Daniel can’t believe what he’s seeing. This video was actual proof. Finally, some answers to the hundreds of questions he had. As he rewinds and watches the video again, a feeling of uncertainty creeps upon him. He always knew Muffins was a strange cat, but still he never expected this, not in a million years. Ever since Daniel Hawkins and his family picked out Muffins just over four years ago, Muffins instantly became a part of the family. He was just a mere kitten when Daniel picked him up and looked at him. How could Daniel turn away this cute kitten? And so the Hawkins family gained another family member in the form of a white, fluffy feline. Look, little did they know what this cat would have in store for them. Daniel’s two kids absolutely loved Muffins. They often snuggled with him all night, stroking his fluffy fur and listening to his purr. Muffins had been there for every single celebration you could think of. The kid’s first day at school, Christmas, birthdays, and more. But still, to this day, there was one moment that Daniel can’t forget, a moment that had Daniel seriously consider sending Muffins away.
It was a Friday afternoon and Daniel had the afternoon off work. After running a few errands in the city, he headed back home. Pulling up to the drive, all of a sudden, Daniel sees something that leaves him blind indly. It was muffins. He was sprawled across the front drive with something in his mouth. It was a mouse. Fair enough, a cat eating a mouse is pretty normal. It’s what they were born to do. It’s their natural instinct. But Daniel seriously couldn’t put that image to the back of his mind. As he got out of the car, he walked past muffins and he purred. Little did Daniel know that his cat catching a mouse would be the least of his worries. When Daniel was 13, he was diagnosed with asthma, so throughout his life, he has had trouble breathing, especially at night. He could never run a marathon, he never tried a cigarette, and he always had to have his inhaler on stand by. He had seen countless doctors and specialists, but they couldn’t really come up with a solution. Little did Daniel know he would soon find the answer to his question. For Daniel, his trouble breathing more recently happened especially at night.
He wasn’t sure why, but there were moments in the night where it felt like glass was scratching his throat. He had spent countless nights sitting up, trying to get his breath back. As time went on, Daniel felt more and more frustrated. He just wanted a place peaceful, good night’s sleep. One night, Daniel woke up coughing. He was wheezing and his chest felt tight. He looked at the clock. It was 4.03 AM. His wife was fast asleep next to him, tucked into their duvet. He got up to get a glass of water from the kitchen, but then he suddenly notices something. It’s muffins. What was he doing? Sitting on a chair with silence filling the room and the moonlight glow shimmering on his fluffy brown fur, Muffins was staring at Daniel, watching his every move. As Daniel got up to get his water, Muffin’s eyes follow him earily across the room. A feeling of anxiety crept upon Daniel. What was the matter with Muffins? This situation happened again the day after, at the exact same time, 4.03 AM. Daniel woke up coughing to find Muffin staring at him. Okay, this is super weird. Thought Daniel. He went over and stroked Muffins, who responded with a purr.
What are you doing up this late? Whispered Daniel. Suddenly, a thought popped into Daniel’s head. Why was he staring at me? He pondered for a while before getting back into bed. The following morning, as Daniel ate his toast and cereal, he watched Muffins creep around the house. His two girls were playing with him while they watched some TV. His youngest, Ella, scooped muffins up and cuddled him close. But Daniel felt a lump in his throat, unable to get last night’s antics out of his head. He knew he had to do something, so he did. Daniel grabbed his wallet, car keys, kissed his wife goodbye, and set off to the supermarket. While driving there, all he could think of was Muffin’s alarming and quite scary stare. He needed some answers. Pulling up to the supermarket, Daniel saw straight cat walking across the road. He smiling to himself before he heading inside. I’m looking for a video camera, please. Preferably one with a night vision, Daniel asks a member of staff who was rearranging a shelf full of blue denim pants. Sure thing. The employee replied with a polite smile. She left him for a few minutes before coming back, armed with a video camera.
He was finally going to get some answers. Daniel sets up the camera before bedtime, placing it behind a book. As he kissed his two girls goodnight, he noticed muffins lingering in the hallway. His green eyes were focused on Daniel’s every move. Daniel gets into bed, kisses his wife goodnight, and snuggles into his duvet. Silence fills the room and he slowly drifts off to sleep, knowing that in the morning he’ll finally have answers. The following morning, Daniel woke up and immediately remembered the camera. As he waved goodbye to his kids who were off to play soccer, shocker, he sprinted back upstairs while Muffin watched his every move. He shut the bedroom door, pulled out the memory card from the camera, and plugged it into his computer. While he waited for it to load, a feeling of excitement jolted Daniel. Five nally, some answers. As Daniel pressed play on the recorded video, he let out a sign. Please give me answers, he whispered out loud. The video showed nothing for the first few hours. Just Daniel and his wife tossing and turning in their bed. Fast forwarding the video, suddenly Daniel presses pause. He can see muffins in the video.
He’s perched at the end of the bed. Then slowly, he makes his way up to Daniel, who’s fast asleep. What was he doing? No way, shouts Daniel. He was sitting in his bedroom watching the recorded video from last night. The video shows Muffin slowly creeps his way closer and closer to Daniel’s face before getting completely comfortable and settling down on top of his nose and mouth. Daniel can’t believe it. This would explain why he’s recently started having trouble breathing at night. Pressing pause on the video, Daniel gets up. Suddenly, Muffins creeps into the room and Daniel turns to him before cracking a smile. The following morning, over a cup of coffee and freshly cooked toast, Daniel explained everything to his wife. She was equally shocked at the outcome, but she felt happy that her husband finally had some answers. That’s some way to show his love, Daniel’s wife joke. Yeah, I guess it is, Daniel replied with a smirk on his face. As Daniel finished reading his morning newspaper, he heard a scratch. He turned around and Muffins is sitting in the corner of the room staring at him. Daniel puts down the newspaper and walks over to Muffins and picks him up.
He nests Muffins in his chest while stroking his silky, smooth fur. The cat looks looks at his owner and lets out a purr. He was exactly where he wanted to be. This story just goes to show that our dear beloved pets really do have a mind of their own. And when they want something, whether that’s food, drink, playtime, or in Muffin’s case, cuddles, they’ll stop at nothing to get it. Even if that may result in choking their owners, with love, of course. You.
