[ WP ] For your whole life , you have been unable to perceive cats in any way .

Henry opened the door before I got a chance to knock. 
 
 `` Hey, Jake, great to see you! Come on inside!'' 
 
 He swung the door wide open, unveiling his house to me for the first time. The decoration was truly incredible - the walls had murals painted over them, depicting vivid creatures displayed in bright colors, stretching around corners and up a staircase. The animals on the walls ranged from lizards to lions, each one perfectly detailed with beautiful style. There were very few spaces on the walls that had not been entirely covered with paint. 
 
 `` Gim me your coat, man, I'll hang it up for you.'' 
 
 `` Thanks,'' I said, a little quietly, as I was stunned by the artwork. `` Wow... these are so incredible. I've never seen such a beautifully decorated place. It's so unique,'' I said, as I reached out and ran my fingers over the smooth texture of a gorilla. 
 
 `` Well, I've told you about Jenifer. She loves to paint! And I love to look at them. Although sometimes, it seems like all of their eyes are on you at once... never mind that, though, huh? Come on in, sit yourself down! I'll go grab a couple beers.'' 
 
 Henry exited to the kitchen. I continued to take in the absolute magnificence of Jenifer's work. It was incredible to think that she'd done each one herself. 
 
 `` Henry?'' Jenifer called from a distant room. `` Is your friend here? Can I meet him?'' 
 
 `` Yeah babe, he's in the living room, checking out your paintings. I'll be right back, Jake, we ran out of beer in the fridge so I'm gon na check the basement!'' 
 
 `` All right,'' I called back. 
 
 Jenifer came into the room with her hair stuck in a messy bun. She had on overalls with a bit of paint on them. Her left hand was covered in all kinds of colors. 
 
 `` Hey, Jake! It's great to meet you!'' She extended her right hand, which was clean of paint. I shook it. 
 
 `` You too, Henry talks about you all the time at work. He told me you were into artsy stuff, but I did n't know you did all this! It's incredible!'' 
 
 `` Well, it's modest work.'' Jenifer blushed. `` I just wish I could make money off of it, right?'' 
 
 `` Right,'' I laughed. 
 
 I scanned over the walls again. Something caught my eye. Right in the middle of one wall was a white space with an eccentric shape. I was about to say something to Jenifer, but just then Henry came back up the stairs with beer. He passed one to me, one to Jenifer, and twisted a cap off for himself. 
 
 `` Cheers,'' I said, and took a sip. 
 
 We moved into the dining room, which had more animals over the walls. From my chair I could still see into the living room, and so I could see the wall with a blank space. I decided to ask about it. 
 
 `` Say, Jenifer, you're missing an animal in there, do n't you think?'' 
 
 Jenifer followed my line of sight to the spot on the wall. 
 
 `` Missing one? Where?'' 
 
 `` Right there, below the dolphin, above the foxes. There's a blank space.'' 
 
 Jenifer and Henry both looked there. 
 
 `` What, near the cat?'' asked Henry. 
 
 It's a fucking cat. That explains it. 
 
 `` Oh, never mind,'' I said, trying to think of a way to not sound weird. `` I just... I did n't know it was a cat, there.'' *Please be a white cat, please be a white cat... * 
 
 Jenifer frowned. 
 
 `` What, the tabby?'' asked Henry. `` The orange and brown one?'' 
 
 Damn it. 
 
 `` Yeah, I just... sorry. I guess I'm tired.'' I took another swig of beer. 
 
 `` Actually, that's our Tabby, little Fencepost,'' Jenifer explained. `` I decided to put him right in the middle, since he's the only animal we own.'' 
 
 I could suddenly see that this was n't going to turn out well. 
 
 `` Hey, here he is now! Hey, little guy!'' 
 
 At this point, I assume Fencepost came into the room. Henry crouched down and extended his fingers, brushing them over this invisible creature's head. My experience, in these situations, had taught me to do one thing around cats: pretend they're not there. Because as far as I can tell, they are n't. 
 
 `` Here bud, do you want a treat?'' Jenifer reached over to a treat jar and took out a little nugget. She stooped down and offered it up to Fencepost. The treat silently disappeared from her hand. 
 
 I shifted uncomfortably. That always freaked me out. Why could n't I at least hear cats, or feel them? Why did they have to entirely not exist in my perception of the world? It is n't as though this was some huge, every day problem that I had. It was just weird to tell people, and it occasionally led to some uncomfortable situations. I studied a dog above the stove, instead. 
 
 `` Oh! I guess he likes you, Jake! Haha!'' Henry looked at my lap. I did n't see or feel or hear anything. `` Well, do n't be shy! Give Fencepost some love. Oh, wait- you're not allergic, are you?'' 
 
 `` No, no,'' I quickly assured him. `` I love cats!'' 
 
 I reached down to pet Fencepost. My hand rested uncomfortably on a strange, outward force. I've always hated the feeling. I do n't even know what cat fur feels like. It's just a weird solidity in midair that I can not push through. 
 
 Suddenly, Fencepost must have pushed against my hand. A solid force knocked the bottle from my grip and sent it to the floor. The bottle did n't break, but it turned over and spilled beer onto the floor. 
 
 `` Oh, jeez, I'm so sorry!'' I said quickly. I stood up to help clean the beer off the floor. An odd weight fell out of my lap. 
 
 `` Haha, look at Fencepost! He's lapping up the beer!'' 
 
 Henry and Jenifer both started chuckling at the cat while I tore some paper towels from a roll. 
 
 `` Oh, do n't worry about it, let me get that,'' said Henry, as he took the towels from me and started mopping it up. 
 
 Jenifer pulled out her phone and took a picture of Henry and the cat. 
 
 `` I'll send you this picture,'' she said. `` What's your number?'' 
 
 I gave her my number and she sent the picture. I'd left my phone at home, so I did n't see it right away. 
 
 The rest of the night went on without incidence. Fencepost slept nearby, apparently, but he did n't bother me at all. Thankfully, I did n't have to explain myself to these great people. I did n't want to make a relationship with some cool friends turn weird just because of my condition. 
 
 When I got home, I checked my phone. I cycled through the messages and found the one from Jenifer. As expected, when it loaded up, I saw Henry on the floor, nose to nose with an invisible cat. The way he was positioned made me laugh. 
 
 But that's not what I was really interested in. As I studied the picture, I noticed something strange. I could n't see Fencepost, but I saw into the living room, which was right behind Henry. 
 
 And I swear, for a split second, I saw a brown and orange striped creature painted masterfully on the wall. 
 
 But then, it was gone.
