The mystery of the missing cat

On the planet Sandor, there was a twelve-year-old kid named Keefe. He was really smart. He was so smart, he could even solve a mystery! He had gotten a call from someone about a mystery. They said that their cat had gone missing the night before. As they went to bed, the cat was there, and then that morning, the cat was not there!

Keefe was on his way to their house now. The person who lost their cat was named Luca. He was sitting on the porch when Keefe got there. “Hi Luca,” Keefe said when he got to the porch. “Hello,” Luca said sadly.

“Can you tell me about your cat,” Keefe asked him after they had gone inside and drank some coffee. “What do you want to know about the cat?” Luca asked. Keefe said, “I want to know what you did the last three days and then what was going on when the cat disappeared.” Luca thought about what had happened and then replied, “Ok, let me tell you. So, on the first day, we were doing nothing much. I had taken my cat, Mr. Goofy-Cat, for a walk to Whole Foods because I had run out of milk. Mr. Goofy-Cat drank a lot of milk, and when I told him we had to head home, he refused to come with me. He drank one more bowl of milk. That was his fourth bowl of milk.”

“Hm, that’s interesting. Ok, then what happened? Day two,” Keefe said.

“On the second day, we had taken him to the park. He went down the water slide, played on the swing, and ran around a lot. He had a lot of fun. He didn’t want to leave, but he didn’t be as annoying as the first time. Then there is the third day. We had gone on a drive together, and he was in the back. The window was closed, so I don’t think he got out that way. We had gone from here to Furrball City. Animals like cats, dogs, and hamsters LOVE it there, and that’s pretty much it,” Luca explained. He stared out the window, lost in thought. “Oh, and one more thing I just remembered! The milk didn’t come from a cow! It came from a cat, an older cat than Mr. Goofy-Cat.”

“Does the normal milk you get come from a cow?” Keefe asked.

“Yea, but he doesn’t drink that much of it,” Luca replied.

Keefe had thought of something. He was thinking, Mr. Goofy-Cat loved the milk that didn’t come from a cow, but from a cat. That means something. He knew how to lure Mr. Goofy-Cat back. “Do you have the milk that Mr. Goofy-Cat loved more than other milk?” Keefe asked.

“I do,” Luca said. “I know what you are thinking, and it’s a good idea.”

“Do you want to say it then?”

“Use the milk that he liked to lure him back here.”

“Exactly,” Keefe finished the conversation there.

The first place Keefe checked was the first place Luca had mentioned yesterday morning, Whole Foods. Keefe went inside and went to the front desk. “Hello,” he said to the lady behind the desk. “Hi,” she said back. “How can I help you today?”

“I was wondering if you know anything about that cat,” Keefe replied.

“The cat that came four days ago? Oh, I can tell a lot. I remember that the cat drank a lot of milk. The cat loved the cat’s milk more than the cow’s milk. I also know that ------”

“Ok, but can you tell me other things besides what could be seen in plain sight?” Keefe interrupted, feeling impatient. The lady stood there as if trying to remember what had happened that day. “I remember that that cat had made footprints on the ground when it came by yesterday. Luca wasn’t there, so I was surprised, but not worried. Anyway, by the time the cleaning crew had come by, the paint, I think it was, had dried. So the footprints are still there.”

“Thanks!” Keefe called back as he ran in the direction that the footprints went in. The footprints led far, but he still followed them. He passed three different grocery stores along the way, but the footprints didn’t lead to any of them.

The footprints lead to a restaurant. It was called The Cat Place. It seemed like the place that a cat would go to. What was there? Did the cat end up here and stay for four days? He went inside. There was no one there. Only cats. This place didn’t look like a restaurant. It looked like an arcade without games. Then, Keefe heard a voice. “Hello!” It was a female’s voice. Keefe jumped back. “What do you need?” she said. The lady was old and looked like an anime character.

Keefe said, “I heard that there is a missing cat, and I heard that it was here. I was just wondering if it was here, or if you knew anything about it,” Keefe said.

“Oh, that cat! The one that came three days ago? I think I can help you with that!” The lady said. “I know where that cat went! You know, I can understand what a cat means when it meows. Anyway, back to the cat we were talking about. It came about three days ago. It had said it needed some rest. It stayed for about two days. After that, it left again. It gave me a meow to tell me it was leaving. It said that it was going to the orphanage. It said that it was going to stay for a week. It said a week, but cats don’t always mean that. I think it leaves tomorrow. If you go now, you can catch it.”

Keefe was so happy! “Thank you so much!” he said. He ran off toward the orphanage. He tried to think about why the cat would go to the orphanage of all places. The cat had lived with a person. That’s when Keefe understood. The cat loves people! The cat knew people really well and would want to hang out with them. That’s why the cat ran away!

Keefe got to the orphanage and talked to the person at the front desk. “I was just wondering if a cat was here. It’s my friend’s cat, and he is worried about him.” The lady there smiled a smile that told Keefe that she knew what he was talking about. “The cat has been here for the last few days and is still here. I can give the cat to you,” she said.

Within the next five minutes, Keefe had the cat and was thanking the lady for giving it to him. He went to the phone booth. He called Luca. “Hello! I have good news for you - I found your cat!”

“Really? Thank you so much!!! Use the transferring device to send it to me.” Keefe did that. The cat was sent to the other end. “Nice to see you, Mr. Goofy-Cat! Thanks again, Keefe!”

“Any time!” Keefe replied.