the table repeats itself with strange quiet parts between.
action: You jump on the ftop
response: You leap up to the top with the greatest of ease.

On top of this cold metal cube, you find what you've been expecting the whole time: Goodcat/Badcat. He is a refined grey cat with black stripes who sits with his body perpendicular to yours, his head facing you. He has two large yellow eyes and seems unaffected by your arrival, as though he had been expecting you.

You can see Goodcat/Badcat here.

An artificial voice from the phone on the table repeats itself with strange quiet parts between.
action: You show the sock to the Cat
response: Goodcat/Badcat is unimpressed.

A horrible grating sound comes out of the phone on the table! Goodcat/Badcat makes a disgusted face and his baleful eyes blame you.
action: You give the sock to the Cat
response: Goodcat/Badcat sniffs the air and then sniffs the sock, taking his time to inhale all of its scents. He looks thoughtful for a moment and then rubs you, pressing into your fur one of his secrets. Fascinated, you ponder all the fun you'll have when you chew off a piece of meat-bread and leave it behind the vibrating box for twenty suns so that you too can have a smelly play toy!

kittenish.
action: Rub Cat
response: You approach him but at the last moment, back off. His fierce stare seems to shout, "How dare you approach when we have not properly greeted one another yet!"

The awful grating sound stops and the phone is silent once again. Goodcat/Badcat exhales loudly and fixes you with an expression that clearly communicates, "Let's not do that again, shall we?" You feel embarrassed but relieved.
action: You look at the fridge
response: Brr! It's cold, but it smells like all kinds of yummy things. He calls this "fridge". Goodcat/Badcat agrees with your assessment, so you naturally rub against it to add your opinion officially to his.

You hear the sound of grooming coming from somewhere nearby.
action: You look under it
response: You look under it, but only see the floor.
action: Examine boxes
response: One of them smells more like water than food, and the other smells like fire and food.
Both of them have parts that stick out that look like you could walk on them, but they are too narrow.
Goodcat/Badcat indicates that these are interesting only when open, but the hot-smelling one hurts.

You hear the sound of grooming coming from somewhere nearby.
action: You sniff the guest chair
response: You smell nothing particularly interesting.

You hear the sound of a cat scratching itself and know that it must be Goodcat/Badcat.
action: You drop the sock
response: Dropped.

You hear the sound of a cat scratching itself and know that it must be Goodcat/Badcat.
action: F.
response: From here you can go behind you and you can jump to His chair.

You hear the sound of grooming coming from somewhere nearby.
action: B.
response: Just behind you, the shiny and slippery floor begins and the large shiny things sit. The opposite way, you see softer but equally large things, but also a plant that sits in what looks like a square water bowl. The carpet is soft and it leads to your right, but to your left is the stringy ow that you'll have to climb to get over.

The tall stringy gate bars progress to your left.
action: You examine the carpet
response: It is a light brownish color. You smell around and take several minutes to soak up the knowledge of who ate what, where they were going, and how they were feeling. The knowledge makes you feel quite important, as if you had discovered the key to understanding what happens around here.
action: F.
response: This is a comfortable room that also has strange things in it. The carpet gets very thick and comfortable in the middle of the room and it changes colors too. A narrow cloth bed (it looks like your bed, but it is so large that it must be for Him) touches the hall and beyond it is a wide cloth bed. Far away is a mow through which you can see the outside. Beside it is a plant that grows in a tall water dish. Near the plant there is a large black shiny square and a frozen bug on top of it, and beside the narrow bed is a puffy ball held in place by some kind of stick. The smells here fuse into one onrush of aroma that makes you feel relaxed and at home.
action: You examine the plant
response: It looks like a rather large plant sitting in a bowl of dark dirt. It has a lot of green leaves and it reaches almost as high as the black square! The plant smells woodsy and growing, but not like something you'd like to eat. It is growing from a bowl of dirt that strikes you as perfect for playing in.
action: You smell it
response: The plant smells woodsy and growing, but not like something you'd like to eat. It is growing from a bowl of dirt that strikes you as perfect for playing in.
action: You jump
response: You jump a foot into the air just for fun.
action: You enter the dirt
response: Digging would be better, you think.
action: You dig it
response: It seemed like such a great idea, but after a few moments of digging in the soil, you find nothing in it and have soil all over your paws. It's such a gross feeling that you try to shake it off. Dirt goes flying all around the plant, but some of it stays on your paws. Maybe if you walked around it would just come off. You really don't want to lick it off unless you absolutely have to.

kittenish.
action: You climb the gate
response: As you climb the gate up one side and down the other, that disgusting dirt shakes loose in the process. With a few licks here and there, you're as clean as ever. You're pleased as punch.

You clamber over the gate again, quickly, but not silently.

The hall from in front of you ends here at a soft ow about half as tall as an ordinary ow. This ow is made of crossed strings and you can see through it; beyond are shiny tall metal boxes, almost taller than Him, on a shiny floor. You instinctively sniff the ow. Goodcat/Badcat has left a scent message that welcomes you to his world if you can get over the ow. He calls it something rather impolite.

The tall stringy gate bars progress behind you.
action: You look at your surroundings
response: You can go in front of you back to New Hall, or you can climb the gate.
action: F.
response: You can go behind you down the hall, to your left to the dark room, or to your right to the sunny room.
action: B.
response: You turn to face behind you and bound away.

Halfway down the hall, the non-solid mow has slats from the top to the bottom, like what is on the window in your place. It has a wonderful fresh smell that makes you want to lie down and go to sleep, if only there were something soft enough to sleep on. The solid mow on the opposite side greets you with a welcoming and familiar scent from between it and the floor. You would know it anywhere -- it is Him. He is not here, but beyond is surely His lair.
action: F.
response: The carpet ends here at a mow like the one that leads out of your place. You're not sure how He manages to open these things, but He must be strong. This mow looks a lot like the shiny floor, actually; it looks like it is made up of different tiles, all different colors. Sniffing the edges, you realize that it is a gateway to the outside. Images of grass, bright sunshine, concern, danger, and burden roll over you and you think that the outside is a fearful but wonderful place, and amazingly large. You smell Her scent again, like flowers but far too strong. It fills you with a fierce passion; she should know that you live here!
action: You examine the door
response: It is massive (like all mows are), but different than others, because it is made up of shiny tiles, all different colors. You're amazed that He manages to open such a thing. It smells wonderfully of the outdoors. You smell Her scent again, like flowers but far too strong. It fills you with a fierce passion; she should know that you live here!
action: F.
response: There's only one way out: to return the way you came by going behind you.
action: B.
response: You turn to face behind you and bound away.

Just to your left, the shiny and slippery floor begins and the large shiny things sit. The opposite way, you see softer but equally large things, but also a plant that sits in what looks like a square water bowl. The carpet is soft and it leads behind you, but in front of you is the stringy ow that you'll have to climb to get over.

The tall stringy gate bars progress in front of you.
action: R.
response: This is a comfortable room that also has strange things in it. The carpet gets very thick and comfortable in the middle of the room and it changes colors too. It even has tiny decorative brown paw prints across it. A narrow cloth bed (it looks like your bed, but it is so large that it must be for Him) touches the hall and beyond it is a wide cloth bed. Far away is a mow through which you can see the outside. Beside it is a plant that grows in a tall water dish. In the dirt scattered around the plant, you see several small paw prints. You grimace. Why did He put that nasty thing there? Near the plant there is a large black shiny square and a frozen bug on top of it, and beside the narrow bed is a puffy ball held in place by some kind of stick. The smells here fuse into one onrush of aroma that makes you feel relaxed and at home.
action: Sniff model
response: You try, but it's too far away.
action: You jump on the seat
response: You jump on the smaller springy-soft bed and luxuriate in how it feels on your paws. You are amazed that He doesn't spend all his time sitting on soft and warm beds like these. You think for a moment. You don't either. Maybe he is an explorer like you? He must be.
action: You examine the ball
response: It's a curiously large bumpy ball with some kind of wooden stick holding it up. You sniff it and smell its papery, dusty kind of smell that reminds you of old things. It was put together with a lot of care and attention by men who wear lenses in front of their eyes.
action: You turn around
response: You turn around and face the other way.
action: Look around
response: You can only go in front of you.
action: You look
response: Den (on the love seat)
This is a comfortable room that also has strange things in it. The carpet gets very thick and comfortable in the middle of the room and it changes colors too. It even has tiny decorative brown paw prints across it. A narrow cloth bed (it looks like your bed, but it is so large that it must be for Him) touches the hall and beyond it is a wide cloth bed. Far away is a mow through which you can see the outside. Beside it is a plant that grows in a tall water dish. In the dirt scattered around the plant, you see several small paw prints. You grimace. Why did He put that nasty thing there? Near the plant there is a large black shiny square and a frozen bug on top of it, and beside the narrow bed is a puffy ball held in place by some kind of stick. The smells here fuse into one onrush of aroma that makes you feel relaxed and at home.
action: You go downwards
response: You spring down to the floor.
action: Smell the carpet
response: You smell around and take several minutes to soak up the knowledge of who ate what, where they were going, and how they were feeling. The knowledge makes you feel quite important, as if you had discovered the key to understanding what happens around here. You also smell that nasty dirt. Yuck!
action: F.
response: Just in front of you, the shiny and slippery floor begins and the large shiny things sit. The opposite way, you see softer but equally large things, but also a plant that sits in what looks like a square water bowl. The carpet is soft and it leads to your left, but to your right is the stringy ow that you'll have to climb to get over.

The tall stringy gate bars progress to your right.
action: F.
response: Here enormous metal boxes reach upward from a shiny floor that you can skid across if you run fast enough and suddenly stop. The tallest box is cold, vibrates, and smells like food! The shorter boxes also smell like food, but not as strongly. The whole area smells like trees -- a fresh, outdoors kind of scent, which doesn't make sense, because this is indoors.

Halfway to the ceiling (it seems) a shiny surface ledge runs like a pathway, over a shorter box and connects to the tallest one. It's wider than the ledge in your place. In the middle of the floor the brown table towers over you. The guest chair sits underneath it, and His chair is nearby.

You can see a sock here.

You hear the sound of grooming coming from somewhere nearby.
action: You jump on his chair
response: You agilely leap upwards into the chair.

You hear the sound of grooming coming from somewhere nearby.
action: You jump down
response: After a few moments of weightless falling and the rude impact, you are once again walking around on the shiny floor.

Here enormous metal boxes reach upward from a shiny floor that you can skid across if you run fast enough and suddenly stop. The tallest box is cold, vibrates, and smells like food! The shorter boxes also smell like food, but not as strongly. The whole area smells like trees -- a fresh, outdoors kind of scent, which doesn't make sense, because this is indoors.

Halfway to the ceiling (it seems) a shiny surface ledge runs like a pathway, over a shorter box and connects to the tallest one. It's wider than the ledge in your place. In the middle of the floor the brown table towers over you. The guest chair sits underneath it, and His chair is nearby.

You can see a sock here.

You hear the sound of a cat scratching itself and know that it must be Goodcat/Badcat.
action: You jump on the ftop
response: You leap up to the top with the greatest of ease.

You are on top of the cold metal cube, better known as "refrigerator" and "Goodcat/Badcat's lair". Strangely, it is not cold here, but fairly cozy with the faint smell of food. You can see why he chose this location for a lair. You think you'd probably have done the same.

You can see Goodcat/Badcat here.
action: You give the remote to the Cat
response: Goodcat/Badcat doesn't seem interested.
action: You drop the remote
response: Dropped.
action: Lick
response: What do you want to lick?
action: You hit the Cat
response: Looking back on it, you realize that this was one of those things that would have never worked out. You pounced him and he responded with a bloodcurdling hiss and a swift paw that sent you flying right off the vibrating metal box. You landed on the ledge below and backed away just in time to avoid him jumping on you. Fear and adrenaline ran through your veins and you jumped, jumped, and ran like your tail was on fire. Now you're on the other side of that stringy ow, catching your breath, the image of him turning away with a refined departing spit echoing in your ears. His departing words were, "And don't come back!"

The hall from to your right ends here at a soft ow about half as tall as an ordinary ow. This ow is made of crossed strings and you can see through it; beyond are shiny tall metal boxes, almost taller than Him, on a shiny floor. You instinctively sniff the ow. Goodcat/Badcat has left a scent message that welcomes you to his world if you can get over the ow. He calls it something rather impolite.

The tall stringy gate bars progress to your left.
action: You lie down
response: You lie down, all your paws outstretched.
action: Purr
response: You only do that when you are talking to Him. That's the fun part. When He gets back, you let out all the purrs you have saved up the whole day.
action: You jump on the table
response: You span the distance with a soft jump and skid to a stop on the table.

This is a small place, a little bit larger than the soft place but not as large as the place around it. If you ran around here, you'd definitely fall off the edges. The floor feels like a bunch of string, tightly wound together and it is arranged in colors and in patterns of things you don't recognize. From here, you can see a shiny surface you could easily jump to, and you can view most of the room and the next room over, which pulls your kittenish heart with what looks like large and soft beds. Taking a quick sniff, you realize that this area is used for eating food, but there is no food here now.

You can see a phone here.
action: You jump down
response: After a few moments of weightless falling and the rude impact, you are once again walking around on the shiny floor.

Here enormous metal boxes reach upward from a shiny floor that you can skid across if you run fast enough and suddenly stop. The tallest box is cold, vibrates, and smells like food! The shorter boxes also smell like food, but not as strongly. The whole area smells like trees -- a fresh, outdoors kind of scent, which doesn't make sense, because this is indoors.

Halfway to the ceiling (it seems) a shiny surface ledge runs like a pathway, over a shorter box and connects to the tallest one. It's wider than the ledge in your place. In the middle of the floor the brown table towers over you. The guest chair sits underneath it, and His chair is nearby.

You can see a sock here.

You hear the sound of grooming coming from somewhere nearby.
action: Claw fridge
response: You claw it to no effect.

You hear the sound of grooming coming from somewhere nearby.
action: You look at the table
response: In the middle of the the floor is a large brown circle held up by four legs, called the table. It is made out of wood, but it also smells of various oils and you get some idea of the men who crafted it. Goodcat/Badcat has left his scent upon the legs, identifying the table as his territory. He seems to have been impatiently waiting most of the time, hoping for Him to drop some tasty food.
action: Rub table
response: You swirl around two of the legs to add your scent flourish. Now He will know you have been here. The thought fills you with a secret delight.

You hear the sound of grooming coming from somewhere nearby.
action: You groom the Cat
response: [Please type what you'd like to do.]
action: You groom
response: What do you want to groom?
action: Go downwards
response: You clamber up to all four paws, take a little stretch, and trot off.

You lean down the side and take a half-jump the rest of the way down.

From up here, you can see the entire shiny place. Only the refrigerator top gives a better view. It makes you feel powerful and important, like perhaps you controlled the whole area and had a few cat soldiers to do your bidding as well. If it was softer and not so narrow, it would make a great bed. From here, you can jump up to the metal box. The most distinctive smell is the scent of Goodcat/Badcat. He is near.
action: You jump on the table
response: You span the distance with a soft jump and skid to a stop on the table.

This is a small place, a little bit larger than the soft place but not as large as the place around it. If you ran around here, you'd definitely fall off the edges. The floor feels like a bunch of string, tightly wound together and it is arranged in colors and in patterns of things you don't recognize. From here, you can see a shiny surface you could easily jump to, and you can view most of the room and the next room over, which pulls your kittenish heart with what looks like large and soft beds. Taking a quick sniff, you realize that this area is used for eating food, but there is no food here now.

You can see a phone here.
action: You lie on the phone
response: You lie down, all your paws outstretched.
action: You go north
response: [This game uses relative directions instead of compass directions: left, right, forwards, and backwards.]
action: You smell it
response: You wince just looking at it.
action: You jump on the sofa
response: You jump up on it once more, glad to be in a soft space around the smells of your people.
action: You go downwards
response: You spring down to the floor.
action: You climb the door
response: You scrabble upwards, but a few moments of futility, slide down, frustrated.
action: Dig
response: What do you want to dig?
action: R.
response: You can go behind you back to New Hall and in front of you to the end of the hall.
action: Look around
response: The hallway light provides the only light in this dark room. Your eyes adjust and your nose comes alive with the many different scents inside. The first smell smells like He does sometimes -- like growing things, like the outside. It's too strong for you and it causes your nose to wrinkle involuntarily. The next strongest smell is a fresh, clean smell that must be some kind of water. You know by the third smell that this is His place, because He has marked it. Mixed in with that territorial odor are lesser notes that smell like all sorts of yummy things. You're so glad he marked the area so you'd know where they are! It's odd, though. You look around but don't see a litterbox anywhere.

Instead, off to the right you see what looks like a very long water bowl. It has sides so you can jump up on it and take look inside. It smells like that water smell. Opposite it is a giant white chair that is hollow in the middle, where the territorial smell and the yummy smells come from. You could jump up on it, too. Right beside you are wooden boxes, and on top of them is a tall dark window.

You see your reflection peeking down at you from the window, green eyes glowing in the dark.
action: You jump on the tub
response: You're a bit hesitant to jump where you can't see, so you jump up on the surrounding ledge instead.

You are perched uncomfortably on the narrow ledge around the  tub. The surface beneath you is hard and damp, and that clean water smell comes from all around you. You can either enter the tub, or jump down back into the bathroom.
action: You enter the tub
response: You walk around inside the tub and notice, strangely, that this place smells like His paws. Does He stand up in it? It looks long enough for him to lie down in it. The water smell saturates the area, and you know that this place must usually be wet. Right now it is only damp. He calls this place "tub".
action: You smell it
response: It smells like clean water mixed with the odor of His feet.
action: Leave
response: You bound out.

You are perched uncomfortably on the narrow ledge around the  tub. The surface beneath you is hard and damp, and that clean water smell comes from all around you. You can either enter the tub, or jump down back into the bathroom.
action: You jump down
response: You jump down with a faint "oof".

The hallway light provides the only light in this dark room. Your eyes adjust and your nose comes alive with the many different scents inside. The first smell smells like He does sometimes -- like growing things, like the outside. It's too strong for you and it causes your nose to wrinkle involuntarily. The next strongest smell is a fresh, clean smell that must be some kind of water. You know by the third smell that this is His place, because He has marked it. Mixed in with that territorial odor are lesser notes that smell like all sorts of yummy things. You're so glad he marked the area so you'd know where they are! It's odd, though. You look around but don't see a litterbox anywhere.

Instead, off to the right you see the tub. It has sides so you can jump up on it and take look inside. It smells like that water smell. Opposite it is a giant white chair that is hollow in the middle, where the territorial smell and the yummy smells come from. You could jump up on it, too. Right beside you are wooden boxes, and on top of them is a tall dark window.

You see your reflection peeking down at you from the window, green eyes glowing in the dark.
action: Claw green stripe
response: You vow revenge and attack it with both forepaws and end up sulking away, having to clean that gooey sticky stuff from two paws instead of just one.
action: You eat stripe
response: What do you want to eat: brown stripe or green stripe?
action: Go down
response: You jump artfully to the floor and land on all four paws.
action: Look around
response: You can go behind you back to New Hall, or you can climb the gate.
action: You climb the gate
response: You clamber over the gate again, quickly, but unfortunately not silently.

Just to your right, the shiny and slippery floor begins and the large shiny things sit. The opposite way, you see softer but equally large things, but also a plant that sits in what looks like a square water bowl. The carpet is soft and it leads in front of you, but behind you is the stringy ow that you'll have to climb to get over.

The tall stringy gate bars progress behind you.
action: Nap
response: You're exploring! No time for napping now.
action: You jump down
response: You lean down the side and take a half-jump the rest of the way down.

From up here, you can see the entire shiny place. Only the refrigerator top gives a better view. It makes you feel powerful and important, like perhaps you controlled the whole area and had a few cat soldiers to do your bidding as well. If it was softer and not so narrow, it would make a great bed. From here, you can jump up to the metal box. The most distinctive smell is the scent of Goodcat/Badcat. He is near.
action: You jump on the table
response: You span the distance with a soft jump and skid to a stop on the table.

This is a small place, a little bit larger than the soft place but not as large as the place around it. If you ran around here, you'd definitely fall off the edges. The floor feels like a bunch of string, tightly wound together and it is arranged in colors and in patterns of things you don't recognize. From here, you can see a shiny surface you could easily jump to, and you can view most of the room and the next room over, which pulls your kittenish heart with what looks like large and soft beds. Taking a quick sniff, you realize that this area is used for eating food, but there is no food here now.

You can see a sock and a phone here.
action: B.
response: (first getting off the sofa)

Just in front of you, the shiny and slippery floor begins and the large shiny things sit. The opposite way, you see softer but equally large things, but also a plant that sits in what looks like a square water bowl. The carpet is soft and it leads to your left, but to your right is the stringy ow that you'll have to climb to get over.

The tall stringy gate bars progress to your right.
action: You examine floor
response: It is a light brownish color that has dirty pawprints on it. You smell around and take several minutes to soak up the knowledge of who ate what, where they were going, and how they were feeling. The knowledge makes you feel quite important, as if you had discovered the key to understanding what happens around here.
action: You look at your surroundings
response: There's only one way out: to return the way you came by going behind you.
action: B.
response: You turn to face behind you and bound away.

Just to your left, the shiny and slippery floor begins and the large shiny things sit. The opposite way, you see softer but equally large things, but also a plant that sits in what looks like a square water bowl. The carpet is soft and it leads behind you, but in front of you is the stringy ow that you'll have to climb to get over.

The tall stringy gate bars progress in front of you.

From right outside, you hear what sounds like a storm -- a rumbling, grumbling, coughing sound. You look around for somewhere to hide, but before you can find a place, it's over. Then you hear a slamming like the mow when He leaves and right before He sees you. Is He coming back?
action: You look around
response: Here enormous metal boxes reach upward from a shiny floor that you can skid across if you run fast enough and suddenly stop. The tallest box is cold, vibrates, and smells like food! The shorter boxes also smell like food, but not as strongly. The whole area smells like trees -- a fresh, outdoors kind of scent, which doesn't make sense, because this is indoors.

Halfway to the ceiling (it seems) a shiny surface ledge runs like a pathway, over a shorter box and connects to the tallest one. It's wider than the ledge in your place. In the middle of the floor the brown table towers over you. The guest chair sits underneath it, and His chair is nearby.

You hear the sound of a cat scratching itself and know that it must be Goodcat/Badcat.
action: You jump on his chair
response: You agilely leap upwards into the chair.

You hear the sound of grooming coming from somewhere nearby.
action: You jump on the table
response: You easily jump up on the table, your claws clutching the threaded surface.

This is a small place, a little bit larger than the soft place but not as large as the place around it. If you ran around here, you'd definitely fall off the edges. The floor feels like a bunch of string, tightly wound together and it is arranged in colors and in patterns of things you don't recognize. From here, you can see a shiny surface you could easily jump to, and you can view most of the room and the next room over, which pulls your kittenish heart with what looks like large and soft beds. Taking a quick sniff, you realize that this area is used for eating food, but there is no food here now.

You can see a sock and a phone here.

You hear a mow open from far away and then hear it shut; His voice is next, as He greets Goodcat/Badcat. You meow energetically to let him know you are here.

He discovers you and picks you up. He strokes kindly you as He walks through the house, laughing at all the things you have done. "You are quite the little explorer, aren't you?" he asks. You purr. "That effort deserves nothing less than a name!" He holds you high in the air and then triumphantly christens you, "Isabella. Yes, Isabella is your name." You nuzzle your face into his arms, turning the name around and around in your mind. Isabella. It's a good name, well, as good as humans get at these things, you think. You beam up at Him as He carries you.
action: %
response: I do not have a name, but I think that someday soon I will. I have heard Him talk many times of other things that have names, things like Mom, Dad, Emily, Stuart, God. So I think I will have a name someday soon, although I do not know how I get a name. Is it something I have to do? Is there somewhere I have to go? All I know is that for now, He calls me just one thing: Cat.

You live in a nice soft place inside a bigger space that has three ows, and one moveable ow. You call these things ows because they hurt when you run into them, and the moving ow (mow) only He can move. The soft place is where you sleep and it smells like you. Outside the soft space is where He puts the food and water. The food is ok, but the milk you used to have was much better. You wonder if He could get some of that again.

He always shuts the mow, but today he has left it open. You do not know what is beyond it, except what you have heard him talk about. There is another thing called GoodCat/BadCat. It must have another name as well, because it was here when you got here, but it is far away and when He talks to it, you can only hear GoodCat or BadCat. You must be related, because you both are called Cat.

You have always wondered where He goes when He closes the mow and what lies beyond it. "Could there be even more mows and ows? Could my place be just one place inside a much bigger place? I want to find out. Maybe if I find out, I can get a name," you think.

[If this is your first time playing, type "ABOUT".]
action: F.
response: Your Place surrounds the soft place. It's much bigger and it is soft on your feet, but not as soft as the soft place. You can run around here but the three ows stop you. Nothing has changed from this morning when He left -- the food dish, the water bowl, the sandbox, and the ledge are in their same places and they smell the same. The most interesting thing, though, is the mow. It's wide open in front of you and smells from outside are rushing in.
action: You examine the dish
response: It's a small dish with food in it.
action: You eat food
response: (first taking the cat food)
Your mother raised you to not play with your food unless you were hungry enough to eat (or drink) it. You can feel her teeth picking you up by the scruff of the neck even now.
action: You examine the bowl
response: It's a small solid bowl with water in it.
action: You examine the litterbox
response: It's a tough box filled with sand that's just right for taking care of wastes.
action: You enter the litterbox
response: Fortunately, you've already gone this morning.
action: Describe the surroundings
response: You can go behind you or in front of you, though in front of you seems a lot more interesting.
action: Ascend
response: This is a small place, a little bit larger than the soft place but not as large as the place around it. If you ran around here, you'd definitely fall off the edges. The floor feels like a bunch of string, tightly wound together and it is arranged in colors and in patterns of things you don't recognize. From here, you can see a shiny surface you could easily jump to, and you can view most of the room and the next room over, which pulls your kittenish heart with what looks like large and soft beds. Taking a quick sniff, you realize that this area is used for eating food, but there is no food here now. You also realize the names of the two objects on the table, and your interest is piqued.

You can see a phone and a remote here.
action: Go down
response: After a few moments of weightless falling and the rude impact, you are once again walking around on the shiny floor.

Here enormous metal boxes reach upward from a shiny floor that you can skid across if you run fast enough and suddenly stop. The tallest box is cold, vibrates, and smells like food! The shorter boxes also smell like food, but not as strongly. The whole area smells like trees -- a fresh, outdoors kind of scent, which doesn't make sense, because this is indoors.

Halfway to the ceiling (it seems) a shiny surface ledge runs like a pathway, over a shorter box and connects to the tallest one. It's wider than the ledge in your place. In the middle of the floor the brown table towers over you. The guest chair sits underneath it, and His chair is nearby.

You hear the sound of a cat scratching itself and know that it must be Goodcat/Badcat.
action: Go north
response: > Interact
action: You go to the north
response: > Interact
Website: www.intaligo.com/newcat

Forums: www.intaligo.com/forum

Comments/Bugs: poster@aurora.cotse.net

New Cat Background
> Interact
action: F.
response: You are up to a good speed before you notice the ow coming at you. You come to a butt-burning halt. Youch!

The long room ends here at an ow with one room on either side. The one to your right has sun filtering in through slats that make you want to rest in its warm spaces and play with the shadows. The room to your left is dark and presents several different smells relating to water. The ows seem really tall here and you feel fenced in and nervous.

The house settles and creaks, giving you a start.
action: You jump on the ledge
response: You try and miss in one glorious mess.
action: You jump on the toilet
response: (the toilet)
With feline agility, you leap up to the deep water bowl.

You are halfway between the dark window and the floor, perched on the fat water bowl. It's not soft, but it is fairly slick. The wonderful smells rise up from the hollow center, down in the water. You see above you a wide ledge that runs underneath the window. You could easily jump to it, or jump down to the bathroom floor.
action: Lick water
response: You're not thirsty, but you can't pass this opportunity up -- the smells are too interesting. Carefully you lower yourself into the toilet and take ten deep laps of the water. Then you pull yourself back up on the rim and luxuriate in the taste of tea, yogurt, and submarine sandwiches. You're thankful again that He was so kind to mark the area so that you'd know to find it.

kittenish.
action: You jump on the ledge
response: With amazing grace, you land on the space above the handles with a solid "whump".

You barely notice the rest of the surface except for the sink, which smells like his breath and some sort of plant. The dark window takes up the entire wall and inside there is another cat! Her fur is poofed out just like yours and her green eyes stare back at you in challenge.
action: You sniff the Cat
response: You lean your nose in to smell her and she does the exact same thing. Then you realize what seemed so strange about all of this: you never once smelled her. How can she have no scent ? What sort of cat is that? You realize, too, that she only does what you do. If you stop, she stops; if you groom yourself, she grooms herself; if you blink, she blinks. She does whatever you do because she is you, somehow. Only not you and only in the dark window. It's weird, but you're glad you're not a human and have to deal with such complexities.

kittenish.
action: You jump on tub
response: Not from here. It's too far away!
action: You jump down
response: You raise and lower your head a few times, estimating the distance. On a whim, you decide to go for it and you jump down. It takes you a moment to get your breath back.

The hallway light provides the only light in this dark room. Your eyes adjust and your nose comes alive with the many different scents inside. The first smell smells like He does sometimes -- like growing things, like the outside. It's too strong for you and it causes your nose to wrinkle involuntarily. The next strongest smell is a fresh, clean smell that must be some kind of water. You know by the third smell that this is His place, because He has marked it. Mixed in with that territorial odor are lesser notes that smell like all sorts of yummy things. You're so glad he marked the area so you'd know where they are! It's odd, though. You look around but don't see a litterbox anywhere.

Instead, off to the right you see what looks like a very long water bowl. It has sides so you can jump up on it and take look inside. It smells like that water smell. Opposite it is a fat water bowl, where the territorial smell and the yummy smells come from. You could jump up on it, too. Right beside you are wooden boxes, and on top of them is a tall dark window.

You see your reflection peeking down at you from the window, green eyes glowing in the dark.
action: Climb tub
response: Jumping to it is much more kittenish.
action: You look around
response: You can go to your right down the hall, behind you to the dark room, or in front of you to the sunny room.
action: R.
response: You turn to face to your right and bound away.

Halfway down the hall, the non-solid mow has slats from the top to the bottom, like what is on the window in your place. It has a wonderful fresh smell that makes you want to lie down and go to sleep, if only there were something soft enough to sleep on. The solid mow on the opposite side greets you with a welcoming and familiar scent from between it and the floor. You would know it anywhere -- it is Him. He is not here, but beyond is surely His lair.
action: B.
response: Without exploring those two large and soft beds? You promise yourself that when you get done with this important task, you will get your paws on them.

Just in front of you, the shiny and slippery floor begins and the large shiny things sit. The opposite way, you see softer but equally large things, but also a plant that sits in what looks like a square water bowl. The carpet is soft and it leads to your left, but to your right is the stringy ow that you'll have to climb to get over.

The tall stringy gate bars progress to your right.
action: F.
response: Here enormous metal boxes reach upward from a shiny floor that you can skid across if you run fast enough and suddenly stop. The tallest box is cold, vibrates, and smells like food! The shorter boxes also smell like food, but not as strongly. The whole area smells like trees -- a fresh, outdoors kind of scent, which doesn't make sense, because this is indoors. Goodcat/Badcat is in this room; his scent is strong. You whip your head around but don't see him anywhere. Is he waiting to pounce you? You continue looking around carefully.

Halfway to the ceiling (it seems) a shiny surface ledge runs like a pathway, over a shorter box and connects to the tallest one. It's wider than the ledge in your place. In the middle of the floor is a large brown circle held up by four legs. Underneath it are two smaller versions, with one pulled away from the other. You wind your way around these things and quickly smell what their names are. The large thing is called a table. The smaller things are called chairs (one is His and the other is guest). The names seem strong, but dull. You hope He doesn't name you any of those names.
action: You jump on the chair
response: What do you want to jump on: the guest chair or His chair?
action: B.
response: Just behind you, the shiny and slippery floor begins and the large shiny things sit. The opposite way, you see softer but equally large things, but also a plant that sits in what looks like a square water bowl. The carpet is soft and it leads to your right, but to your left is the stringy ow that you'll have to climb to get over.

The tall stringy gate bars progress to your left.

The house settles and creaks, giving you a start.
action: You give the sock to the Cat
response: Goodcat/Badcat sniffs the air and then sniffs the sock, taking his time to inhale all of its scents. He looks thoughtful for a moment and then rubs you, pressing into your fur one of his secrets. Fascinated, you ponder all the fun you'll have when you chew off a piece of meat-bread and leave it behind the vibrating box for twenty suns so that you too can have a smelly play toy!

With a mew of disgust, you sit down and clean the nasty dirt from all your paws. It takes you some time, but at last you're clean.

kittenish.
action: You hit phone
response: You rear up and pounce the phone with a particularly vicious sideswipe. Result: the phone is now separated into two parts, the curvy part and the boxy part. They are joined by a cord. None of this seems particularly interesting in itself, but you do derive some satisfaction in observing the prey after it has been rendered helpless.

An artificial voice from the phone repeats itself with strange quiet parts between.

kittenish.
action: Bat globe
response: You bat at it and the ball turns, making a curious whirring sound. You bat at it again and it moves a little faster. You go at it with both paws until it can't move any faster and then you get bored. You look at the ball sideways, catching your breath and wonder if He will notice that the ball is now in a different position than it was before.

kittenish.
action: You jump on the sofa
response: You jump up on the large springy-soft bed (what they call a "sofa") and love how it feels on your paws -- so soft! You sniff around and are startled by all the big cats that have sat here and their stories. It takes you several sniffs to make them all out. Apparently He sits here when he is tired; He sat here yesterday. He also sat here two days ago (the day of the big noise) with Barry, and they talked about far-away places. Barry wants to romance his broodmate, but won't tell Him. Then there is the scent of an older big cat, who must be very wise, because he gives knowledge to others all day. He seems to be related to Him, but you're not clear how. He's not a mother or a littermate.
action: Bat remote
response: Surprisingly, it's not very heavy. You bat it back and forth and with a powerful swipe, you send it off the table and it hits the floor below with a loud "smack". Then, in the next room over, the big black square flickers to life. You hear sounds and people talking; images flicker back and forth across its surface. From up above, Goodcat/Badcat meows despairingly. "Oh dear. Now you've done it," he says.

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.

kittenish.
action: You wait for a while
response: Time passes.

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.
action: You wait awhile
response: Time passes.

From the black square you hear lots of people shouting and catch a flicker of images out of the corner of your eye.
action: You wait
response: Time passes.

You hear several different scary sounds and then people talking, seriously.
action: You wait
response: Time passes.

From the black square you hear lots of people shouting and catch a flicker of images out of the corner of your eye.

The phone right next to you suddenly starts Ringing VeRy LOUDLY. You almost involuntarily leap off the table in surprise.
action: Attack phone
response: You attack the phone, trying to Make The Ringing Stop. You smack the curvy part with your paw and send it flying. The ringing stops! But then you hear a concerned female voice talking out of it. It's saying some kind of greeting.

A concerned female voice speaks from the phone right beside you.

From the black square you hear lots of people shouting and catch a flicker of images out of the corner of your eye.

kittenish.
action: Mew
response: You say "Meowr?" to let the voice know that you are here and want to know what's going on. The voice asks you a question that you don't understand, laughs, and then says some other things, and finally it says "goodbye". You know then it will go away and it does.

An artificial voice from the phone repeats itself with strange quiet parts between.

You hear several different scary sounds and then people talking, seriously.

kittenish.
action: Bat phone
response: You bat it but nothing amazing happens.

An artificial voice from the phone repeats itself with strange quiet parts between.

You hear several different scary sounds and then people talking, seriously.
action: You jump down
response: After a few moments of weightless falling and the rude impact, you are once again walking around on the shiny floor.

Here enormous metal boxes reach upward from a shiny floor that you can skid across if you run fast enough and suddenly stop. The tallest box is cold, vibrates, and smells like food! The shorter boxes also smell like food, but not as strongly. The whole area smells like trees -- a fresh, outdoors kind of scent, which doesn't make sense, because this is indoors.

Halfway to the ceiling (it seems) a shiny surface ledge runs like a pathway, over a shorter box and connects to the tallest one. It's wider than the ledge in your place. In the middle of the floor the brown table towers over you. The guest chair sits underneath it, and His chair is nearby.

You can see a remote here.

An artificial voice from the phone on the table repeats itself with strange quiet parts between.

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.
action: F.
response: From here you can go behind you and you can jump to His chair.

An artificial voice from the phone on the table repeats itself with strange quiet parts between.

From the black square you hear lots of people shouting and catch a flicker of images out of the corner of your eye.
action: B.
response: Just behind you, the shiny and slippery floor begins and the large shiny things sit. The opposite way, you see softer but equally large things, but also a plant that sits in what looks like a square water bowl. The carpet is soft and it leads to your right, but to your left is the stringy ow that you'll have to climb to get over.

The tall stringy gate bars progress to your left.

From the shiny room you hear a horrible grating sound that sounds like pulling your tail feels.

From the black square you hear lots of people shouting and catch a flicker of images out of the corner of your eye.
action: Bat gate
response: You bat it but nothing amazing happens.

From the shiny room you hear a horrible grating sound that sounds like pulling your tail feels.

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.
action: F.
response: This is a comfortable room that also has strange things in it. The carpet gets very thick and comfortable in the middle of the room and it changes colors too. It even has tiny decorative brown paw prints across it. A narrow cloth bed (it looks like your bed, but it is so large that it must be for Him) touches the hall and beyond it is a wide cloth bed. Far away is a mow through which you can see the outside. Beside it is a plant that grows in a tall water dish. In the dirt scattered around the plant, you see several small paw prints. You grimace. Why did He put that nasty thing there? Near the plant there is a black square flashing with images and voices and a frozen bug on top of it, and beside the narrow bed is a puffy ball held in place by some kind of stick. The smells here fuse into one onrush of aroma that makes you feel relaxed and at home.

On the sofa is a sock.

From the shiny room you hear a horrible grating sound that sounds like pulling your tail feels.

From the black square you hear lots of people shouting and catch a flicker of images out of the corner of your eye.

The awful grating sound stops and the phone is silent once again.
action: You look at the tv
response: It's a large black square, although it's pretty shiny. It flickers with all kinds of images, some of which are people doing things; it also talks with the voices of various people. You're not at all sure how the different people fit inside there. The voices just keep talking like you aren't there and the images don't seem to be related. It's too overpowering to be real and after a minute or two, you lose interest.

You hear several different scary sounds and then people talking, seriously.
action: Bat tv
response: That's a bit too large to play with, you realize.

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.
action: Bat plant
response: You reach up to bat the leaves of the plant and they bounce back immediately. Before you know it, you've passed a few minutes playing with it.

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.
action: Bat bug
response: You try, but it's too far away.

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.
action: You look
response: This is a comfortable room that also has strange things in it. The carpet gets very thick and comfortable in the middle of the room and it changes colors too. It even has tiny decorative brown paw prints across it. A narrow cloth bed (it looks like your bed, but it is so large that it must be for Him) touches the hall and beyond it is a wide cloth bed. Far away is a mow through which you can see the outside. Beside it is a plant that grows in a tall water dish. In the dirt scattered around the plant, you see several small paw prints. You grimace. Why did He put that nasty thing there? Near the plant there is a black square flashing with images and voices and a frozen bug on top of it, and beside the narrow bed is a puffy ball held in place by some kind of stick. The smells here fuse into one onrush of aroma that makes you feel relaxed and at home.

On the sofa is a sock.

You hear several different scary sounds and then people talking, seriously.
action: Smell plant
response: The plant smells woodsy and growing, but not like something you'd like to eat. It is growing from a bowl of dirt that you think is disgusting.

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.
action: Smell tv
response: It's too loud and distracting to approach.

You hear several different scary sounds and then people talking, seriously.
action: Climb tv
response: You scrabble upwards, but a few moments of futility, slide down, frustrated.

You hear several different scary sounds and then people talking, seriously.
action: Paw tv
response: That's a bit too large to play with, you realize.

From the black square you hear lots of people shouting and catch a flicker of images out of the corner of your eye.
action: B.
response: Just in front of you, the shiny and slippery floor begins and the large shiny things sit. The opposite way, you see softer but equally large things, but also a plant that sits in what looks like a square water bowl. The carpet is soft and it leads to your left, but to your right is the stringy ow that you'll have to climb to get over.

The tall stringy gate bars progress to your right.

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.
action: You climb the gate
response: You clamber over the gate again, quickly, but not silently.

The hall from in front of you ends here at a soft ow about half as tall as an ordinary ow. This ow is made of crossed strings and you can see through it; beyond are shiny tall metal boxes, almost taller than Him, on a shiny floor. You instinctively sniff the ow. Goodcat/Badcat has left a scent message that welcomes you to his world if you can get over the ow. He calls it something rather impolite.

The tall stringy gate bars progress behind you.
action: F.
response: The hallway light provides the only light in this dark room. Your eyes adjust and your nose comes alive with the many different scents inside. The first smell smells like He does sometimes -- like growing things, like the outside. It's too strong for you and it causes your nose to wrinkle involuntarily. The next strongest smell is a fresh, clean smell that must be some kind of water. You know by the third smell that this is His place, because He has marked it. Mixed in with that territorial odor are lesser notes that smell like all sorts of yummy things. You're so glad he marked the area so you'd know where they are! It's odd, though. You look around but don't see a litterbox anywhere.

Instead, off to the right you see the tub. It has sides so you can jump up on it and take look inside. It smells like that water smell. Opposite it is a giant white chair that is hollow in the middle, where the territorial smell and the yummy smells come from. You could jump up on it, too. Right beside you are wooden boxes, and on top of them is a tall dark window.

You see your reflection peeking down at you from the window, green eyes glowing in the dark.
action: You climb the gate
response: You clamber over the gate again, quickly, but unfortunately not silently.

Just to your right, the shiny and slippery floor begins and the large shiny things sit. The opposite way, you see softer but equally large things, but also a plant that sits in what looks like a square water bowl. The carpet is soft and it leads in front of you, but behind you is the stringy ow that you'll have to climb to get over.

The tall stringy gate bars progress behind you.

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.
action: R.
response: Here enormous metal boxes reach upward from a shiny floor that you can skid across if you run fast enough and suddenly stop. The tallest box is cold, vibrates, and smells like food! The shorter boxes also smell like food, but not as strongly. The whole area smells like trees -- a fresh, outdoors kind of scent, which doesn't make sense, because this is indoors.

Halfway to the ceiling (it seems) a shiny surface ledge runs like a pathway, over a shorter box and connects to the tallest one. It's wider than the ledge in your place. In the middle of the floor the brown table towers over you. The guest chair sits underneath it, and His chair is nearby.

You can see a remote here.

You hear the sound of grooming coming from somewhere nearby.

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.
action: You jump on his chair
response: You agilely leap upwards into the chair.

You hear several different scary sounds and then people talking, seriously.
action: You jump on the table
response: You easily jump up on the table, your claws clutching the threaded surface.

This is a small place, a little bit larger than the soft place but not as large as the place around it. If you ran around here, you'd definitely fall off the edges. The floor feels like a bunch of string, tightly wound together and it is arranged in colors and in patterns of things you don't recognize. From here, you can see a shiny surface you could easily jump to, and you can view most of the room and the next room over, which pulls your kittenish heart with what looks like large and soft beds. Taking a quick sniff, you realize that this area is used for eating food, but there is no food here now.

You can see a phone here.

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.
action: You jump on the ledge
response: That doesn't look far away. You take a quick look and with a little jump you land safely on the countertop.

From up here, you can see the entire shiny place. Only the refrigerator top gives a better view. It makes you feel powerful and important, like perhaps you controlled the whole area and had a few cat soldiers to do your bidding as well. If it was softer and not so narrow, it would make a great bed. From here, you can jump up to the metal box. The most distinctive smell is the scent of Goodcat/Badcat. He is near.

You hear several different scary sounds and then people talking, seriously.
action: You jump on the ftop
response: You leap up to the top with the greatest of ease.

You are on top of the cold metal cube, better known as "refrigerator" and "Goodcat/Badcat's lair". Strangely, it is not cold here, but fairly cozy with the faint smell of food. You can see why he chose this location for a lair. You think you'd probably have done the same.

You can see Goodcat/Badcat here.

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.
action: You look at the Cat
response: You look at him and you feel his eyes staring a hole through yours. He seems angry; you feel decidedly nervous.

You hear several different scary sounds and then people talking, seriously.
action: Rub Cat
response: You approach him but at the last moment, back off. His fierce stare seems to shout, "How dare you approach when we have not properly greeted one another yet!"

From the black square you hear lots of people shouting and catch a flicker of images out of the corner of your eye.
action: Bat cat
response: He good-naturedly pushes you away with his paws and resumes his usual placid, royal mien.

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.
action: You hit the Cat
response: Looking back on it, you realize that this was one of those things that would have never worked out. You pounced him and he responded with a bloodcurdling hiss and a swift paw that sent you flying right off the vibrating metal box. You landed on the ledge below and backed away just in time to avoid him jumping on you. Fear and adrenaline ran through your veins and you jumped, jumped, and ran like your tail was on fire. Now you're on the other side of that stringy ow, catching your breath, the image of him turning away with a refined departing spit echoing in your ears. His departing words were, "And don't come back!"

The hall from to your right ends here at a soft ow about half as tall as an ordinary ow. This ow is made of crossed strings and you can see through it; beyond are shiny tall metal boxes, almost taller than Him, on a shiny floor. You instinctively sniff the ow. Goodcat/Badcat has left a scent message that welcomes you to his world if you can get over the ow. He calls it something rather impolite.

The tall stringy gate bars progress to your left.
action: You climb the gate
response: You clamber over the gate again, quickly, but unfortunately not silently.

Just in front of you, the shiny and slippery floor begins and the large shiny things sit. The opposite way, you see softer but equally large things, but also a plant that sits in what looks like a square water bowl. The carpet is soft and it leads to your left, but to your right is the stringy ow that you'll have to climb to get over.

The tall stringy gate bars progress to your right.

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.
action: R.
response: You can go in front of you, behind you, to your left, or climb the gate to go to your right.

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.
action: F.
response: Here enormous metal boxes reach upward from a shiny floor that you can skid across if you run fast enough and suddenly stop. The tallest box is cold, vibrates, and smells like food! The shorter boxes also smell like food, but not as strongly. The whole area smells like trees -- a fresh, outdoors kind of scent, which doesn't make sense, because this is indoors.

Halfway to the ceiling (it seems) a shiny surface ledge runs like a pathway, over a shorter box and connects to the tallest one. It's wider than the ledge in your place. In the middle of the floor the brown table towers over you. The guest chair sits underneath it, and His chair is nearby.

You can see a remote here.

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.
action: You jump on his chair
response: You agilely leap upwards into the chair.

You hear the sound of grooming coming from somewhere nearby.

From the black square you hear lots of people shouting and catch a flicker of images out of the corner of your eye.
action: You jump on the table
response: You easily jump up on the table, your claws clutching the threaded surface.

This is a small place, a little bit larger than the soft place but not as large as the place around it. If you ran around here, you'd definitely fall off the edges. The floor feels like a bunch of string, tightly wound together and it is arranged in colors and in patterns of things you don't recognize. From here, you can see a shiny surface you could easily jump to, and you can view most of the room and the next room over, which pulls your kittenish heart with what looks like large and soft beds. Taking a quick sniff, you realize that this area is used for eating food, but there is no food here now.

You can see a phone here.

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.
action: You jump on ledge
response: That doesn't look far away. You take a quick look and with a little jump you land safely on the countertop.

From up here, you can see the entire shiny place. Only the refrigerator top gives a better view. It makes you feel powerful and important, like perhaps you controlled the whole area and had a few cat soldiers to do your bidding as well. If it was softer and not so narrow, it would make a great bed. From here, you can jump up to the metal box. The most distinctive smell is the scent of Goodcat/Badcat. He is near. You feel extremely nervous and wish you were anywhere but here.

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.
action: You jump on the ftop
response: Even the thought makes you quake with fear. You barely escaped with all your kitten parts intact last time! You're definitely not ready to brave facing him again.

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.
action: You jump on the ftop
response: Even the thought makes you quake with fear. You barely escaped with all your kitten parts intact last time! You're definitely not ready to brave facing him again.

You hear several different scary sounds and then people talking, seriously.
action: You jump down
response: You lean down the side and take a half-jump the rest of the way down.

From up here, you can see the entire shiny place. Only the refrigerator top gives a better view. It makes you feel powerful and important, like perhaps you controlled the whole area and had a few cat soldiers to do your bidding as well. If it was softer and not so narrow, it would make a great bed. From here, you can jump up to the metal box. The most distinctive smell is the scent of Goodcat/Badcat. He is near.

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.
action: You jump on the table
response: You span the distance with a soft jump and skid to a stop on the table.

This is a small place, a little bit larger than the soft place but not as large as the place around it. If you ran around here, you'd definitely fall off the edges. The floor feels like a bunch of string, tightly wound together and it is arranged in colors and in patterns of things you don't recognize. From here, you can see a shiny surface you could easily jump to, and you can view most of the room and the next room over, which pulls your kittenish heart with what looks like large and soft beds. Taking a quick sniff, you realize that this area is used for eating food, but there is no food here now.

You can see a phone here.

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.
action: You jump down
response: After a few moments of weightless falling and the rude impact, you are once again walking around on the shiny floor.

Here enormous metal boxes reach upward from a shiny floor that you can skid across if you run fast enough and suddenly stop. The tallest box is cold, vibrates, and smells like food! The shorter boxes also smell like food, but not as strongly. The whole area smells like trees -- a fresh, outdoors kind of scent, which doesn't make sense, because this is indoors.

Halfway to the ceiling (it seems) a shiny surface ledge runs like a pathway, over a shorter box and connects to the tallest one. It's wider than the ledge in your place. In the middle of the floor the brown table towers over you. The guest chair sits underneath it, and His chair is nearby.

You can see a remote here.

You hear the sound of a cat scratching itself and know that it must be Goodcat/Badcat.

From the black square you hear lots of people shouting and catch a flicker of images out of the corner of your eye.
action: Bat remote
response: You bat the remote and send it flying across the floor.

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.
action: You bat yourself
response: You fiddle with your tail for a little while, but quickly grow bored.

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.
action: B.
response: Just behind you, the shiny and slippery floor begins and the large shiny things sit. The opposite way, you see softer but equally large things, but also a plant that sits in what looks like a square water bowl. The carpet is soft and it leads to your right, but to your left is the stringy ow that you'll have to climb to get over.

The tall stringy gate bars progress to your left.

You hear several different scary sounds and then people talking, seriously.
action: Bat boxes
response: Choose a particular box.
action: You jump on the toilet
response: (the toilet)
With feline agility, you leap up to the hollow chair.

You are halfway between the dark window and the floor, perched on the white chair. It's not soft, but it is fairly slick. The wonderful smells rise up from the hollow center, down in the water. You see above you a wide ledge that runs underneath the window. You could easily jump to it, or jump down to the bathroom floor.
action: You enter the toilet
response: (the toilet)
Jumping to it is much more kittenish.
action: You jump on the ledge
response: With amazing grace, you land on the space above the handles with a solid "whump".

The surface here is smooth and there is a bowl in the middle called a sink. You know this because the scent of his hands have left the word around it. The sink smells like his breath and some sort of plant. On the far side is a cabinet without a handle. You don't know how he gets it open. In the dark window that takes up the whole wall is your reflection, doing whatever you do but in reverse.
action: You examine the sink
response: It's a bowl that's part of the ledge. It's damp, empty, and smells of his breath and some sort of fresh plant.
action: You examine the cabinet
response: (the bccabinet)
You see nothing special about the bccabinet.
action: You examine the mirror
response: You look in the window, but see nothing interesting besides your reflection. The mirror itself smells faintly acidic.
action: Bat reflection
response: You're quite through with playing with your reflection.
action: You enter the sink
response: You squinch up your eyes. You could fit in there, but there's a silver thing going over the top that you just don't trust.
action: You jump on the toilet
response: (the toilet)
You slide through the air down to the hollow chair.

You are halfway between the dark window and the floor, perched on the white chair. It's not soft, but it is fairly slick. The wonderful smells rise up from the hollow center, down in the water. You see above you a wide ledge that runs underneath the window. You could easily jump to it, or jump down to the bathroom floor.
action: You jump down
response: You jump down to the tiled floor below with matchless ease.

The hallway light provides the only light in this dark room. Your eyes adjust and your nose comes alive with the many different scents inside. The first smell smells like He does sometimes -- like growing things, like the outside. It's too strong for you and it causes your nose to wrinkle involuntarily. The next strongest smell is a fresh, clean smell that must be some kind of water. You know by the third smell that this is His place, because He has marked it. Mixed in with that territorial odor are lesser notes that smell like all sorts of yummy things. You're so glad he marked the area so you'd know where they are! It's odd, though. You look around but don't see a litterbox anywhere.

Instead, off to the right you see the tub. It has sides so you can jump up on it and take look inside. It smells like that water smell. Opposite it is a giant white chair that is hollow in the middle, where the territorial smell and the yummy smells come from. You could jump up on it, too. Right beside you are wooden boxes, and on top of them is a tall dark window.

You see your reflection peeking down at you from the window, green eyes glowing in the dark.
action: F.
response: The carpet ends here at a mow like the one that leads out of your place. You're not sure how He manages to open these things, but He must be strong. This mow looks a lot like the shiny floor, actually; it looks like it is made up of different tiles, all different colors. Sniffing the edges, you realize that it is a gateway to the outside. Images of grass, bright sunshine, concern, danger, and burden roll over you and you think that the outside is a fearful but wonderful place, and amazingly large. You smell Her scent again, like flowers but far too strong. It fills you with a fierce passion; she should know that you live here!

From the black square you hear lots of people shouting and catch a flicker of images out of the corner of your eye.
action: Bat carpet
response: You bat it but nothing amazing happens.

You hear several different scary sounds and then people talking, seriously.
action: Bat mow
response: You try for a few moments, but don't make any appreciable impact.

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.
action: You jump on it
response: You jump on it for a moment, but quickly tire of the one-sided play.

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.
action: Mew
response: You mew. Nothing happens and you feel faintly disappointed.

You hear several different scary sounds and then people talking, seriously.
action: B.
response: You turn to face behind you and bound away.

Just to your left, the shiny and slippery floor begins and the large shiny things sit. The opposite way, you see softer but equally large things, but also a plant that sits in what looks like a square water bowl. The carpet is soft and it leads behind you, but in front of you is the stringy ow that you'll have to climb to get over.

The tall stringy gate bars progress in front of you.

You hear several different scary sounds and then people talking, seriously.
action: Look around
response: Here enormous metal boxes reach upward from a shiny floor that you can skid across if you run fast enough and suddenly stop. The tallest box is cold, vibrates, and smells like food! The shorter boxes also smell like food, but not as strongly. The whole area smells like trees -- a fresh, outdoors kind of scent, which doesn't make sense, because this is indoors.

Halfway to the ceiling (it seems) a shiny surface ledge runs like a pathway, over a shorter box and connects to the tallest one. It's wider than the ledge in your place. In the middle of the floor the brown table towers over you. The guest chair sits underneath it, and His chair is nearby.

You can see a remote here.

You hear the sound of a cat scratching itself and know that it must be Goodcat/Badcat.

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.
action: You jump on his chair
response: You agilely leap upwards into the chair.

You hear the sound of grooming coming from somewhere nearby.

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.
action: You jump on the table
response: You easily jump up on the table, your claws clutching the threaded surface.

This is a small place, a little bit larger than the soft place but not as large as the place around it. If you ran around here, you'd definitely fall off the edges. The floor feels like a bunch of string, tightly wound together and it is arranged in colors and in patterns of things you don't recognize. From here, you can see a shiny surface you could easily jump to, and you can view most of the room and the next room over, which pulls your kittenish heart with what looks like large and soft beds. Taking a quick sniff, you realize that this area is used for eating food, but there is no food here now.

You can see a phone here.

You hear several different scary sounds and then people talking, seriously.
action: Bat phone
response: You bat it but nothing amazing happens.

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.
action: You jump on the ledge
response: That doesn't look far away. You take a quick look and with a little jump you land safely on the countertop.

From up here, you can see the entire shiny place. Only the refrigerator top gives a better view. It makes you feel powerful and important, like perhaps you controlled the whole area and had a few cat soldiers to do your bidding as well. If it was softer and not so narrow, it would make a great bed. From here, you can jump up to the metal box. The most distinctive smell is the scent of Goodcat/Badcat. He is near.

You hear several different scary sounds and then people talking, seriously.
action: You jump on the ftop
response: You leap up to the top with the greatest of ease.

You are on top of the cold metal cube, better known as "refrigerator" and "Goodcat/Badcat's lair". Strangely, it is not cold here, but fairly cozy with the faint smell of food. You can see why he chose this location for a lair. You think you'd probably have done the same.

You can see Goodcat/Badcat here.

From the black square you hear lots of people shouting and catch a flicker of images out of the corner of your eye.
action: Nap
response: You're exploring! No time for napping now.

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.
action: You rub against the Cat
response: You approach him but at the last moment, back off. His fierce stare seems to shout, "How dare you approach when we have not properly greeted one another yet!"

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.
action: Mew
response: You're not sure how you talk with another cat, after all, your only memories are hazy and indistinct ones of your littermates and mom. So you try talking to Goodcat/Badcat like you were talking to Him. You let out a curious "Meowr". His eyes fix upon you.

You hear several different scary sounds and then people talking, seriously.
action: Purr
response: You only do that when you are talking to Him. That's the fun part. When He gets back, you let out all the purrs you have saved up the whole day.

The black square lets out someone who is talking but in a very flowing kind of way and high up enough that it catches your attention. Then you realize she isn't saying anything important.
action: You sniff yourself
response: You have an light, woodsy, easy-going scent about you. You're not sure if that's a common scent, but it's yours and you like it.

You hear several different scary sounds and then people talking, seriously.

From right outside, you hear what sounds like a storm -- a rumbling, grumbling, coughing sound. You look around for somewhere to hide, but before you can find a place, it's over. Then you hear a slamming like the mow when He leaves and right before He sees you. Is He coming back?
action: You sniff you
response: Goodcat/Badcat has better things to do.

From the black square you hear lots of people shouting and catch a flicker of images out of the corner of your eye.
action: You sit
response: You sit down on your rear legs, taking a commanding view of your environs.

You hear several different scary sounds and then people talking, seriously.

You hear a mow open from far away and then hear it shut; His voice is next, as He greets Goodcat/Badcat. You meow energetically to let him know you are here.

He discovers you and picks you up. He strokes kindly you as He walks through the house, laughing at all the things you have done. He seems quite surprised at the TV being on. "You are quite the little explorer, aren't you?" he asks. You purr. "That effort deserves nothing less than a name!" He holds you high in the air and then triumphantly christens you, "Isabella. Yes, Isabella is your name." You nuzzle your face into his arms, turning the name around and around in your mind. Isabella. It's a good name, well, as good as humans get at these things, you think. You beam up at Him as He carries you.