Shenzi and Her Tail

How Shenzi the kitten lost her tail
Once upon a time, Mamacat had eight little furry, purring kittens who rolled and played and pounced and napped.

Some of the kittens had stripes. And some of the kittens had spots. But one of the kittens had stripes and spots and she was named Shenzi, for she had a very fierce growl and the name Shenzi means "fierce".

Shenzi liked to run and play and bat at things and pounce on things.

One day, Mamacat laid out 8 bowls of catfood for the kittens. But Shenzi went to the dog's bowl and fetched out a piece of dogfood and sent it skittering across the floor.

"Why won't you come eat catfood?" Asked Mamacat.

"You always told us that a good cat should bat at her food." Said Shenzi.

"And you always told us that a good cat should chase her food." Said Shenzi.

"And you always told us that a good cat should pounce on and eat her food." Said Shenzi.

Mamacat nodded and said, "Yes, I always told you that a good cat should do all those things."

"Well, dogfood is nice and round. And when I bat it, it goes skittering," she said, batting at a piece of dogfood.

"And then I can chase it," she said, chasing the dogfood across the floor.

"And then I pounce on it and eat it!" She said, pouncing ont he dogfood and eating it.

And that is why Shenzi eats dogfood more than catfood.

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Shenzi had a nice long tail that had stripes and spots and she would wave it around and then pounce on it playfully.

She pounced so much that her back legs grew long and strong like a bunny and she would sometimes hop when she ran. The other kittens wanted to hop when they ran too, but their back leg were not long like Shenzis.

One day, Doctorcat came to check on the kittens.

He checked each kitten to see how sharp their little claws were.

He checked each kitten to see how pointy their little teeth were.

And he measure each kitten's tail to make sure it was long enough.

Then he got out a little bottle of kitten vitamins that would help each kitten grow strong and be full of good kitten energy.

He had all the stripped kittens line up and each one got one vitamin. Then he had all the spotted kittens line up and each one got one vitamin.

But since Shenzi had both stipes and spots, she had gotten into both lines and she had gotten two vitamins!

She felt so full of kitten energy that she ran hopping into the other room.

Then she was still full of energy, so she ran hopping back.

Then she felt so full of energy that she ran in circles.

Mamacat was worried that Shenzi had so much kitten energy that she would run right through the afternoon and skip the evening.

So Mamacat had Shenzi sit down and rest because it was nap time and nap time is important to cats.

"But Mama! I am a kitten and I want to play." Said Shenzi.

"Yes, but now you need to rest." Said Mamacat.

"But Mama! I am a kitten and I want to pounce!" Said Shenzi.

"Yes, but now you need to rest." Said Mamacat.

"But Mama! I am a kitten and I want to run!" Said Shenzi.

"Yes, Shanzi, but now you need to rest." Said Mamacat.

So Shenzi rested, though she did not want to, and dreamed of running so fast that she would catch the perfect sunbeam that all cats dream of catching.

When Shenzi woke, she knew she had to run right that minute. So Shenzi twitched her ears and bolted off.

Unfortunately, her tail was not done napping and when Shenzi ran off, her tail stayed put.

Shenzi never even noticed, and that is why Shenzi does not have a tail.