Jeremiah was a boy who loved his pet cat.  El Gato, as his friend was called, was very special to Jeremiah.  El Gato was given to Jeremiah by someone who found him near a lake.  El Gato was just a kitten then.  He was cold and hungry, and he just wanted someone to love him.  Jeremiah and El Gato were a perfect match.

El Gato grew up very quickly.  It did not take long for him to go from a kitten to a full grown cat.  Still, he was Jeremiah's best friend.  Where ever Jeremiah went, so did El Gato.  If Jeremiah went out to the yard to play, so did El Gato.  If Jeremiah wanted to watch TV, El Gato would sit in his lap, purring loudly.  When Jeremiah went to bed, El Gato would lay in his favorite spot, snuggled up next to El Gato on his pillow. Yes, Jeremiah and El Gato were meant to be in each other's lives.

Jeremiah and El Gato would spend their days talking to each other.  They always understood each other, even when other people laughed at them.  "El Gato, you are my best friend," Jeremiah would say.  "Meow, meow, meeeeoooowww," El Gato would reply.  "Please do not ever change, I don't think I could handle it if we were separated" Jeremiah said.  "Meow!" El Gato said.  

One day, Jeremiah came home from school and El Gato was gone.  He looked everywhere but could not find El Gato at all.  Jeremiah felt sick.  He cried for a long time and finally went to bed but he could not sleep.  All Jeremiah could think about was his good friend El Gato.  He wondered if El Gato was sick, or cold, or hungry.  Nothing could take his mind off his little friend.  The next day he went to school but he was still very sad.  El Gato had still not come home.