[ WP ] In the beginning , there was just one cat following you , then two , then three , then a dozen . It keeps increasing and you 're sure it started after updating your Facebook relationship status .

Judy set her relationship status to `` single'' from nothing, but it was more like `` forever alone''. She scrolled through her feed, looking for someone available. Nope. Not only that, but looking through these posts made her feel worse than ever. She thought `` I'm going to become a crazy cat lady, die alone surrounded by a thousand cats.'' 
 
 She caught sight of an advertisement to the side of her browser. `` Lonely? Why not cats?'' She clicked on the image, but without even looking at the resulting useless add site, closed the browser. 
 
 An extra popup appeared. `` Are you sure you would n't like cats?'' She clicked `` No'' before she'd realized what she'd done. She had n't meant to do that. Nothing happened, which was good. Even if she was going to adopt a pet, she should really do it locally, not through the internet. 
 
 It was kind of late, but what she really needed was a walk. Something to clear her mind. 
 
 As she stepped out onto the porch she heard the `` brrrt!'' noise of a surprised, content cat. Oh my god, it was a kitten. It was adorable. She picked it up. Judy felt better just holding it. What a strange coincidence. 
 
 She cuddled it in her arms and kept walking. It began to purr and plump her arm with its itty bitty paws. She loved this kitten. She decided she'd keep it if no one claimed it. 
 
 It was n't long before another cat started following her, a tomcat. Its fur looked glossy and he was well fed. When he got close, he bumped his head on her leg in a friendly way and she reached down and scratched his ear. She was sure he was n't a stray, but committed to the thought that if he was, maybe she'd keep them both. She did n't need the internet to provide her a cat. 
 
 The thought started nagging at her that she'd never seen stray cats in her neighborhood before, and that it was somehow related to Facebook. That was nutty. She muttered, `` Step one to being a crazy cat woman, be crazy.'' Great, she thought, now she was talking to herself. Step 1 achieved. 
 
 She walked for a while, street lamps lighting her way, and another cat from ahead walked past her, brushing against her legs. She turned to watch him go behind her and realized she had three more cats following. That was odd. 
 
 She kept moving forward, but was n't paying attention to where she was going, anymore. By now there were over twenty cats. Their purring was hypnotic. Their fur was so warm and soft. Things began to take on a dreamlike quality. They were all around her. First dozens, then hundreds milling around her feet, brushing against her legs. 
 
 Maybe she was meant to have cats. Maybe the advertisement was mystical and this was some sort of synchronicity. Another `` meow'' and she reached down and picked a second kitten up. When she stood up, her door was in front of her. How had she failed to notice she was home? 
 
 She moved both kittens to her left arm, as she dug through her purse and pulled out her keys. As soon as she opened the door they silently brushed by her, making themselves at home as though they'd always lived here. 
 
 They were everywhere. Her thoughts suddenly came into focus again and she put the kittens down and tried to shoe a few of the full grown cats out the door. One of them hissed then growled. The purring stopped instantly. The room was thick with the anger of a thousand cats. Every feline eye was on her. The hair on her arms stood on end. Judy no longer felt safe. 
 
 If she had n't been wasting time on her facebook relationship status, this never would have happened. She'd have never entertained ideas of crazy cat women or clicked on a pet advertisement. 
 
 How had this gone wrong? They were so pleasant a few minutes ago. She edged toward the computer and turned it on. This had all started when she clicked on the advertisement. Maybe it was n't so crazy, given that the situation itself was insane. If the cats were there because of the advertisement, maybe they could be gotten rid of the same way. 
 
 There it was, a `` Terms and Conditions'' popup. The oddness that this should be there after she turned her computer off and then on again made the feeling this was why she was now surrounded by cats. She moved the mouse to click, indicating she did not agree, when her new kitten stepped on the keyboard. 
 
 `` Congratulations on your purchase. We will be there to collect, shortly.'' 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

