I was at the grocery store.  As I rounded corner, I was in a collision course with a shopping cart being pushed by an older lady.

She swerved and said, “Don’t worry, my cat won’t hit you.” She held up her purse, which had a cat design on it.  I complimented her on her choice of purse.  She also held up her watch with a black cat design.

“Do you have a dog or cat?” She asked.

“I have one cat, 17 years old,” I answered.

She proceeded to tell me that she had just sent her cat to heaven last week. “I’m sorry,” I said.

She continued, “I used to have 50 cats when I lived on a farm in Oregon,” she added. “We had nooo rat problems at all!”

Sensing this conversation may extend too long, I quickly said, “Well, I hope you have a good day!”

In return she said, “And I hope you have a purrfect day!”

It didn’t dawn on me until halfway down the aisle that she snuck in a pun.

I hunted her down to the next aisle and said, “I just got your pun!”  She smiled behind her mask.

I had one ready for her. Summoning one of my go-to puns, I said, “I hope you’re feline fine.”

Not to be outdone, she walked away, flinging one more parting pun: “I’ll be pussyfooting along now.”

I had nothing, no comeback.  It was a…cat-astrophe.

— Story and photo by David Carlos