The Cat Who Cheered the Horse

The fluffy cat tiptoed over to the big, strong horse. The horse was doing little bouncy steps, like he couldn’t wait for something exciting. “Meow? What’s all the bouncy-bounce?” the cat asked, sitting down to watch.

The horse stopped his bouncy steps. “Tomorrow! Big race in the fields! I HAVE to be the fastest!” he said, his voice a little shaky.

The cat blinked his big eyes. “But what if you don’t win?”

The horse’s ears went floppy. “Oh no! I don’t even want to think about that!” He stomped his foot a little.

The cat stretched his front paws. “Hey, big friend. You have super speedy legs! Just run as fast as you can. If you get to the finish line first, yay! Happy neigh and yummy treats!”

The cat wiggled his tail. “But if another horse gets there first? That’s okay! You just say, ‘Oops, maybe next time I’ll run even faster!’ Every race is like a fun game to see how fast you can go!”

The horse looked down at the cat. His worried face started to look a little bit better. He took a big breath of the fresh air. “You’re right, little kitty,” he said. “I should just try my best and have fun running!”

He nodded his head. “Thanks, little friend. You always make me feel better.” He gave the cat a gentle nuzzle with his big nose, and the cat purred, happy to help. The big race was still tomorrow, but the horse wasn’t so scared anymore. He was just excited to run!