Hello! Welcome to Stories Podcast. I'm your host, Amanda Weldon.
Today's story is called Millions of Cats, an adaptation of the picture book by Wanda Gag, written for you by Daniel Hines.
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Millions of Cats Once upon a time, there was a very old man and a very old woman named Mr. and Mrs. Mouser.
They lived in a nice, clean house, big and empty, since all of their kids had grown up and moved into houses of their own.
Their yard was full of flowers, bright and tall and beautiful, everywhere except where the door was.
But even with their nice house and all their flowers, they couldn't be happy because they were so very lonely.
If only we had a cat, sighed the very old woman.
She had always loved cats, but hadn't had one in years since her kids were allergic.
But now that they had houses of their their own, getting a cat seemed just the thing to her.
A cat? asked the very old man.
He liked cats too, but hadn't much thought about getting a pet before.
Yes, a sweet little fluffy cat, said the very old woman.
I think having a little darling to dote over would make the house feel so much more alive.
All right, I'll get you a cat, my dear, said the very old man who loved loved his wife very much. Oh, thank you, said the very old woman, and she wrapped her very old man in a very tight hug.
So, that very afternoon, the very old man set out over the hills to look for a cat.
In those days, out in the country where they lived, it wasn't uncommon to find wild cats.
They prowled around barns and hunted mice and just generally wandered the countryside.
side. So the very old man climbed over the sunny hills.
He trudged through the cool valleys.
He walked a long, long time, and at last he came to a hill which was quite covered with cats.
Covered! Cats here, cats there, cats and kittens everywhere, hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats, it seemed, all over running and jumping or sleeping in the sun. The old man wasn't sure why they had all gathered there.
Maybe because it was soft and sunny?
Maybe it was full of mice tunnels to chase or had catnip growing wild.
Whatever the reason, the very old man was ecstatic, which means very happy.
Oh, cried the old man joyfully.
Now I can choose the prettiest cat and take it home with me.
He walked among the cats, looking for just the right one for his wife.
He remembered she had a white kitten when she was just a girl, so when he saw a pretty white kitten meowing after some food, he knew she was perfect.
He picked up the white kitten and it nuzzled right into his arms. Oh, she's gonna love you, he said to the kitten.
The kitten said in reply, let's get you home.
Home,' the very old man said, but just as he was about to leave, he saw another kitten looking up at him.
This one was all black and white, and it seemed just as pretty as the first. It meowed and rubbed against his legs, so he took this one also.
"'Two cats. Oh, two cats is good,' he said to himself, holding both the little fuzzballs.
"'Cats like having a friend in the house.
No problem.' The old man started to leave again.
but then he saw a fuzzy gray kitten on his way down the hill, which was every bit as pretty as the others, so he took it too.
If two cats is good, three cats is better, he said to himself.
Now they'll have friends and can take turns.
But as he turned to leave again, he saw a little torty cat down in a corner which he thought too lovely to leave, so he took this too.
two. And just then, over here, the very old man found a kitten, which was black and very beautiful.
Oh, it would be a shame to leave that one, said the very old man.
So he took it, too.
And now, over there, he saw a cat which had brown and yellow stripes like a baby tiger.
Oh, I simply must take it, cried the very old man.
And he did. And now his arms were so loaded with cats that he had to put them down and corral after them like a sheepdog.
He tried to leave again and again, but every time the very old man looked up, he saw another cat which was so pretty he could not bear to leave it.
And before he knew it, he had chosen them all.
Every single cat. And so he went back over the sunny hills and down through the cool valleys to show all his pretty kittens to the very old woman.
He lured the cats with little treats and gentle pats and plenty of pspsps calls.
It was very funny to see those hundreds and thousands and millions and billions and trillions of cats following him as he made his way back towards home.
Halfway there, they came to a pond.
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simply too hot to move, I love to door dash a sundae from one of the ice cream places nearby.
DoorDash has a huge selection of ice cream options near me, plus anything else I could ever want, so I never have to go without an icy dessert on a hot summer night.
And it won't break the bank!
Starting June 26, Summer of DashPass is your excuse to stock up on all things summer.
Sunscreen, headphones, watermelon, whatever's in your cart.
And get it with $0 delivery fees and reduced service fees on eligible orders.
Sign up for DashPass now if you aren't already a member and enjoy a summer full of savings.
Check daily for massive summer savings on restaurants, groceries, and brands from June 26th through July 30th.
DashPass benefits apply only to eligible orders.
Terms apply. Mew, mew, we are thirsty, cried the hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats.
Well, here is a great deal of water, said the very old man.
All of you get a drink so we can keep on moving.
Each cat took a sip of water, one after the other, all ringed around the pond, drinking until the pond was gone.
Mew, mew, now you're hungry, said the hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats.
Oh, there is much grass on the hills, said the very old man.
Eat some grass to fill your bellies until we get home.
Each cat ate a mouthful of grass and munched and munched until not a blade was left. Between the pond and the grass, they'd left nothing but a muddy field full of cat prints behind them.
We're almost there.
The man and his endless parade of cute cats walked through the hills and fields and valleys until the man could see his house in the distance.
And there his wife was waiting for him.
When she saw him with the cat, she smiled.
When she saw the next two cats, she smiled even wider.
But the next thousand cats?
Her face dropped and her eyes went wide with surprise.
My dear, she cried.
What are you doing?
I asked for one little cat and what do I I see.
Cats here, cats there, cats and kittens everywhere, hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats.
All the pretty cats I saw I brought home for you, said the very old man.
You deserve every cat you want.
The woman looked all over, taking in the cats of every shape, size, and color all around her.
Oh, I love them, them, but we can never feed them all, said the very old woman.
They will eat us out of house and home.
Oh, I never thought of that, said the very old man looking at his herd of cats.
What shall we do? The very old woman thought for a while, and then she said, I know, we will let the cats decide which ones we should keep.
They are all used to living wild, and some might want to stay that way.
So let's see if any want to live with us to begin with.
Oh, yes, said the very old man, and he called to the cats.
Which one of you wants to come and live with me and my wife?
I do. I do. No, I do.
No, I do, and I'm the prettiest. No, I am.
I am. I am! cried hundreds and thousands and millions and billions and trillions of voices, for each cat thought itself the prettiest and also wanted to live with the sweet old couple.
One of them hissed at another, a third cat jumped in surprise, and then they were fighting.
They bit and scratched and clawed each other and made such a great noise that the very old man and the very old woman ran into the house as fast as they could.
They did not like to see such fighting.
But after a while, the noise stopped and the very old man and the very old woman and peeped out of the window to see what had happened.
They could not see a single cat.
I think they all must have run each other off, said the very old woman sadly.
Too much arguing and they couldn't handle it.
But look, said the very old man, and he pointed to a bunch of high grass.
In it sat one little frightened kitten.
They went out and picked it up.
It was thin and scraggly and dirty with big round eyes oh poor little kitty said the very old woman dear little kitty said the very old man how did you manage not to get chased off with the other hundreds and thousands and millions and billions and trillions of cats oh i'm just a very homely little cat said the kitten so when they argued over who was the prettiest i didn't say anything thing, so nobody bothered about me.
Oh, but you're beautiful, said the very old woman.
You just need a little tender love and care.
I agree, said the very old man.
Come with us, and we'll get you sorted.
They took the kitten into the house where the very old woman gave it a warm bath and brushed its fur until it was soft and shiny.
Then the old man made it a nice meal meal of hot fresh chicken, and the little kitten passed out next to its bowl.
They did this every day, and soon the little kitten grew nice and plump and healthy, with a shining coat of calico fur.
And it is a very pretty cat, after all, said the very old woman.
There's the most beautiful cat in the whole world, said the very old man.
And I ought to know, for I've seen hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats, and not one is as pretty as this one.
The End Today's story, Millions of Cats, was an adaptation from the picture book by Wanda Gag, written for you by Daniel Hines.
It was edited and produced for you by Andrew Martin, And performed for you by me, Amanda Weldon.
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