Angry Whiskers Source: Reddit

Whiskers doesn't remember a time when he didn't live with Nina. He loved her so and when he wasn't basking in the sun from their living room window he was snuggled up next to her on the couch or in bed. He loved his human and couldn't imagine a better life. That was until the day Dave moved in. His life was forever changed that day. Whiskers no longer had a spot on the couch for him next to his Nina. If he wanted to lay in bed he struggled to find room in between four kicking human legs. Six months of misery went by of having Dave push him away and Whiskers slowly felt like he was being replaced. Whiskers hated Dave but he tried to live a happy life. Whiskers longed for the days when it was just him and Nina.

"I got the job in India," proclaimed Dave. This caught Whisker's attention because he knew that Nina had a job she left for every day but had never heard of India. Then for a second he got excited that maybe it would be just Nina and him again. Until he looked at Nina and she did not look happy about this announcement.

One day when Nina came home she was not acting like herself. She lay on the couch and cried. She didn't feed Whiskers until noon every day because she would sleep even after the sun had come up. Whiskers did not know where India was but he knew it must have been very far away because Dave had been gone for a long time. One day Nina lay in bed with Whiskers and the phone rang. A huge grin appeared on Nina's face, the first he had seen since Dave left. The next day Nina was packing all of her clothes and within two days she left.

When Nina left with her bags the next day to Whisker's surprise a new family moved in. A man and a woman with two little humans. Whiskers was nervous at first because he had never lived with anyone but Nina. The little kids would try to pet Whiskers as he hid behind the couch, reaching as far as they could with their sticky fingers. His bowl was always full of food but this family was not his and he became very sad, wondering if Nina would ever return. Whiskers endured this daily torture and thought it would never end. This was his new life.

Then like a ray of sunshine Nina walked in and Whiskers felt overjoyed. The weeks he had spent without her were torture, and he was especially happy to see that Dave was no longer with her. The family moved out of their house and days started to resemble those of the past. Nina was no longer sad and depressed and Whiskers even had his spot back on the couch. That night as he cuddled up next to Nina in bed while she read a book he was so thankful for his life. In that moment his life was perfect and he didn't want anything to change.

Author's Note: This is an adaptation of the story line between Nina and Dave in the movie "Sita Sings the Blues." I thought that it would be fun to tell the story from the cat's point of view. Cats are known to be a little self-centered so Whiskers is very in tune to any changes in his house. In the movie you see Nina and Dave's relationship reflect a modern version of Sita and Rama's relationship. The cat in the movie belongs to Nina and is never acknowledged as a character but is always seen in the background. The cat clearly had thoughts about what was going on so I decided to give him a voice in the story. Nina is similar to Sita because she wanted the approval of Dave just like Sita wanted the approval of Rama. In this modern story, Nina realizes that she does not need the love of Dave to be happy. When Dave tells her not to come back to India Whiskers was still there by her side. The innocence of the cat left me wondering how he felt with the change and the abandonment of his owner. Whiskers has a deep connection with Nina that is tested through his time alone and her personal struggles in her relationship. I thought the cat was the perfect third person to see how Nina was truly feeling when Dave left her and how she overcame her sadness. In the end Nina and Whiskers were both there to make each other happy.

Author: Nina Paley

Title: Sita Sings the Blues

Year: 2008