Many years ago...
In the prowl of night, Indianya stalks around the campus of Purrdue University in search of pesky mice. Out of the corner of her eye, she spots clumps of mousy fur scurrying into the dark green bushes. She silently sneaks up on the rodents, hoping to catch them by surprise.
"Excuse me." A soft mew startles Indianya, getting her to jump three feet in the air with bristling fur from neck to tail.
Just as she's about to give the cat an earful, she turns around and becomes more startled by the creature's mutated appearance. She darts into the nearby bushes for safety, hissing "Who are you? What are you?"
"Oops! Did I scare you, fellow Hissier?" The strange cat grins goofily with its pink tongue flopping out. "That's okay. I get that reaction all the time from other cats. But don't worry. I may be a magical space cat, but I won't bite. Or actually, I can't bite since I don't have any teeth. Heehee. Anyway, my name's Lil Bub by the way. What's yours?" She hops toward the bushes like a happy-go-lucky bunny.
Indianya stays in her hiding spot, still wary of the strange cat. So far, the fellow brown tabby doesn't appear to be a threat. Compared to normal cats, Lil Bub is unusually short like a kitten, yet her voice sounds like an adult cat. Although, she has a strange speech pattern, probably due to a lack of teeth, a disproportionately shorter lower jaw, and a hanging tongue. She reminds her of Katsas cat, a munchkin whose breed is known for having long bodies and stubby legs. Yet, there's something different about Lil Bub that doesn't look normal. No doubt, she's a special-looking cat who appears healthy all-around despite their distorted appearance. That must mean this cat has an owner taking good care of her. That's good to know.
She slowly steps out of the bushes to introduce herself. "My name's Indianya. What are you doing here this late at night?"
Lil Bub purrs, "I can say the same thing. But since you asked nicely, I'll tell you. My dude is looking for help."
"Dude?"
"My human. My owner, meow. He's really worried about me. He brought me here to see a veterinarian. He hopes they have a cure that'll help me move a lot better." She takes another hop to get closer to Indianya. "Do you live here?"
"No. My owner is helping humans fix some roaring beasts. I tagged along, so I could see some felines who work here as well as hunt for pesky mice."
"Ooh! Speaking of those felines, do any of them know about space?"
"Space?"
"You know! Outer space! The place where stars shine!" She stares up at the twinkling night sky above them. "My dude tells me I'm a magical space cat who came to Earth to give lots of love and positivity to Earth brothers and sisters."
"You're certainly magical alright..."
"So, do you know where I can learn more about space? I heard there's a place that teaches humans and possibly some cats how to walk on the moon." Lil Bub looks to her with large jade green eyes.
"Uh, sure. It's over there." She uses her paw to point at one of the science buildings.
"Ooh! Thanks! Can you take me there?"
"Take you there?"
"Yeah!" She nods her small head. "I may have difficulty getting over there with short legs and aching bones, so your help will make my life so much better."
"Well, I'm kinda busy..." She glances back at the bush, unable to find the mouse she had been stalking. She sighs, "I guess I can take you there."
"Yay!" Lil Bub happily hops around Indianya. "Let's pretend we're Neil Pawstrong getting ready to go to space!"
"Do I have to?"
"Yep! Just you and me, space sister. We're going to have lots of fun learning about stars, planets, moons, and so many magical things about the universe. It's going to be awesome!" She hops in the direction of the building. "Come on, slowpoke! You comin' or what?"
She groans, "Meow, meow, I'm coming." She follows after Lil Bub.
☆☆☆☆☆
December 2, 2019—Indianapolis, Indiana
"I need a helping paw getting this satellite to work," Indianya tells a clowder of cats, leading them inside a garage.
"A satellite? You built a satellite?!" Furida—a polydactyl cat from the Sunshine State—exclaims.
She goes to the corner of the garage to pull the large canvas off the satellite she had been building and hiding from her owner. Her fellow state cats marvel at the large spacecraft she has built on her own.
"Mrow, mrow, color me impressed," says Textie—a Texas tortoiseshell with heterochromia eyes and an ego that's somehow bigger than Aloshka.
"Ya plannin' on goin' to space or somethin'?" Alabirma asks with the wave of his flame-colored tail.
"No. It's for Lil Bub." Indianya pushes forward an urn containing her friend's ashes.
Califurnya—a famous California Spangled cat who's always up-to-date on Internet cat celebs— gapes at the plain farm cat. "You know Lil Bub?!"
"Um, yeah. Why are you overreacting?"
"It's Lil Bub, you country cat! She's, like, hella famous! Also, rest in peace, nya. You'll be missed." She bows her head toward the urn as a sign of respect.
"... Anyway," Indianya turns her attention to the satellite, "District Cat (Washington D.C.) tells me she's reluctant to send Lil Bub to space, saying it's going to cost lots of canned tuna to launch my fellow Hissier into orbit. Obviously, I don't have millions of canned tuna to spare, so I'll need to find another way to get Lil Bub to space."
"Does District Cat know you're doing this without her approval?" Marylico questions.
She scoffs, "That cold cat is too busy maintaining the economic policy of canned tuna to care. Even if she does know and wants to stop me, she's not going to get in my way from fulfilling Lil Bub's request." She goes over to a toolbox to fetch out some tools.
Virginya cocks her head. "Why are you doing this?"
"I'm obviously doing this for Lil Bub."
"I mean, why are you doing this?"
She pauses for a moment. "... She's a magical space cat who wants to spread lots of love and positivity to Earth brothers and sisters. What else do you want me to say to convince you to help me out?" She picks up a screwdriver and gets to work on the satellite.
Mississippi Queen smiles. "When you put it that way, I really want to see you fulfill your friend's wish." She picks up a wrench with her mouth.
"Count me in!" says Textie as she picks up a blowtorch.
"Same! I'll get started making the rocket." Alabirma heads out the garage in search of more materials.
"Let me help you! I really want to see a rocket get launched into space again!" Furida follows after him.
Marylico scratches behind her ear. "I'm not an expert on building rockets, but I can help calculate the rocket's projection and plan the satellite's orbit."
"Same! Let's use our heads, nya!" Califurnya meows as she and the crab-loving feline look get to work.
Virginya watches her fellow state cats get all wound up in this space mission with a smile on her face. "Well, I guess I'll go find some rocket fuel."
~ Nekotalia! ~
To anyone wondering how a clowder of cats can build spacecraft with basic tools and minimal knowledge of aeronautics within two days without hands, well, this is a fictional story involving talking cats. Don't question it.
"Okay, kitties! It's time to launch Lil Bub into space!" Mississippi Queen hollers.
Indianya places the urn into the satellite. "See you later, space cat. May you smile upon the world from above." She presses her muzzle to the urn before stepping away from the launch site.
"Fuel canisters are 100% full," says Virginya, working the computer. "All electronics are functioning without a problem."
"Copy that," says Textie, adjusting the mike on her miniature headset. "Okay. Prepare for launch in 10... 9... 8..."
Furida swishes her tail impatiently. "Grr... Hurry up already! I wanna see the rocket get launched into the sky!" She pushes a lever on the dashboard, starting up the rocket boosters.
"Hey! Stop that! That goes against protocol!"
"Who cares! 3, 2, 1! We have liftoff— Growr!" Furida gets tackled to the ground by Textie's big cat butt, but it's too late.
The rocket launches into the sky, unleashing a mighty boom from its large boosters. The state cats can only hold onto their protective earmuffs, taking in a deep breath, as they watch the rocket head up toward the sky from a safe distance. They see the rocket exit the troposphere, going beyond the stratosphere, the mesosphere, and then disappearing into the cerulean blue. The curious felines look to Marylico's computer monitor and celebrate when they see their rocket exit the thermosphere before entering the exosphere where satellites orbit the Earth.
"Ceasing the rocket boosters, meow!" Marylico presses a red button.
Immediately, the rocket boosters cease to function. The rocket proceeds to disassemble itself, releasing the planned satellite into orbit. So far, the satellite is doing well in zero gravity. However, there's one more thing that needs to be checked to see if it's functional. If it doesn't work, this space mission will be deemed a failure.
Everyone gathers around Califurnya and her computer. They watch her press a bunch of keys on the keyboard like Keyboard Cat, only she's making a website instead of annoying music. Half the cats don't know eighty percent of the things Califurnya is doing with her tech-savvy mind, but they're hopeful she can do it. She has to!
Indianya asks, "Is there anything wrong?"
She doesn't answer her.
"She asked a question," Virginya raises her voice.
She removes her paws from the computer and doesn't say a word for a moment. "... I can't connect to the satellite." She lowers her head.
"What? You gotta be kittening me! You said you got this in the bag!" Alabirma growls.
"Hey! Don't blame, Cali. She did her best," Mississippi Queen defends the California Spangled.
"No, he's right," Califurnya sighs. "I should've done better programming the website to the satellite. I thought it was ready, but maybe I rushed things and overlooked some mistakes."
"It may not be your fault," Textie speaks up, much to the Califurnyan's surprise. "The satellite's antenna may have gotten busted during launch. That may be why the website isn't connecting to it."
"Thanks, but still..." She and the other cats look over at the dejected Hissier.
Indianya stares at the gray static on the monitor with saddened eyes, questioning everything she had done to fulfill a dead cat's wish is for naught—a waste of time. A part of her wishes to see Lil Bub again. But she can't. Not anymore.
"Hey." Virginya sits by the Hissier's side. "We still got Lil Bub to space. We fulfilled her wish."
"Yeah... That's true..." She looks to all the cats in the room, forcing a grateful smile. "Thanks, you guys. I really owe you many cans of tuna after this."
"I prefer beef!" Textie smiles back.
"No wonder you're so fat. You should try vegetarian cat food for a change," Califurnya suggests.
"What?! Don't be ridiculous! Do I look like a sheep?"
"You look more like a cow to me," she snickers.
She growls, "Don't make me repeat myself! I'm not fat! I'm big-boned!" She unsheathes her claws.
Indianya chuckles tiredly, "I believe you. I'll be sure to get everyone whatever kind of cat food they want." She looks back at the static screen, pressing her paw onto the monitor. "Well, Lil Bub. I can't see you, but I'm sure you're watching us from up there. So... Hopefully, the view is as kind and beautiful as your magical spirit."
"Magical?"
"Yowl!" She and the others step away from the computer screen in utter surprise.
The gray static glitches multiple times until the face of Lil Bub appears on screen in front of a purple spatial background. "Magical, I am! I'm a magical space cat! I'm Lil Bub!" the tabby smiles.
She gasps, "Lil Bub!"
"That's right!" she purrs. "Though I've transcended Earth, I'm still watching over ya. I may not be able to talk to every cat or human watching me, but I'll do my best to spread lots of love and positivity to my Earth brothers and sisters."
She softly smiles. "I'm sure you will."
She nods. "And Indianya..."
Her eyes widen in surprise. "This isn't part of the recording. Am I imagining things?" Indianya looks back at her fellow felines who all shrug, just there to watch and listen.
"I'm sure you're living a good life back on Earth. I know I left all of a sudden, but that's okay. I'm a magical space cat. That means I have the power to live forever. I'm immortal! Just like you, meow!"
She can't help but chuckle at her silly response. "You're sure doing a good job spreading love and positivity."
She giggles, "Anyway, don't worry about me too much, meow. My time on Earth has been good thanks to cats like you and humans like my dude. I'll surely miss traveling to cities and eating all kinds of delicious food. But hopefully, life in space will fill that void. Again, I may not be able to talk with you or with many Earth brothers and sisters, I'll always be watching closeby, always here to listen."
She softly smiles, "Thank you, Lil Bub."
She beams. "See you later, space sister. Continue watching over Earth brothers and sisters while I'm gone." With that, Lil Bub disappears, replaced by a black screen surrounded by the colorful background of the website.
"See you later, space sister. I'll surely talk to you again..."
~ Nekotalia! ~
Hey, hey, daddy, get me a Dr. Pepper!
Hey, hey, mommy, hey, hey, mommy!
I cannot forget the taste of that
Chili con carne I ate long ago!
Draw a circle, that's the Earth!
Draw a circle, that's the Earth!
Draw a circle, that's the Earth!
Howdy, I'm Texas!
Draw a circle, that's the Earth!
Looking closely, that's the Earth!
Or maybe, that's the Earth?
I'm the Lone Star State!
Ah, with just a brushstroke,
A wonderful world can be seen!
Shoot for the sky like Spindletop!
I am Texas!
☆☆☆☆☆
+ Lil Bub was the runt of her litter born to a feral mother in June 2011. She had several mutations such as feline dwarfism and polydactyly, all of which contributed to her unique appearance. At the same time, it contributed to her health problems which made it difficult for her to get adopted or even live a healthy life. Fortunately, her dude—Mike Bridavsky—adopted her, making sure to give her special love and special medical attention, so she can live a happy painless life.
- In November 2011, photos of Lil Bub were posted on social media. She instantly became a cat celebrity on the Internet, quickly gaining a large following as well as lots of likes. She would make lots of media appearances as well as promote animal welfare groups, especially when it involved homeless and special-needs felines such as herself. At one point, her genome contributed to research, helping scientists learn more about mutations in DNA in the hopes of better understanding genetic diseases such as osteopetrosis (a rare inherited disease that causes the bone to harden and grow denser). Speaking of her genome, apparently, she was distantly related to Ernest Hemingway's cats!
- Sadly, Lil Bub was suffering a bone infection when she "gone to space" on December 1, 2019; she was eight years old when she passed away. Though gone from Earth, her dude plans to have Lil Bub watch the world from space. Accordingly to one article, he's working with Purdue University's aerospace program to load her cremated remains into a satellite and launch it into orbit; a live stream will be available for everyone to see where Lil Bub is around the world. This project is going to need a lot of money to fund. Whether that happens or not, at least this story here grants Lil Bub's wish to watch the world from space.
~
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