aus spinning in my head

Gertrude had basically no say in most of the cats that entered her home. But one of them had entered out of nowhere and refused to leave. It looked nearly… plastic. It wasn’t, Gertrude was sure of that. But she still had a plastic cat toy look. Gertrude did not like it. She still named the cat Nikola, including hope that Nikola would walk away as oddly as it had appeared. It never did.

Another one of the cats looked wrong in a way. Gertrude had originally shrugged the dirty cat to the side. Surely someone else would find the cat, take it to the vet and let it into a forever home. However it seemed like wishful thinking. 

The cat seemed healthy and sick at the same time. It looked like the cat got enough food to not starve, though the dirt made it seem like it didn’t have a home. It didn’t walk properly either. Constantly standing a bit oddly. As Gertrude got a closer look at the cat it looked as if one leg was shorter while one was longer than the other two. Gertrude knew enough about adoptions surrounding animals to know the chances of him being taken into a proper home was low. With a sigh Gertrude made an appointment at the vet.

After finding out that the legs most likely wouldn’t cause any problem and that he was otherwise healthy, he was taken to get a proper bath. Which went a bit better than Gertrude had originally thought. He had ended up with the name Jared, suggested by the veterinarian. 

The name did somehow crash with another cat that was taken in a bit later. It was a lanky black cat, though there were spots of orange. He had eyes oddly similar to Jon and Elias, as if he could see through Gertrude’s soul. 

A day after taking in the cat, Eric had been assigned to get the cats dinner as Gertrude was away on a short trip. When she came back Eric had gotten a bit attached. 

“His name is probably Gerard.” Gertrude told him.

The next four arrived close to each other in pairs. Not too long after Sasha, Jon, Martin and Tim made themselves comfortable. 

The first one was a rather fluffy light brown cat. The eyes were bright blue though there were scars going straight over those. Gertrude has a suspicious feeling that something was wrong with the eyes. Especially considering the cat right next to them. It was darker with stripes. Right beside the other, occasionally bumping into the other with a meow. 

Gertrude didn’t do anything about it. Thinking they would leave the next day. Two days passed and instead another pair came in. One of them dark grey with yellow eyes, for a moment the cat looked up at her and Gertrude nearly shivered. Sure, sometimes one of her cats would glare at her as if they wanted to kill her. But this one felt like the statement could be held true. As if she was watching a tiger in a small ordinary cat form. The other was also grey, though with black stripes over the body and black paws. 

Gertrude ended up having to let them all stay. The light brown cat was taken to the vet in which she was informed that, while the scars had healed over, the cat was blind. Gertrude did not necessarily want a blind cat. She still had work and was, admittedly, a bit worried over how a cat unable to see, would be in a house full of other cats. 

Gertrude had googled up inspirations for names. In the end she had landed on Melanie, the blind cat. Georgie, the one by Melanie’s side. The grey who seemingly wanted to kill Gertrude any time she looked at her, had been named Daisy by Fiona and the other had gotten the name Basira. 

The four showed up within two days of each other. Two and two.

The first one, that Gertrude liked the most of the four, was a cat with split colour. Nearly her entire left side was white and the fur nearly looked straighter and shorter. The other side was dark brown, nearly black, somehow looking more curly and longer than the other side. It was not a perfect split. She had more of the darker fur than the white. 

The other had at least four different colours in his fur. Mostly orange, the paws were black, looking like small socks, the face was nearly entirely white and there were some brown and grey spots all over the rest of the body. He somehow seemed to be smiling all the time.

The two were drastically opposite of eachother. The girl seemed patient and calm while the boy seemed much more chaotic with constant need to move. Gertrude had given the two some food before they left again. 

The next day they were accompanied by two other cats. The boy with a cat looking oddly similar to Peter. Though a bit smaller in size he still seemed much bigger than the other three. He also seemed much more shy than the first two. The second one was basically the opposite. Small, thin and black with barely enough fur to hide how undernourished he seemed to be. There were even some white streaks that gave him the look of an older person. 

Gertrude had not planned to let anyone, except the girl she named Sasha, to live with her. But she had left for three days and with that leaving the care of the cats with Leitner, who seemed to have no trouble letting the cats in. Assuming that the four lived with her. Leaving her with no room to argue as names were picked. The colourful one was named Tim (“I’m not naming him ‘Timothy’ Eric!”) and the one looking like Peter had been named Martin. 

Gertrude refused to be blamed for what the last one was called. Jon. The names had been picked as she had Jurgen over for a very platonic dinner, thank you very much Eric. Jurgen had suggested Jon and upon being reminded that there was already a John, he had stopped for a moment before declaring that this one did not have an H in his name. Gertrude really did not have a better name.

Simon really had a bad habit of getting older cats to Gertrude’s doorstep. Was it just because she was old? She had no real idea but there she was. In front of an older cat that Simon was proudly standing right next to. The cat was black, the first time she looked at him it felt like watching the void. The eyes watching her were rather dark too. She had named him Maxwell and moved on. Knowing she would not get rid of him easily if Simon had any say in it and Simon had a lot to say.

She got a similar cat two years later. She had been mostly lurking around. Gertrude had first seen her when Maxwell went out on a walk, she had looked outside and seen two nearly identical cats. Though the new one seemed to have a bit more fur on than Maxwell did. Afterwards the cat would spend her time in Gertrude's garden. Causing her to nearly trip over the cat on the darker nights. In the end she let the cat in. Deciding it would be better than harming the cat due to the dark nights approaching. Gertrude had named her Manuela. It fit well enough with Maxwell. 

Despite them both being rather calm Gertrude tried her best to never enter whatever room they were in. Sometimes the room would go completely dark, no matter how many lights she had on. It never lasted for long, but Gertrude really preferred having sight.

The last of the older cats that had been making their home in Gertrude’s home was a rather odd one. Though how someone could be more odd than Simon she did not know. (A thought she would later regret ever thinking.) He was similar to Simon in looks, though he was more brown than grey and also bigger than Simon’s tiny body. There was an ill-fitting collar though it did not indicate a name or previous owner. By the smell of him it seemed like he had been alone for a while. 

His name was John and would be healthy according to the veterinarian. She was given some medicine to give the cat and hopefully with a better bath John would stop smelling like he was dying. 

Gertrude ended up with a similar cat. Which was not really ideal as John would bring with ants for her to kill. Similar to him, the new one would bring in worms. Which was why Gertrude had started to hate when it rained, it just meant that the cat would run outside and bring back as many worms as she possibly could. 

The cat was grey with black spots on her body. Most of the time she would spend time outside, mostly in Gertrude’s garden. Something that was not great as she tried to at least take some care of it. Sometimes the cat would wander inside, putting a worm in a flowerpot or as a horrible present. The cat had gotten the name Jane. Figuring out that she probably was the owner of the cat by now.

Gertrude blamed Eric Delano for the situation she was in. Well, Eric and Fiona Law. She could hear the two talk on the 30th that Gertrude felt was not work related. Her suspicion was confirmed as Eric knocked on the door to her office, leaning against the doorframe as he waited for her to look up. 

“Yes Eric?” 

“So… Are you doing anything tomorrow?”

“Why are you asking?”

“Because it’s Halloween. Going out for drinks with, oh, what was his name? Jurgen Lighter?” 

“Leitner.” Gertrude sighed. “And no. I’m going to be home. Halloween is just a time of year to give children excuses to eat a lot of candy.” 

“Riiight-” Eric drummed his fingers against the door frame. “You got cats though, right?”

“Yes.”

“Are you going to dress them up?”

“Now why would I do that?”

Because Eric and Fiona were dead set on dressing up the cats. So after work they forced Gertrude to the local pet shop in order to find enough costumes for the cats. It was quite hard figuring everything out. Spending hours there looking at photos of the cats to find the right match. 

“We’ll go home to yours directly after work then?” Fiona clarified with Gertrude before they went their separate ways. Gertrude only answered with a nod and mumble about how tomorrow would not be a great day.

31st started just fine. The day went on as usual, though her assistants were more talkative than normal. Eventually it was time to leave and the four stood ready as Gertrude exited her office. She sighed. Clearly no one had forgotten. 

Some of the cats were very easy to get into their costumes. Oliver, Maxwell and Manuela got dressed as bats with wings, matching their already black fur. Oliver let it happen while the other two put on a bit more of a fight. Eric had a bit worse of a luck than Emma as he decided on the twins, both wearing a very colourful snake costume that Michael had first fought to not have to wear, Gerry however had been more peaceful, glaring at Eric as he got a onesie full of different types of eyes on it. 

Poor Sarah had decided to take on Mike, which had gone as well as one might expect from him as Sarah tried to get him into a cloud costume. She had then taken three of the more peaceful cats. Simon, dressed as a bee and Peter who had accepted his fate to be dressed as a jester. She had even managed to catch Elias to put him in an owl costume. 

Gertrude decided to make it as easy as possible by taking the cats that seemed the most interested in the costumes. Tim dressed in a cape similar to how a vampire costume would be, Martin who got a cow costume, Sasha who got a small knitted sweater and quickly made glasses to fit a cat, Jon who joined - or was bullied by Tim - was put in a moth costume. Agnes came up to her for her costume, looking like a fire with a crown on top of her head.

Fiona got Daisy into a dog costume, Melanie got on a lion's mane and Basira who got put in a box painted like a police car, though not without some chasing, scratching and something that fell from a table.  Emma stuck to the theme of the matching outfits as she managed to get Jane into a worm costume, John into a fly costume and Annabelle into a spider costume. Eric changed out Georgie’s collar to one that said ‘The Admiral’. Jared got a onesie similar to Gerry’s though this one had a pattern of bones. Fiona had to take Jude and Nikola. Jude dressed up as a flame while Nikola looked like a toy soldier.

Gertrude despised the note stuck to her fridge. 

Mike, Michael, Helen, Simon. Veterinarian. 10/29, 2.15 pm

It was hard enough getting one cat for their checkup, four was nearly impossible. Simon was usually alright with going to the vet. He did not seem to care about being poked around. Mike was a bit worse, not liking being poked and moved by strangers and even worse had been checking the scar. Helen and Michael were just always hard to handle. Causing chaos and confusion wherever they went. The worst was bringing those four together considering the fact that, well, Mike did not get along with the siblings.

“Don’t be like that.” Gertrude sighed. Mike had made himself comfortable on the top shelf. She had pulled two pet carriers, firstly wrestling Helen and Michael into one that could fit them both. Secondly she had called for Simon who did not protest as he got in the second one. She had then called for Mike who saw the two carriers and climbed up the tallest shelf. 

“Come on down, the others are waiting for you. Better get down and get this over with.” Mike hissed at that. Pressing himself even more towards the wall. “I’ll get Jurgen.” An even longer, angrier and louder hiss. Gertrude sighed. She looked around the room for anything to get Mike down with. ‘Aha’, her broom was still out from her last time cleaning. 

The visit was not any better. Simon had gone first, luring the poor veterinarian to a false sense of security. Mike was meant to go after, though he held onto the soft fabric put on the floor of the carrier with his claws, hissing at the humans. So Michael had to go second. There was no fighting but he had enough energy to give power to all the electronics in the building. Helen was just slightly better, not as much running around, but the energy she did have combined with her dislike towards the veterinarian was enough to not have as peaceful of an experience as Simon. They managed to get Mike out eventually and gave him an extra treat once they were done.