Mittens is in a bad mood for a few days after the visit.

He doesn't play with me, so I sleep all day and sometimes make an effort to catch the mice living under the stove.

I'm not a good hunter like he was. I might play with cat toys but I'm not really a cat.

One day when I'm batting my squeaky mouse toy around there's a knock at the door.

Mittens arranges his face into a smile and answers it, and I come up behind him to see who it is.

It's Julia, his girlfriend.

I twine happily around her feet as she enters the house, makes small talk with Mittens, and presents him with flowers.

"You seemed down on our last date, so I thought I should get you something." she says with a hesitant smile.

Mittens stares at the flowers, his face clouded with doubt.

An expression I've never seen on him before.

Almost regretfully, he takes the flowers.

"You're a nice woman, Julia." he says.

I can hear in his voice that he's going to go forward with his plan anyway.

I have to do something. I'm just a cat, I can't speak, I can't communicate, but... I can't let this happen to her and her future child.

See what he is, Julia, I plead inwardly. Fall out of love with him before it's impossible to get out.

But they keep talking, and eventually I fall asleep on Julia's lap.