Anabas the Cat, An Introduction

Once upon a time in old Egypt, there was a city that the people named "Aswan." In this city was a small house. In, on, and alongside this house lived a cat who named herself Anabas. Anabas had piercing yellow eyes and fur so black that it shimmered blue on the edges in the sunlight.

There were several alleys, sheds, and houses that were hers, but this house in particular she made her center of operations. The other owner of this house, a human woman, objected to her choice. The woman thought that cats brought bad luck, so she shoo'ed her away with a broom whenever she could. She had a tiny baby human that slept in the back room, so she was especially worried about bad luck.

She lived her life in my particular way. She slept on the roof in the night and on the windowsill in the heat of the midday. In the morning and evening, when the sun burned orange on the horizon, she inspected her houses and alleys and said hello to the cats who lived nearby.

She caught mice and birds to eat, and sometimes she took them to her favorite house and left them on the doorstep as goodwill offerings. The woman didn't seem to know what to do with a plumb mouse or juicy starling, and Anabas felt sorry for this poor human who did not know more than a young kitten. So, she kept leaving these gifts for the woman; surely eventually she would learn how to handle food properly.

Anabas did not just sleep and hunt in her territory. She also protected it. When any dog, cat, or other hunter approached her area, she would call to them, "Hello fellow hunter. What is your business on my ground?" If the creature said they were hungry and hunting, she would let them continue, but watch them from the roofs. If they had some other reason, she would chase them off, unless it was a good one.

There were other creatures that she never gave leave to pass through her territory. Jackals, scorpions, and human ghosts were always unwelcome. She would hiss and spit at them until they left. If they did not run, she had her teeth and her claws, and she was so fast with them that even even the ghosts were hurt.

Thus, all the humans who lived within her territory were safe from these things, even from ghosts. But none of the humans seemed to fully appreciate this, especially the woman with the baby. But Anabas knew who she was, and she was who she was, and that is enough for any cat.