Mrs. Blinker had always loved cats. Growing up, her parents' house always contained three or four felines, on a rotating basis: some would run away or get hit by a delivery truck, and then other cats would just appear out of nowhere and take up residence. On Mrs. Blinker's wedding day, Mr. Blinker presented to her a beautiful Sealpoint Siamese kitten that was named Naomi. Mrs. Blinker loved Naomi, and that love seemed to be reciprocated, although you never can tell with cats.

One fine fall morning, Mrs. Blinker was fetching the morning paper when a large black Tomcat appeared by the back door. Mrs. Blinker never did see him come from anywhere in particular, he was just...there.

"Hello, Tom. How are you today?" Mrs. Blinker asked the big Tom.

Big Tom just looked at Mrs. Blinker, not hostile or scared, but not friendly, either. When Mrs. Blinker opened the back door, Tom wandered into the kitchen and that was that: the Blinkers had a new cat.

Mrs. Blinker worried about how Naomi would react to the new cat, but Mr. Blinker said, "Let them be, they'll work it out for themselves. If they don't, Tom can go back to wherever it was he came from." And went back to reading his newspaper.

Mrs. Blinker soon realized her worries were unfounded. She came upon Naomi and Tom snuggling together on the living room chaise after breakfast. They were staring deeply into each other's eyes, and Mrs. Blinker thought, "Now there's a clear-cut case of love at first sight".

Indeed, Tom and Naomi seemed to be a perfect little couple: Tom would wait for Naomi to start eating before he, and Naomi would wash Tom's face after dinner. All sugar and sweet with those two. Until the night Mrs. Blinker awoke one night to hear a horrific yowling from the area of the living room.

"Mr. Blinker! I think something's wrong with our cats!" said Mrs. Blinker.

Mr. Blinker turned over, grunted, and went back to sleep. Mrs. Blinker decided she'd better check things out herself, just to make sure Tom or Naomi wasn't injured or sick. Mrs. Blinker went downstairs, turned on the living room light, and shrieked. Tom was killing Naomi! He was on top of her, and she was screaming and...wait...Mrs. Blinker actually swooned when she realized what the cats were doing. Right...on...the...chaise! It was too much for Mrs. Blinker's sensibilities. She turned off the light, went back upstairs, climbed into bed, and pulled the covers over her face and stayed there until sleep overcame her.

The next morning, Mrs. Blinker tried to tell Mr. Blinker what she had seen in the loving room the night before. "They were...Tom was...I think...well, kittens maybe soon..." Mrs. Blinker couldn't seem to find the right and proper words. Mr. Blinker laughed and said, "I understand, but it'll be your responsibility to get rid of the kittens. Two cats are enough in this house." Mrs. Blinker agreed and went to call someone to thoroughly clean the chaise.

Exactly two months after Mrs. Blinker interrupted Tom and Naomi in the throes of passion, Naomi gave birth: right...on...the...chaise. Two small, dark, mewling little things that Naomi took care of like an experienced and efficient parent. Tom had taken to bringing home dead mice and bugs and dropping them at Naomi's feet. Mr. Blinker said Tom was trying to be a good provider for his little family, but Mrs. Blinker thought it was offensive and just plain disgusting.

Days turned into months, and the kittens grew and thrived. Both kittens were black, like Tom, but with brilliant azure eyes, like Naomi. They were beautiful little creatures, and Mr. Blinker though someone would be happy to pay a few dollars for a kitten like that.

"It's high time they found new homes," said Mr. Blinker. You'll have to make arrangements for that this week."

"But Dear", said Mrs. Blinker, "they're still small, and...they've grown on me. I don't think I could possibly bear to give up even one of them."

Mr. Blinker's face turned red, and he said, "We discussed this. You are to get rid of the kittens this week. Or I'll do it. Now give us a kiss, I have to get to work."

Mrs. Blinker dutifully kissed Mr. Blinker, and watched him get into his little yellow car, and drive away. Then she went and sat on the floor of the living room - the chaise was given to charity - no amount of cleaning would ever erase Mrs. Blinker's memory of Naomi giving birth.

The cats, all four of them, gathered 'round Mrs. Blinker's legs, and looked at her intently.

"I don't know what to do about Mr. Blinker, dear kitties. He says I have to get rid of the kittens. He's become so difficult lately. I'm afraid he just doesn't seem to be my special Mr. Blinker anymore". Then she got up, and went to clean the breakfast dishes. The cats continued to stare after Mrs. Blinker for a minute or so, and then went to a blanket in the corner that had been put down for them, and gathered close together.

A few minutes later, Mrs. Blinker came out from the kitchen to turn the TV off.

"Oh my," she said, "I could've sworn I heard voices out here. I thought the TV was on. Must've been in my head." She chuckled, and went back to her dishes.

That evening over supper, Mr. Blinker asked if Mrs. Blinker had looked into new homes for the kittens.

"Well, no dear, "Mrs. Blinker said, I was just so busy with the housekeeping...and I've grown so fond of the little darlings. Maybe we could keep the little family together…"

"Absolutely not," said Mr. Blinker. "Those kittens go tomorrow, or I'll take care of them, and the other two as well. Mind me now, Mrs. Blinker."

"Yes, dear," Mrs. Blinker said, tears welling up in her eyes and spilling down her cheeks.

"And no crying. It's got to be done. One cat was nice, two was acceptable, but four is just too many. Take care of it, or I will. I know we've got a burlap bag and some rocks, and the river is just down the road. Do you understand me?"

The cats sat quietly on the floor in a corner of the kitchen, following the discussion between their mistress and the red-faced Mr. Blinker. Appearing to watch a tennis match, the cats' silky heads pivoted back and forth between the sounds of Mrs. Blinker's nervous, high-pitched voice, alternated with Mr. Blinker's deep, obviously angry tone.

Mrs. Blinker nodded, excused herself from the table, and went upstairs to cry on her bed. The cats followed her, silent and watching.

She gathered the kittens into her arms, and said, "It will be ok, I promise. You must all stay with me. You're my family."

And her little family licked the salty tears off her cheeks as she fell asleep.

The next morning, Mrs. Blinker awoke to thoughts of the dinner dishes she left unwashed the night before.

"Oh, Mr. Blinker will be so upset with me," she thought. "He must be up by now, and probably waiting for his breakfast."

But when she looked over, Mr. Blinker was still in his narrow little twin bed, lying on his back, looking up at the ceiling.

"Mr. Blinker," Mrs. Blinker said, "I think it's time to get up, I’m sorry about the dishes that were left, let me make you something special for breakfast." And then she noticed that Mr. Blinker wasn't moving.

Mrs. Blinker jumped out of her own bed, and slowly walked to the side of her husband's bed.

"Mr. Blinker? Walter?" she said tentatively. "Is there something wrong?"

Most definitely something wrong. Mr. Blinker was cold, stiff, and dead. As Mrs. Blinker stood there, confused and unsure of what to do, she noticed the strong and pungent aroma of cat urine. She gave a small gasp as she realized that one of the cats had urinated on Mr. Blinker during the night. Was it before or after he...?

Suddenly, Mrs. Blinker ran to the small bathroom off the bedroom and vomited. When she finished, she noticed Naomi sitting on the edge of the bathtub, looking at her with warm and caring eyes. Mrs. Blinker wiped her mouth, and gave Naomi a fierce hug.

"Now we can stay together," she whispered in Naomi's little gray ear. Then she picked herself up, and went downstairs to call the police.

"It's the strangest thing, Mrs. Blinker," the coroner said. "We really can't find a cause of death. Your husband just seemed to stop breathing, and died. No heart attack or stroke, no signs of foul play."

Mrs. Blinker gasped at the thought of foul play in her own home as the doctor continued.

"He just...died. I'm going to rule his death as occurring from natural causes. It's strange, though, your cat urinating on him like that, and I also found a great deal of cat hair in your husband’s nose and mouth. Did your cats like to sleep with him?"

"Oh my, never," Mrs. Blinker said. "Lately, my husband was not fond of our cats."

"Well," the coroner said, "your cats were certainly fond of him last night."

Mr. Blinker's death was ruled natural. Mrs. Blinker coordinated his funeral and burial, and was gracious to all of the friends and neighbors that came to pay their respects and express their sorrow, and she thought that when it was all over, she had done fairly well for a woman not used to doing anything on her own, without assistance.

After the last visitor had left, and the last casserole had been eaten, Mrs. Blinker gathered her cat family on her lap and said, "We stay together. The four of you, and me. That's the way it will be from now on. I love you all, and you're not going anywhere."

The cats looked at each other, and at Mrs. Blinker, and purred their approval.