Read Meow or Never (Vanessa Abbot Cat Protection League Cat Cozy Mystery Series Book 3) for Free Online Page A

property outside of town that could make a
wonderful cat sanctuary. It’s got a very nice house, and acres of forest for
you all to play in. Just ask Henry.”

    The cats paid no attention. They
swirled around her feet in eddies of color and swishing tails, and they meowed
up at her in a united chorus. Even Henry wouldn’t leave her alone. He yowled
louder than she’d ever heard him, and he kept running his sides across her
legs.

    “I know you’re very hungry,” she told
them. “I’m getting the food as fast as I can.”

    She ran the can opener around five or
six cans and dumped them into dishes. Then she set them on the floor in a row
before she went back to open several more. She didn’t notice until she turned
around the second time that the cats weren’t eating the food she set out.

    “I know you’re terribly upset,” she
went on, “and I promise I won’t ever do it again. You don’t know the day I’ve
had. First, Pete almost crashed his car into the side of a building when
someone cut his brake lines. Then Walter shot up the real estate agent’s car
trying to kill me. It was only by the luckiest chance that we got away with our
lives.”

    She finished putting the cat food out.

    “Now, finish your food and I’ll get the
fire going.” She let out a heavy breath and went into the living room. “I won’t
be sorry to put my feet up and fall asleep in front of the fire.”

    The cats meowed, screeched and pranced
around the room.

    “What’s wrong with you?” she asked.
“Not one of you has eaten your food. Come on, Henry. You usually can’t stand
being in the same room while the other cats are eating.”

    She knelt down in front of the
fireplace and started sorting through the newspaper and kindling to start the
fire. The cats went wild. The calling and whining got louder and more
desperate, and Aurora even jumped on Vanessa's back and bit her on the neck.

    Vanessa shooed her off quickly. Aurora
darted away to the other side of the room and wouldn't come near her again. The
other cats took Aurora's place right away. They got in front of Vanessa and
stopped her from getting the fire together.

    In the end, Vanessa sat back on her
heels and stared at them. “I don't know what's wrong with you cats tonight, but
I guess we're not having a fire. I can't do anything with you beating me up
every five minutes.”

    She threw down her matchbox and set her
hands on her hips. Then she turned off the light and went into the bedroom. The
sight that met her eyes when she turned on the bedside lamp made her gasp in
astonishment all over again.

    Her cats usually piled onto her bed and
lounged together while they waited for her to get into it. Tonight, not one cat
sat on her bed. They ran around her feet, whining and yowling. Even Henry—dear,
sensible Henry—just wouldn't stand still. He shivered and waved his tail in
anxious agitation.

    “I just don't know what I can do for
you cats,” Vanessa exclaimed. “You don't want food. You don't want a fire. What
do you want?”

    She glared down at Henry as he stared
up at her. Then, to her horror, he put out his paw and scratched her across the
top of the foot. His claws tore three holes in her sock, and he ripped three
straight scratches over her skin. She screamed, more in surprise than pain, and
she stepped back away from Henry.

    He scooted away from her foot. Then he
stood still a few feet away and stared up at her. Tears sprang to her eyes.
“Have you taken complete leave of your senses? What am I supposed to do?”

    She covered her mouth with her hand and
turned away. What was happening to her beloved cats? Had they turned against
her?

    She went into the bathroom to get her
bathrobe off the hook by the shower, and that's when she smelled it. Gas. She
darted out of the bathroom as fast as she could, and when she got back to the
bedroom, she stopped again. Henry sat in the same spot across the room with his
eyes fixed on her face.

    “Henry,”