A Furry Wake-Up

A short play in 3 acts:

This short play stars small, dainty runt-of-the litter Schroeder-Cat. Having been raised mostly indoors in the house she was born in, she shows off the amazing power of instinct and redeems her earlier human-annoying behavior.

Act 1,
A darkened bedroom, 4:00 AM
Schroeder the Cat, perched by window screen next to bed: (Bat bat bat, claw, claw, swat!)

WF, groggily: Schroeder, STOP IT! Leave the moths alone!

Schroeder the Cat: (Ignores request, continues swatting)

WF (really annoyed now, stands up to remove Schroeder from window): That’s it! Get down! OHMYGOSH!

GTR, also groggily: What? What!?!

WF: A Mouse! On the screen! Get a jar!

(GTR notes mouse clinging to screen, groggily gets up to search for a jar. Mouse exits stage right, hides under bed. Halfhearted search ensues, ends with mouse running around corner under fridge. Schroeder hides from surprising early-morning human activity. Lusten and Bill-cat doze on. WF writes note for self: “Set mousetrap”. WF and GTR unsqueamishly go back to bed, hoping for more sleep.)

*Lights Out*

Act 2:
Same Bedroom, 5:25 AM

(From off stage right): CRASH! Squeaksqueaksqueak!
Stage right falls quiet again.
GTR: Uhhhnn. It’s not time to get up quite yet. (flops back into bed).
WF: Wha? (dozes).

Act 3:
Same bedroom, getting lighter now, 5:35 AM:
Schroeder the Cat, enters stage right, jumps onto bed: “Meow! Maow! Maow. Mea-ow!”
GTR (still under covers): Hi, Schroeder. I know you want food. Uhhhn. Almost time…
(looks over at cat, notes very dead mouse next to pillow). ARRGGHH!!!

Schroeder the Cat, sweetly, proudly: Meow! (bats mouse gently).

*Lights come down*