Week 5 Story: A Cat named Whiskers



Whiskers doesn't remember a time when he didn't live with Nina. He loved her so and when he wasn't basking in the sun from their living room window he was snuggled up next to her on the couch or in bed. He loved his human and couldn't imagine a better life. That was until the day Dave moved in. His life was forever changed that day. Whiskers no longer had a spot on the couch for him next to his Nina. If he wanted to lay in bed he struggled to find room in between four kicking human legs. Six  months of misery went by of having Dave push him away and Whiskers slowly felt like he was being replaced. He tried to live a happy life but longed for the days when it was just him and Nina.
Image result for angry cat meme
Angry Whiskers


"I got the job in India", proclaimed Dave. This caught Whiskers attention because he knew that Nina had a job she left for everyday but had never heard of India. Nina did not look happy about this announcement. One day when Nina came home she was not acting like herself. She laid on the couch and cried. She didn't feed Whiskers until noon everyday because she would sleep even after the sun had come up. Whiskers did not know where India was but he knew it must have been very far away because Dave had been gone for a long time. One day Nina laid in bed with Whiskers and the phone rang. A huge grin appeared on Nina's face, the first he had seen since Dave left. The next day Nina was packing all of her clothes and within two days she left. A new family moved in. A man and a woman with two little humans. The little kids would try to pet Whiskers as he hid behind the couch, reaching as far as they could with their sticky fingers. Whiskers endured this daily torture and thought it would never end, this was his new life.

Then like a ray of sunshine Nina walked in and Whiskers felt overjoyed. The weeks he had spent without her were torture, and he was especially happy to see that Dave was no longer with her. The family moved out of their house and days started to reminisce those of the past. Nina was no longer sad and depressed and Whiskers even had his spot back on the couch. That night as he cuddled up next to Nina in bed while she read a book he was so thankful for his life. In that moment his life was perfect and he didn't want anything to change.

Authors Note: This is an adaptation of the storyline between Nina and Dave in the movie "Sita sings the blues". I thought that it would be fun to tell the story from the cat's point of view. You see Nina and Dave's reflect a modern version of Sita and Rama's relationship and how Sita wanted the approval of Rama. The innocence of the cat left me wondering how he felt with the change and the abandonment of his owner.

Author: Nina Paley
Title: Sita Sings the Blues
Year: 2008

Comments

  1. Hi Brianna! I think this is a super creative take on the story of Nina and Dave, I loved Sit Sings the Blues -- it was so funny! In your story, I really like the characterization of the cat as loyal and unsure of the lives of its humans. I have never had a cat, but I think that its hostility to new people in the apartment and relief at Nina returning are good ways to show how a cat would act and to give the cat an interesting character.

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  2. Hey Bri!
    I really like how you've intertwined the universal themes of love and loneliness in this story. You did a great job establishing the relationship of Whiskers and Nina, and then walking us through how this relationship changes when other variables come into play. Just as Whiskers discovered, it can be very difficult to share the people we love with others, especially when we feel like we've been forgotten or replaced. I wonder how the story would differ if it were narrated from Nina's point of view? How does she feel about her changing relationship with Whiskers, and does she regret her dismissal of him when Dave comes into her life? Does this play into her ultimate decision to return to her life pre-Dave? I think adding more descriptive imagery would make this story even better. I really liked the details about the kicking legs and the sticky fingers, because I was able to visual these moments very well. Adding more details throughout can help paint a more colorful picture for the reader!

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  3. Hi Bri! I love that you took this part of the movie that was unique to this version as the basis for your story, and writing from the cat's perspective made for a really cool read. I'm also happy that you gave the cat a happy ending, and made the cat perceptive enough to dislike Dave from the start, who obviously wasn't good for Nina.

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  4. This is great! I LOVED Sita Sings the Blues and love how you told the story of Nina and Dave from the cat's point of view. We have four cats in our house, two of which are relatively new to us, and I could totally see poor Whiskers running and hiding from those awful kids. Cats are resilient animals but they have feelings too and you really captured that in this story.

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  5. This is so wonderful and creative! I never would have thought to use Nina’s perspective (or rather her cat) for a story and this works beautifully. You did an excellent job weaving in the feelings of loneliness and unrest both Whiskers and Nina were experiencing in different ways. This was so unique to read, I really think you did a fantastic job. Animals always seem to be good judges of character.

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  6. Hi Bri! I just want to say this was one of my favorite stories I have read so far in this class. I loved how easy it was to read and also how creative it was. I also watched the Sita Sings the Blues video and loved how they incorporated Nina and Dave's story so I love how you told more of their story from the cat’s perspective. I think it was really neat how your story made me feel different emotions while reading it. One moment I was sad for Whiskers while other times I was happy or irritated with him as well. I was wondering while reading however, why it is the family moved in and took over Whiskers for a while? I think you should add how Dave interacted with Whiskers more or add more background, but overall, I loved being able to read this story. Awesome job!

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  7. Hey Brianna,

    I did not get the chance to watch that movie, but I loved how you interpreted the story. Reading a story from the point of view of the pet was both hilarious and sad. My dad has two dogs at home and he always talks about how they know when he leaves and where he goes. This can be sad when having the leave the house. Great story!

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