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Félix had always considered himself a cat person.
He’s always loved cats for as long as he could remember, and he’s even grown up with them. As a small boy, his mamá and papá had adopted a black kitten that his brother Antonio had named Luna, and three years after that, they had found Luna giving birth to four kittens on the living room couch when no one had even realized that she was pregnant. Of course they had kept all the kittens, and happily did so. The entire Castillo family adored cats, Félix included, which meant that he’s had a lot of experience with them over the years. He knew everything there was to know about cats, and his fondness for them had not disappeared with age. Neither had his family either, since his parents still had a pretty old cat at their house, always wanting at least one feline companion in their household.
According to Félix, a household without at least one pet felt empty and boring, because pets, especially cats, brought so much humor and joy into a family. And that’s something he stands by firmly. He was sure he could handle most cats, being the designated cat expert of the house.
All of his years of knowledge went out the window the moment it came to Princess Whiskers, though. She was unlike any cat that he’s ever owned, that’s for sure, and not only because of appearance. He’s never seen such a fluffy cat ever before, especially one with such white fur. She was also much larger than the average cat, which had surprised everyone, especially since she had been the runt of her litter when Agustín had brought Princess Whiskers home as a gift to Pepa almost four years ago. Félix couldn’t even imagine how big the cat would have become if she hadn’t been the runt.
Of course, Princess Whiskers had started as Pepa’s kitten, but as she and Agustín had both discovered that they were allergic to cats, Princess Whiskers had instead become the family cat, with the main ownership being transferred over to Antonia who had been a toddler back then. Félix still remembers the day Princess Whiskers had been brought home. It had been like love at first sight, with Antonia being over the moon as she had quickly bonded with her cat.
The bond was as strong as ever, so whenever Princess Whiskers wasn’t causing havoc or making a mess somewhere around the house, or bothering Pepa and Agustín, or him and Julieta around bedtime, she could always be found close to Antonia’s side. She dutifully followed, and sometimes Félix swore that Princess Whiskers acted more like a dog, and sometimes she acted like the most deranged of cats ever. It’s as if she completely lacked any brains, but what she lacked in intelligence she made up for with affection and sassiness. And don’t forget the adorableness.
If she wasn’t so adorable, no one would agree to spend at least half an hour a day combing her long fur and giving her so many baths (which she hated, by the way. Félix had many scars to prove that, as he was the designated cat cleaner as the one with the most experience bathing cats).
She really was an adorable, yet very unusual cat. With a lot of personality, being so sassy as she took up so much space, always wanting attention in some shape or form. Usually she got it from Antonia (Félix was proud that his daughter was such a nice and responsible pet owner), or from randomly appearing in front of other people when they least expected her to. He had lost count of how many times Princess Whiskers had hidden in the laundry basket, in his wardrobe, or ruined the mood whenever he or Julieta tried to have some alone time because she suddenly decided she wanted attention and couldn’t stop staring at them and meowing loudly.
Which always ruined the mood.
He’s heard that Pepa and Agustín were going through the same struggles.
And if Princess Whiskers believed she wasn’t pampered enough, she got cranky and even more clingy, never leaving anyone alone.
Félix loved that cat almost as much as his daughter loved her, but sometimes he needed a break. Especially when she kept getting herself into way too many shenanigans for being a regular house cat. Princess Whiskers was anything but ordinary, and always found herself close to trouble, and making it.
If it wasn’t jumping up onto the kitchen counter and eating some of the raw meat that was being prepared for dinner, or vomiting up big hairballs on the couch, clawing on clothes, or pooping on someone’s pillow, there was always something else the cat could get up to.
Like somehow finding a way out of the house.
From an open window, or bolting through the door when someone is about to come home or leave. Like today when Karina and Emmanuel had gotten home from school and she had suddenly bolted away for no reason in particular, truly changing Félix’s plans for the rest of the day while Antonia screamed loudly about wanting her cat back before she disappeared.
Princess Whiskers yearned for freedom, and when she did, nothing would get in her way. She was way too determined and way too stubborn, something that Félix cursed the cat for being. Antonia had pampered her way too much, he’s sure of it, because she’s a million times more stubborn than any cat he’s ever owned before. Because she had made up her mind and there was nothing that could change it, almost as if she was as determined as one, while simultaneously being even more stupid than a toddler. Félix swore that the cat lacked brain cells, especially when it came to her escape attempts.
She wasn’t even an outdoor cat. She was an indoor one. A very spoiled and pampered one at that, who wouldn’t survive more than a day in the wild, or even as an outdoor cat with access to food. She was too stupid and too sheltered for that, and frankly, too lazy, as it was very clear she enjoyed her life as a spoiled indoor cat.
That still didn’t stop her from trying to escape though.
And like always, Félix was in charge of running after her. Which could take hours.
Though it wasn’t like spotting her would ever be a challenge when she was such a big, fluffy furball with such unnaturally white fur. She had no camouflage at all and stuck out like a sore thumb.
Somehow she was still hard to find though.
And today was one of those days where the havoc of a family cat had decided to get up to mischief.
It was clear as day as he heard an all too familiar scream.
“Papá!”
It’s Antonia, and her screams are coming from the house entrance. And by hearing the distress in his daughter’s voice, he had already known that things were off. Especially when he heard Emmanuel and Karina quickly apologize (and Karina let out a curse. Something she wouldn’t dare to do if Pepa or Agustín was around. At almost eleven years old, she was still too scared to curse in front of her parents, even if Félix had heard her experiment with curse words).
As he ran to the right room, his worst fears had been confirmed. As the two oldest kids were home from school, Antonia was screaming and crying with a clear panic on her face. The door to the house was wide open, and there was no fluffy white cat anywhere to be found. She had bolted straight out, somehow feeling the urge to explore the world, being the stupid dumb cat that she was. Some things never changed.
Princess Whiskers hadn’t gotten the memo that she was an indoor cat, even though she absolutely was one.
Now, Félix’s new mission was to diffuse disaster.
A devastated screaming and crying Antonia was not something he wanted to experience today. It always pained him to see either of his children in pain, especially when they were so loving and caring, just like their mother. Antonia cared about Princess Whiskers like she was her own child, making her even more emotionally attached to the cat than to anyone else, making her feel some emotions just as strongly as Julieta. She was loving and caring and would do anything for her cat, and always became distressed when anything happened to her cat that she’s had since toddlerhood.
It distressed him seeing her panic. And a panicking Antonia would lead to a panicked Julieta trying to console their daughter without result, because the only thing that could ever console her was Princess Whiskers coming back. He didn’t want either his wife or his daughter to feel even worse.
So now his new mission was to retrieve the cat as quickly as possible, or else his daughter would never forgive him as Antonia’s wrath was unleashed. She was much less temperamental than Maria, but if she was distressed, you were absolutely in danger. He’s experienced it first hand. An emotionally hurt Antonia was absolutely worse than any of Maria’s angry temper tantrums, simply because they were so rare. Antonia was usually such a level headed child, so seeing her in distress made an impact.
“I promise, I’ll get her back straight away. You know she can’t hide from me.”
Antonia hadn’t even responded. She had just cried.
So, Félix had left the house straight away with no plan in sight but to look for the fluffy furball that was his daughter’s best friend and bring her back home.
Easy enough.
In theory.
It took Félix an hour of running around the Encanto like a headless chicken to find the cat. He’s sure he’s gotten a million stares. Enough stares to last him a lifetime as he pretty much jogs through the city, not even walking as he can’t waste any precious seconds. Antonia would kill him if she thought he didn’t take it seriously, so running it was, when walking was too slow.
And every second truly did count as he ran around screaming for the cat.
Once again, Princess Whiskers was an indoor cat without a single survival instinct in her body. She was not meant to be outside at all and would not last long in the wild, or in a town for the matter. Being as dumb as she was, she wouldn’t be able to recognize danger even if it was staring her straight in the face. She could jump into the lake without knowing how to swim, walk into the jungle and get lost and not find her way back, either starving or being eaten alive. She could even be snatched up by a bird of prey in the village if she wasn’t careful enough, and he did not want to explain that to Antonia.
There’s no time to rest until the cat is back home.
“Princess Whiskers! Princess Whiskers!”
It’s a very embarrassing name to yell out loud over and over again for over an hour. Pepa really named the cat something.
Thankfully very few people know the cat had been owned by Pepa for a full twelve hours before she had been passed to Antonia, so most people would assume Antonia had named her as a toddler. Which makes the name less ridiculous than if you knew the cat had been named by an adult in her thirties.
Félix swore the cat was toying with him. It was like she had disappeared without a trace. Into thin air.
And he had no idea how, because she was literally a walking snowball walking around in lush green scenery. She could be spotted from miles away, and yet, she had managed to avoid him. Not by being smart, of course, but by clear coincidence.
But he couldn’t give up. He wouldn’t dare to go home empty handed.
Félix loved that stupid cat too, and he refused to give up that easily. He had gotten just as attached to the stupid, stinky, overly fluffy fur ball as everyone else had. He was too determined to stop looking, and he would be out all night if necessary.
Thankfully, his prayers are answered.
When he is at the outskirts of the village, screaming for the cat, he suddenly stops in his tracks as he hears a very familiar sound.
A meow.
A loud, high pitched meow, sounding just like Princess Whiskers when she’s somehow made her way up the tallest bookshelves in his and Julieta’s room, without realizing how she was going to get down, asking for help. Something that happened almost daily because she never learned from her mistake, wanting to climb, but being too stupid to figure out the way down.
He hears it again.
“Meow!”
Félix looks up, and exhales out of relief when he sees her. Her fluffy white fur stained brown and slightly yellow from dirt and grass, but that’s very clearly Princess Whiskers clinging onto one of the highest branches of a tree.
She’s stuck in a tree, unable to find her way down, meowing over and over as she’s spotted Félix, wanting to grab his attention.
If she could speak, those demanding meows would absolutely say “get me down now, human.”
Félix sighs. Because that’s exactly what he was going to do.
He was going to climb up that tree, doing his best to avoid falling down and injuring himself (because Julieta would sigh, roll her eyes and tell him to be careful as she showed an arepa into his mouth), get the cat and hold her steady as she probably struggled on the way down, making it even harder to get down properly without injuring himself or the cat (Antonia would kill him), and then he would have to go home. Then awaited a bath to clean Princess Whiskers, and Félix could already feel the pain of the claw marks he knew he was going to have. With all that dirt and discoloration the bath was going to be more throughout than ever, much to the cat’s, and his own, dismay.
It’s always the same thing whenever she escapes the house.
Princess Whiskers keeps meowing loudly.
Here goes nothing.
Félix starts climbing the tree. And he’s thankful he works with construction. He’s got both the upper body and lower body strength needed for this, but the precision and movement is harder. He’s in his thirties now, and isn’t a flexible teen, but he manages, even if it’s more of a struggle than he thought it would be. He’s short and stocky and he has to fight to climb higher up, the branches so far apart as he has to balance as he reaches for them, making sure to not slip and fall back down. He’s already sweating, refusing to break concentration as he gets further up in the tree.
Don’t look down. Don’t look down.
He hates heights like this. He’s not secured properly. This would hurt if he fell.
Yes. This is already at least four meters up. At least another two to go before he reaches the cursed, yet beloved family cat. Don’t look down, don’t look down or his head is going to spin.
Why are his arms so short? Why is he so short? Why was climbing trees so difficult if you weren’t a lanky beanpole like Agustín? Why is the cat meowing even louder?
Félix has to take deep breaths to concentrate. One goal in mind. Get the cat, climb down, bring her home without losing her. She might try to bolt at the earliest opportunity and he doesn’t want to do this again.
Another branch.
Steady. There… no there… fuck… shitshitshit.. oh nevermind, the branch held, that was close… fuckfuck… false alarm he didn’t lose grip.
Félix has gotten his monthly dose of scares in just the matter of about two minutes.
Curse his short legs.
Why did he ever have an insecurity complex about his height in his teens? He had been young and stupid and embarrassed and focused on people not finding him attractive for his stupid short little legs. But no, he shouldn’t have felt insecure about the fact his stupid short little legs were short, because who the fuck cared about superficial looks? No, he should have been frustrated about how stupid and bad his stupid and short little legs and arms were when trying to rescue his daughter’s cat from a tree.
Yes, next time he’s asking Agustín to do this.
Wait, no. The Encanto would kill Félix if he sends the village midwife onto a suicide mission if he slips.
Yes, he’s cursed.
Just a little more. If only Princess Whiskers wasn’t meowing so loudly.
There he goes.
He has her and grabs her under his shoulder. A bit firm to make sure she doesn’t fall, but she doesn’t like that one bit. She screams, hisses and struggles, trying to break free as she claws at Félix and through his shirt. He swallows and bites his tongue, not showing the pain as he tries to keep his composure as he does his best to not lose his grip and fall back down as he climbs. He doesn’t want to slip and fall, not now. But each step closer to the ground makes his spinning head more stable. He’s less scared.
All he wants is to have his feet on the ground again. And to go home with the cat and rest.
After being clawed to death from bathing her, that is.
Right foot. Left foot.
Move his hand there… that branch. Shift the position to hold the cat properly. Hold firm when Princess Whiskers hisses and struggles.
Two meters left to the ground. One meter.
Almost there.
Touchdown.
Sweet relief.
Félix is back down on the ground. There’s a grumpy, hissing cat in his arms. Antonia would be happy, so he was going to live another day.
He sighs in relief as he holds Princess Whiskers close. God, he loved this cat, but she truly was an idiot.
But she was the family idiot.
“Come on girl, let’s get you back home.”