Pawsley was a beautiful, fluffy cat and a friend to all the animals. He lived in a little house with his owners who spoiled him with treats. During the day, he would stroll across rooftops, climb trees, or simply wander around.
One day, a family of sparrows built a nest under the roof of his house. At first, they were afraid of Pawsley, but eventually they realized he was a kind little cat, and they became friends. You can read all about it in the tale *Pawsley the Cat and the Sparrow*.
Several months had passed since then. Pawsley and his sparrow friend were inseparable. They helped each other out and got up to all sorts of mischief, like when they set up an obstacle course in the garden and held races, or when they went on long walks together and Pawsley picked up the sparrow in his mouth and carried him because the little bird couldn’t always keep up—he was, after all, younger and smaller. Whenever he did that, everyone else thought the cat had eaten the sparrow. But the two of them had great fun with it.
One day, a cat moved into the house next door. She was all white. Whenever she walked past Pawsley, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.
“How gracefully she moves, how she sways, and those green eyes of hers,” Pawsley sighed aloud that evening on the roof.
“Who are you talking about?” the sparrow asked.
“The new cat next door, of course. Whenever she walks by and looks at me, I have to sit down. My knees just give way,” Pawsley explained.
“So why don’t you talk to her? Why don’t you invite her over for some delicious canned food? Or could bring you something tasty from the trash can. Would you like that?” the sparrow suggested.
“I just don’t know what to say to her or how to start a conversation. Little sparrow, you’ve got to give me some advice.”
The sparrow thought for a moment and then said, “Oh, I know! My parents told me that when dad wanted to ask mom out, he would court her first. I don’t know exactly what that means, but he just wanted to catch her attention somehow. So he flew above her and started spinning and flapping his wings. It looked really pretty, as if he were dancing around her in the air. Mom noticed him then. She liked it. And then I came along.”
Pawsley thought about it. He wanted to catch the white cat’s attention too. So he decided to try what the sparrow had suggested, even though he couldn’t fly. The sparrow stood in the garden while Pawsley balanced on his hind legs and flapped his front paws as if they were wings. He swished his tail, wiggled from side to side, and hopped around on his back legs. He thought that was how a proper courtship dance should look. It wasn’t easy, but Pawsley kept practising because he really wanted to get it right.
It was quite a funny sight. Imagine a fluffy cat trying to dance on two legs while pretending to fly. The sparrow watched closely as Pawsley tried his best to keep his balance. Just then, the white cat walked past the garden. She stopped to see what was going on. At that very moment, Pawsley lost his balance and flopped onto the ground. The white cat couldn’t help laughing. Pawsley felt terribly embarrassed. He knew she had seen everything.
But the white cat wasn’t laughing to be mean. She simply hadn’t expected to see a cat dancing in the garden. She walked over to Pawsley and the sparrow and asked what they were doing. Before Pawsley could answer, the sparrow told her the whole story. He explained that Pawsley had been practising a courtship dance because he wanted to impress her.
The white cat blushed when she heard that.
“Would you like to go for a walk across the rooftops with me?” she asked shyly.
Pawsley forgot all about being embarrassed. He happily jumped to his feet, and soon the two cats were walking together across the rooftops. The little sparrow flew beside them, chatting happily and helping them both feel more comfortable.
Sometimes it’s okay to make a fool of yourself. Even if things don’t go as planned, others can still see that you tried your best. And that can be something very sweet.
