← Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories
Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories
Auggie Gets a Kitten
00:50:45
Narrated by Simon. Join Auggie as she gets to know Meatball, the strange new kitten her family brings home one rainy day.
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- [00:01]
Thomas
Get Sleepy is a production of Slumber Studios and is made possible thanks to the generous support of our sponsors and Premium members. If you'd like to listen ad free and access weekly bonus episodes, extra long stories and our entire back catalogue, you can try out Premium free for seven days by following the link in the episode notes. Now a quick word from our sponsors.
- [00:29]
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- [01:26]
Thomas
Welcome to Get Sleepy, where we listen, we relax, and we get sleepy. My name's Thomas. Thank you for tuning in. Before I tell you about tonight's episode tomorrow, whatever your plans might be to see in the new year, even if that's a nice early night, I'll be here with you again for a special bonus episode. It's become something of a tradition on Get Sleepy for us to come together and enjoy a restful meditation to prepare for the year ahead and get ourselves in a positive mind frame. So be sure to come back tomorrow night and join me for that. Or you can listen whenever you're ready to set some positive intentions for 2025. As for tonight's story, I know it's a highly anticipated return for many of you to one of our most beloved and popular lead characters. Even though we've only had a couple of Augie the Cat stories up to this point, I seem to get requests for new ones every single week. It's lovely that so many of you are fond of Augie's stories. Written by Alicia Stefan and read by Simon. In this evening's installment, we'll join Auggie as she confronts the baffling dilemma of her humans bringing another cat home. Rest assured she'll end up managing the situation with grace and intelligence, because naturally, she is good at everything. And if you haven't met Augie before or you missed either of her previous adventures. Don't worry, you can enjoy tonight's episode all on its own and listen to the other ones later. Auggie doesn't mind. Before we begin, let's immerse ourselves in the luxurious sleepiness of a cat lazing about on a comfy spot, perhaps on a sunny windowsill or a warm plush cushion. So ensure you're comfortable and snug, stretching out any areas you need to release tension from, and then allow your body to settle and your breathing to slow. Let any sounds in your environment become a part of your dreamy experience. They don't need to disrupt you or bother you, only blend into your dreamy state, reminding you of nothing more than that the world continues to turn while you ease into rest and allow yourself to be still and settled. Feel the softness of your pillow holding your head in a comforting embrace and as your breathing continues to lengthen, release more and more tension with each exhale, along with any thoughts of the day just gone. And now we can turn to our story. So begin to picture a cozy house and a rainy forecast. The weather outside is blustery, but Auggie is safe and sound indoors and the entire lovely lazy day stretches before her. This is where our story begins.
- [06:41]
Alicia Stefan
It was a wet and blustery morning and that was strange. Just fine with Oogie. After all, being wet was just a vague idea and she had her comfortable indoor spots in front of each window. Perched on the back of the sofa in the family room, she watched the raindrops skittering diagonally across the glass. Fat blobs, tiny blobs, slow ones and fast ones, moved in a mysterious dance down the window in slow motion. She picked up her paw, placing it hesitantly against the cool, smooth surface in front of her. She sat there for a moment, transfixed. First her attention was drawn by the raindrop that that evaded the grasp of her velvety foot. Then, turning her head slightly, she puzzled over the ghostly mirror image of her paw that floated outside the window. Placing her foot back on the sofa, she allowed her eyes to drift shut for a moment. Water and windows were confusing. She had grown tired of these deep thoughts, so she turned and hopped down, first onto the firm nubbly cushions of the couch and then to the smooth surface of the hardwood floor beneath. As she sauntered past her bowl, which sat nearby in the kitchen, she eyed the small pile of food she had saved there from breakfast. One must provide for one's mid morning snacks. Of course she felt pleased by her Obvious self control. Auggie walked slowly into the living room. On a sunny day, this was where she would normally have her morning nap. The humans very sensibly placed her favorite cat bed on the floor there, right where a big sunbeam would rest on the area rug. However, today was not sunny. Feeling quite put out by the lack of golden glow in her sleeping spot, she walked over to the heat vent. Ah, yes, the nice warm air was puffing out of it, just as she had hoped. She sniffed it first, feeling the dry heat as it blew in her eyes and nose. Having confirmed that this place was satisfactory, she turned her ample body and plopped it down atop the vent, then rolled luxuriously to the side. She closed her eyes happily and turned her nose up to the ceiling as the heavenly warmth toasted her soft belly and set the long fur on her tail to waving. Delightful. As she lay there, drifting downward into sleep, she was faintly aware of the pattering of the raindrops on the front window above her head. Drowsily, she imagined what she would be seeing if she hopped up on the armchair and took her post there. Often she spent her time monitoring the front walk and watching the dogs. Always the dogs. They were such predictable creatures with their walks at the same times and their eager interest in the same mailboxes and garden beds. She had a faint awareness that something to do with dogs might be going on outside, something she should keep an eye on. But then she gave up the idea. She was just too warm and sleepy, and she couldn't be bothered. Frankly, Auggie might have stayed in her comfy spot on the heat vent for a very long time that day, but two things happened to disturb her rest. The first annoyance was that the air stopped coming out of the grate. This happened quite often in her experience, and she felt it was entirely rude and unnecessary. But then something even more disruptive pulled her from her slumber. She could hear the garage door opening. Its grinding, ostentatious noises penetrated the front window behind her. She had learned that when the garage door opened, automobile noise would follow. Of course it did, she grumbled inwardly. It seemed the humans were home. This would make things very noisy. A door opened in the walkout basement downstairs, confirming her suspicions. One after the other. She heard umbrellas pop open. The people were placing their dripping items down there to dry. She made a mental note that she would need to go sit underneath the umbrellas later, after all the dampness had gone. Of course, it was the natural thing for a cat to do when umbrellas were available, but there was more than just drying and hanging up of coats and umbrellas going on down there. It seemed like there were an awful lot of instructions being issued. The small humans were unusually loud. They had those excited voices that generally made Auggie run for a hiding spot. The children tended to be grabby when they were too wound up, and petting the cat always seemed to be on their agenda at such times. Auggie pulled herself up to an alert seated position and turned her ears back. She would wait and see what happened when they came upstairs. If necessary, she would flee. Thump, thump, thump went the feet as the entire family trooped up the staircase. First the children, who spilled excitedly onto the main level, then the lady human. Lastly, the man appeared, awkwardly carrying something large, and when Auggie saw that thing, she was filled with concern. It was the cat container that was used to transport her in the automobile. She loathed the automobile, and she was not having any of that today. Auggie slunk over to the corner between the arm of the sofa and the wall and peered suspiciously out, sure that nobody would see her there. The man placed the cat container on the floor and with some difficulty made the front door of it open. Then all the people stood back. The lady shushed the children and they obeyed, but they stood at some distance, hopping from one foot to the other as if they would burst with energy. The man stood up with his hands on his hips, and they all waited, watching the mouth of the little cage carefully. And then Auggie saw something that made her hackles rise. A teeny, tiny orange cat came awkwardly stepping out of the door of the pet carrier. It was less than a quarter the size of Auggie, and its little eyes were like dark buttons in its squashy face. No more than a doddering puffball, it seemed incapable of walking with any dignity. Instead, it stretched one paw forward, then another, lurching about. Its tiny tail stood out straight as a poker behind it. Auggie viewed the small cat with dismay. This would not do. It would not do at all. She craned her neck around the side of the sofa and watched the furry cream puff as it perambulated unsteadily around the living room. So far she had remained unnoticed by the people. She felt that was important. She had yet to assess this foreign threat to her personal space, but the interloper had not even noticed Oggy. It was far too busy bounding unpredictably around the carpeted area of the room. It explored one furniture leg after another, marveling at the looming presence of the coffee table, redirecting her unblinking gaze from the kitten to the humans, Auggie saw with indignation that none of them were even paying any attention to her. This was incredibly cheeky of them, especially considering the inconvenience of this disruption. Instead of looking sorry or reassuring her that the orange creature would soon be leaving, the humans appeared besotted with it. The children laid down on their stomachs and watched the interlopers random progress around the room, cooing softly. She could tell they were just waiting until they could pick it up and give it all of their attention. And while she didn't particularly want them petting her own fur and bothering her, she also felt oddly resentful that they might redirect their worship to another cat. Then the furball tottered over to the children and sniffed their faces and they made gooey noises at it and started calling it by a name. Meatball, they were saying. Meatball. They seemed to be getting awfully familiar. Surely this other cat wasn't staying. What kind of a name was Meatball? The grown ups spoke some words to the children and they reluctantly stood up and retreated into the nearby family room, talking excitedly. Left to his own devices, the orange kitten spied his carrier with the door open. Staggering awkwardly, he retreated to its familiar opening, snuggling down into a fuzzy blue blanket that was sitting inside. Auggie remained out of sight, but watched the creature carefully. Good, she thought. Perhaps he's leaving soon. The kitten's head nodded slightly and his eyes closed and she realized he had drifted off to sleep. Exhausted by his enormous adventure around the living room. Creeping around the couch, she took her opportunity to escape the room. She made straight for her cat door and burst out onto the back deck where the rain had paused and the air was fresh. Seating herself delicately in a spot with no puddles, Auggie pondered the situation in in solitude. It was cool outside. The only noises came from the birds, who seemed to be enjoying a break in the rainfall. Auggie primly made her way around the deck. It was a place where she felt confident and in charge. The kitten would not be able to find her there. She would wait a little while, and when she returned to the inside, she felt confident the other cat would be gone. Alas, there was no snoozing outside when everything was wet, so Oggy soon tired of lapping at this or that puddle. Her tummy grumbled lightly and she realized it was time for her mid morning snack. With happiness she thought of the small portion of food she had saved from her breakfast and she decided it was probably safe to go inside and enjoy it now. Pushing her way back through the cat flap, she shook the moisture off her paws and turned to her food bowl. She did this just in time to see the unwelcome orange visitor sticking its nose into her reserve of food. No, Meatball. The oldest child cried, scooping the offender into her hands. Then she put her face close to him and babbled some nonsense Auggie couldn't understand. But Auggie didn't have time to ponder what was being communicated. She hurried to her bowl and finished off her snack before the other cat could return. It was clear that she was going to have to be very vigilant with this uninvited guest around. While Oggy was eating, the child had put Meatball down. Auggie could see him now making a beeline for the carpeted stairs and that led to the upper level of the house. Licking her chops, she sat down and watched as the creature sat himself at the bottom stair, mewing loudly. The step was nearly as tall as he was. It was clear that he didn't know how to navigate it, although he desperately wished to try. The youngest human went to the stair and helped the ginger kitten onto the first step, whispering encouraging sounding words. Emboldened by this success, the little cat sank its claws into the rug on the second stair and clambered up like a rock climber scaling a cliff wall. Then he busily examined the stair, sniffing every corner of it before advancing to the third. The children chuckled with delight to see his spunky progress, but his energy ran out before he was even halfway up. He turned, obviously wishing to go down again, but going down the stairs was more intimidating than ascending them. Apparently, Auggie was filled with a feeling of smug satisfaction. The humans would soon see that this other cat was far too much trouble to have around. How could they always help it down the stairs and up the stairs? It was preposterous. They should return the thing at once from whatever place it had come. And then the unthinkable happened. The children suddenly decided it was time for Meatball to meet Augie. They scooped the mewling kitten up in their hands and came straight for the place where she was sitting in the family room. She didn't even have time to scuttle away. In a moment, they had plopped Meatball right in front of her, and the saucy fellow was boldly sniffing her paws. Even as she backed away, the orange kitten sat down and looked up at Auggie, winking its tiny button eyes. Auggie sat frozen at attention. She was a mountain of cat Compared to this tiny intruder with the squeaky voice, Auggie felt a quiet grumble grow in her throat. She wanted these humans to know that she did not approve of any new cats and that this one was being vetoed. But before Auggie could even finish her indignant display, the kitten spied her sharply twitching tail and pounced on it. The small humans laughed wildly as the orange bundle of fur went tumbling, and Auggie turned awkwardly in a half circle. This succeeded only in moving her tail again, and Meatballs sprang for a second time. Then, before Auggie could display her disapproval, the beguiling little creature rolled over on its side and sniffed the long, soft fur, peering up at her adoringly. Auggie looked down at him, relenting just a bit. It was clear that she was still the boss here, and the newcomer appeared to be both helpless and naive. She supposed she would tolerate him for a while. Still, she didn't want to give the humans the wrong impression. Auggie was assuming this orange fellow would not be staying permanently, and she would not be responsible for him. But somehow, in his little baby brain, Meatball had gotten the idea that Auggie was his new friend. She stood up, gathering the shreds of her dignity and raising her tail out of his reach. Meatball seemed undeterred by the withdrawal of the fluffy target and pranced awkwardly behind her as she headed for her water bowl. Augie kept her focus straight ahead. As she approached the bowl, it its water fountain activated, sending out a cheerful bubble of fresh water. Auggie leaned down to drink from the best part of the bowl where the water came out. Meanwhile, Meatball was transfixed by the ripples in its lower depths, moving his wispy tail back and forth and wiggling his bottom, he stared at the tiny bubbles in the dish with his glistening eyes. Auggie pretended not to notice his embarrassing exuberance. My goodness, she thought, it's just a water bowl. But the next thing she knew, his paw flashed into the water and sent several droplets flying. One of them landed on Auggie's nose. Abruptly, she stopped sipping at her fountain and sat up straight. She was still for a moment, unsure of how to remove the droplet from between her eyes. She stuck out her tongue experimentally, but she only succeeded in swiping the end of her nose. The quivering crystal bubble still hovered in her vision up near her eyes. Then, instinctively, she shook her head, causing the liquid bead to fly away. Meatball was now fully absorbed by the pool of water in front of him, and he was smacking little showers of it this way and that. It pattered onto the floor. The children were soon at his side, laughing and saying, no. Meatball. With his hallmark lack of focus, he immediately forgot about his soggy game. Rolling over to be cradled in their adoring hands once again, Auggie mentally huffed with indignation. He was going to have to learn not to pander to the humans so much or they'd never leave him alone. Auggie got some relief from the interloper at that point, because the children whisked him away to the family room. There they plopped him down on the couch between them. Auggie strolled over to the edge of the room, near the heat vent, which was now blessedly emitting warm air. Once again, from this comfortable distance, she continued to warily observe the small humans and their new friend. The children had pulled out the flat, rectangular object that seemed to absorb so much of their attention. They poked at it with their fingers and it lit up, casting a glow on their faces. After gibbering to each other for a moment, they appeared to agree upon what would happen next. The oldest child began swiping her hand around the rectangle in earnest. Both little ones cried out with excitement as some game or other commenced. Quiet sounds drifted from the item in their hands. These were strange noises, like crashing and crushing and bouncing. Meatball tottered into the lap of the child holding the rectangle and peered at it from between her arms. His bright, round eyes were wide with interest, and his head began to dart back and forth. Then, without warning, he pounced on the screen, causing the children riotous amusement. Soon it was like Meatball was playing the game as much as the children. Sliding his paws from one corner of the rectangle to the other, small noises showering around him. This was apparently so entertaining that the lady human stopped by to watch as well. Smiling and chattering to the children, Borgie observed this spectacle stoically. How easy it was, she mused, for this newcomer to seem brilliant and entertaining. He was eager to please, but she knew that he would soon need to establish his superiority to the humans if he expected to get proper service from them. Feeling dismissive, she turned and abandoned the circus in the family room. It was all simply too exhausting. With a feeling of pleasant drowsiness, Auggie returned to the living room. She spied her favourite soft cat bed. It was the perfect size for her and all smushy like a marshmallow. Stepping into the centre of it, she circled 1, 2, 3 times. She had to make sure she landed facing exactly the right direction. Then, in a fluid Movement. She collapsed in a circle inside it, completely filling its shape with her soft fur. She neatly wrapped her tail around her paws. It was time for a short nap. The rain was still tapping gently on the glass. Resting there, Boggy was soothed by the sound of it. The nearness of the rain sounds made the more boisterous noises from the family room seem reassuringly far away. She snuggled her nose more deeply into her paws, covering it with the tip of her tail. Her breathing slowed and then became even and slightly audible without her being aware of it. The soundtrack of the rain and the whoosh of the heat whispering from the floor Venture gave way to a dream about the outdoors. In her mind's eye, she saw the downpour splashing in puddles on the deck and petite sparrows perching on the railing. She happily imagined squirrels darting through nearby tree branches as she watched with interest. It was a beautiful dream. But then, very gradually, in her imaginary world of the back deck, there was a sound that didn't fit. It was a rumble. No, it was a growl. A lawn mower, perhaps? No, that wasn't right. Rising slowly from the depths of her nap, Auggie once again became aware of her surroundings. She was in her soft, comfy bed and the rain still sounded persistently on the glass window behind her. The heat vent still sang its comforting song. But there was something else happening close by and she had to open her eyes to see what it was. Sitting there, right in front of her with a look of serious concentration, was Meatball. He was meditatively pawing the edge of her bed with his tiny little footpads and staring earnestly right in her eyes. The noise she had heard in her dream was actually his loud, breathy purr. Indeed, it was quite impressive, the level of vibration he was able to achieve for being such a small cat. Looking eagerly at her, he stretched and pulled, stretched and pulled his paws as if needing a very important batch of biscuit dough. She had to admit he was really putting all his energy into the process. As if by making these biscuits he was working on the most important project in the world. Porgy might have felt annoyed at this intrusion into her treasured space, but she understood his comfort seeking impulses. She couldn't fault him for them. After all, he didn't have his own bed, and hers was really the best place in the entire house. He had better judgment than she'd imagined. As she was processing all of this, Meatball became very bold and hauled himself up onto her cushion. Caught off guard, she scooted herself backwards. But before she could do anything. He had turned three times and then plopped down right in the curve of her belly. Oggy did not know what to do. She had never shared her bed before. Although Meatball didn't take up much room, this was an unusual loss of personal space for her. But the purr motor continued, and Meatball rolled backward, sticking out his feet. Auggie noted that these were surprisingly large compared to the rest of him. Then, as if conquering a foreign land, he began trying to grab one of the ungainly appendages, licking it with his pink sandpaper tongue. Auggie watched this effort with fascination. What a terrible job he's doing. She scoffed inwardly. Didn't he know how to complete this simple task? After all, bathing was one of a cat's main responsibilities. A feline had to keep up respectable appearances. Unable to bear his ineptitude, Oggy began roughly licking Meatball's ears and head. If he was going to be in her bed, this kitten needed to be clean. Meatball seemed perfectly happy to accept her help, and he ceased trying to grab his enormous foot. He leaned back on Oggy's soft fur and closed his eyes into tight seams. His tiny pot belly began rising and falling softly as she took care of his bath for him. At one point, his eyes opened briefly and he swatted at his own tiny tail, which was visible between his feet. But this fascination soon took a back seat to exhaustion. It had already been an extremely busy day for Meatball. A nap was soon going to be unavoidable. As she busily finished bathing her uninvited visitor, Auggie saw that Meatball had was heading for Dreamland. His purring continued autonomously for a while, but then it got softer and slower, and his little tummy rose and fell with a regular rhythm. Then, lying right there in that undignified sprawled position, he was asleep. Well, this was a fine kettle of fish, Auggie thought with exasperation. The humans brought home a helpless infant and then took almost no responsibility for his training. He didn't even have his own cat bed yet, and he had no idea about water fountain etiquette. She could see that she would be very busy making sure that Meatball understood the rules of the house and furthermore, how to wash his own feet. Her work would never be done, but for now she had to grudgingly admit that he was very warm, snuggled into the bed with her. And the rain was still falling. Pitter pat, pitter pat. Despite her many thoughts, her eyes grew droopy again. The noises of human life drifted to her from the distant kitchen. Doors opened and closed, children babbled water ran into the sink, and then stopped. She would find Meatball his own sleeping place tomorrow, she thought fuzzily as she succumbed to her dreams once again. That is, if he wasn't scheduled to leave. But even as she flipped the end of her tail over her nose and took a deep sigh, part of her secretly accepted the idea that perhaps this impertinent little puffball would be her new buddy. Maybe if he behaved himself and then, putting these matters aside for later. Augie was asleep.
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Meatball
Sa Sa Sa Sa Sa Sa Sa.
- [46:21]
Alicia Stefan
Sa.
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Meatball
Sa Sa Sa Sa Sa sa.