Name: Class:

The Cat With No Meow

By Alexa Tondreau Dahl
2021

Alexa Tondreau Dahl is a teacher and children's author. In this story, a new girl at school must give a
presentation about herself to the class. As you read, take notes on how Jessalyn’s feelings change throughout
the story.

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[1] “Jessalyn, are you trying to merge with your chair at
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the cellular level?” Mrs. Lockwood asked me in her
low, croaky voice from the front of the classroom.

Twenty heads turned in my direction, to witness

whatever cellular merging was. My plan to disappear
during English period today clearly wasn’t working.
Even so, I sank deeper in my seat.

“You’re after Esha,” Mrs. Lockwood informed me.

Within seconds, Esha was standing at the front of the

class with her poster turned backward. She seemed
to be looking forward to her presentation, which
didn’t surprise me considering how much Esha liked
to talk.

[5] 3
Me, I’d been dreading this assignment ever since "Untitled" by The Lucky Necko is licensed under CC0.
Mrs. Lockwood said we needed to share something
no one else in the sixth grade knew about us. I’d never given a presentation in front of a class before. Up until
this year, I’d been homeschooled by my parents.

“You can begin, Esha. Please keep it short.” Mrs. Lockwood sighed.

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Esha smiled a megawatt smile. “One thing about me you may not know — I have a black cat, named Sultana,
who never meows! The veterinarian said not to worry because some cats are just that way. And someday, if she
wants to meow, she will. Sultana is small for an adult cat and only weighs seven pounds. She has five toes on
her front left paw, which is a little creepy, I admit. Again, the vet said it’s perfectly normal. In my opinion,
Sultana is truly the best cat, ever.”

1. Merge (verb) to mix or combine two or more things into one

2. relating to the small cells that make up all life
3. Dread (verb) to look ahead with worry or fear
4. very big and bright

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Then with great flourish, Esha turned the poster board to reveal a stunning photograph of herself and…
Shadow, my black cat. My cat! Mine! The cat on the poster was identical to Shadow, down to the spot of white
fur on her throat.

Why was Esha doing a presentation on Shadow?

[10] A smattering of applause went around the classroom as Esha returned to her seat. I stood up slowly. This was
going to be even worse than I had imagined.

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I went to the front of the room and held up my poster — which featured an intricate photo collage of my cat.
“There’s something no one knows about me, which is that I have a pet named Shadow. She’s a black cat with
five toes on her front left paw.” My voice trembled like there was an earthquake inside of it. “She’s been my cat
since I was seven years old. One interesting thing about Shadow is… she never meows.”

The whole class was looking at me like I’d lost my marbles, and I couldn’t continue. I ran back to my seat, staring
at the floor the whole way.

“Jessalyn and Esha, see me after class,” Mrs. Lockwood said.

Minutes later, I stood side by side with Esha, who kept looking at my poster and then back at her own.

[15] “It’s rather obvious” — Mrs. Lockwood laughed, and it was a gravelly, grumbly sound — “that someone here
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plagiarized someone else. You have the weekend to work out who should come up with a different topic.
Monday, I expect one of you to give a new presentation.” She raised an eyebrow at us, and I used my last bit of
courage to whisper yes.

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I followed Esha into the hallway. “Sultana is my cat,” she proclaimed. “I am one hundred percent positive,
beyond a doubt.”

“I don’t know who Sultana is,” I said quietly. “But Shadow is mine.”

Her forehead scrunched up. “Why don’t you come to my house today after school, and you can see for yourself.
I live at 55 Maddux Drive.”

Esha’s house ended up being just a couple blocks from where I lived, and her neighborhood was like mine, with
two-story houses and birch trees lining the street. Inside, there wasn’t much furniture or clutter, but there were
lots of tall bookshelves. The rooms were very quiet, and despite how nervous I’d been when I arrived, there was
something about Esha’s house that made me feel calm.

[20] Upstairs in her bedroom, a black cat was curled into a snug ball on the bed.

5. a bold or dramatic movement

6. Intricate (adjective) having many small, detailed parts
7. Plagiarize (verb) to copy someone’s work and claim it as your own
8. Proclaim (verb) to state for others to know; to announce

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 “That’s Sultana!” Esha shrieked. “I told you!”

Sultana was exactly like Shadow — even in the way she gently flicked her tail while she napped. I was so
stunned that I didn’t know what to say. Finally, I just asked, “Why is her name Sultana?”

“Sultana was one of the most famous silent film actresses in India! Sultana said everything through her eyes. I
thought it was a good name for a cat that never meows. Plus, I’m going to be an actress when I grow up.”

It was a great name, actually, but I was too shy to tell her that. “I really do have a cat named Shadow,” I said. I
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didn’t want to add that Shadow was one of my closest companions. Though I wanted to make new friends at
school, it hadn’t happened yet.

[25] “Let’s go to your house and see her right now,” Esha suggested helpfully.

“The thing is… she won’t be home. Shadow likes to go out exploring in the afternoon.”

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Esha’s face turned red. “Are you lying about having a cat, or what?” she asked loudly, sounding frustrated.

A man popped his head around the door. “Is everything OK, my daughter?” he asked in a whispery voice. He
looked at me and said quietly, “Hello, there. Welcome.”

“Yes, Baba,” Esha muttered. “Sorry.”

[30] He left without a sound.

At that moment, Sultana stood up and shot both of us a glance with her deep yellow eyes — a glance which said
she understood everything that was happening, and she wasn’t very pleased.

Taking a deep breath, I said, “Come to my house tomorrow morning. I live at 37 Carson Way. Shadow will be
there.”

Bright and early Saturday morning, Esha stood at my front door with a funny look on her face. When she
stepped inside her eyes grew wide as she watched my four younger brothers scamper up and down the stairs,
screaming and laughing.

My mom walked by carrying a cup in one hand and her guitar in the other. “Helloooo!” she sang, using her
yodeling voice. “I neeeed mooore coooofffeeee!” she warbled.

[35] We were standing by the schoolroom, where books, papers, and art supplies cluttered the tables. Also, the little
stage was a mess with props and costumes left out. No matter how often I tidied up here, everything became
jumbled again.

9. Companion (noun) someone to spend time with; a friend

10. Frustrated (adjective) feeling upset or angry because of not being able to do what needs to be done

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 Suddenly, Esha ran and jumped up on the stage, raising an eyebrow at me. “Jessalyn,” she croaked, “are you
trying to merge with your chair?”

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It was a perfect impression of Mrs. Lockwood, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“I love this stage!” Esha cried. “Why do you have it?”

“We use it for homeschooling sometimes — my brothers and I put on plays we’ve written. My parents teach us
here at home. Well, not me anymore, now that I’m in middle school.”

[40] “I had no idea you were homeschooled,” Esha replied. “That’s so cool.”

I blushed. I hadn’t told anyone at school yet.

Then Shadow scampered out from behind one of the tables. She darted in between Esha’s legs, curling her long
tail around Esha’s ankle, and then just as quickly, she was twisting her tail around me.

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We both laughed. “That’s Shadow,” I said, feeling so relieved to prove to Esha that I wasn’t lying.

“Why did you name her that?”

[45] “Because shadows are dark... and they don’t make any noise,” I answered softly.

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“Brilliant!” Esha yelled, and she grabbed a tambourine off the stage and shook it in the air. Quickly, she looked
around like she might get in trouble.

Shadow didn’t jump or run away. She was used to that kind of noise. It was Esha who seemed to find the
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commotion unusual, and I thought about how Esha was a loud and theatrical person, living in a house as
quiet as a library. And me — I was the quiet one, living where everyone shouted and sang.

I realized Esha and I might be really different, but neither of us fit into our families very well. Which made us
sort of the same.

Esha sighed. “I have to tell you something. This morning, I followed Sultana when she left my house. She always
leaves when the sun rises. I discovered that she came right here! She climbed the fence and went straight into
your backyard.”

[50] I gulped. “The cat door is in the back. Shadow comes inside first thing in the morning, and disappears again in
the afternoon.”

11. acting or speaking like a certain person, usually for entertainment

12. Relief (noun) the feeling of being freed from pain or worry
13. a type of drum-like instrument with metal disks around the edge
14. Commotion (noun) noisy jumble

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 We looked at the black cat before us as if we were seeing her for the first time, but she wasn’t paying any
attention at all.

“She’s been living two lives,” Esha said, her voice filled with wonder. She was silent for a moment, but then she
laughed. “Sultana! You clever thing!”

“What do you mean?” I asked sadly. Truthfully, it hurt my feelings that Shadow had a whole different family
somewhere else.

“I think when she wants to be playful, she comes here! There are lots of kids, and so much noise!”

[55] “And when she wants peace and quiet, she goes to your house!” I exclaimed.

Esha threw her arms around me. I was surprised, and I’m not a big hugger, but I hugged back because I
understood. We were going to share our cat. She’d be Sultana with Esha, and Shadow with me. Nothing had to
change.

“I can do a different presentation,” Esha said. “She was yours first. She didn’t show up at my house until I was
nine years old.”

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“No.” I shook my head vigorously. “I should tell everyone about what it was like to be homeschooled. It’s
something no one knows because I’ve been too embarrassed to tell people.”

Esha smiled her megawatt smile. “Can I help with the poster?”

[60] “Sure! We have tons of supplies around.”

As if she’d been listening, Shadow/Sultana jumped up on one of the tables and carefully walked in between the
things left out.

“I wish she’d meow one of these days,” I admitted.

“I’m very curious how that would sound,” Esha agreed.

Our black cat turned to look at us. For a second, I wondered if she might finally meow. But then her deep yellow
eyes said that she didn’t need to do anything at all, because she had everything she wanted right here.

"The Cat with No Meow" by Alexa Tondreau Dahl, Cricket, © by Cricket Media, Inc. Reproduced with permission. All
Cricket Media material is copyrighted by Cricket Media, Inc. and/or various authors and illustrators. Any commercial
use or distribution of material without permission is strictly prohibited. Please visit http://www.cricketmedia.com/
childrens-content-licensing for licensing and http://www.cricketmedia.com for subscriptions.

15. Vigorously (adverb) done with effort or energy

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Unless otherwise noted, this content is licensed under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license

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 Text-Dependent Questions
Directions: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences.

1. What is the main theme of the story?

A. A pet cat is a child's best friend.
B. Making new friends is too much work.
C. Giving a presentation takes a lot of courage.
D. You may have more in common with others than you think.

2. How do paragraphs 33-35 contribute to the story?

A. They describe Esha's home.
B. They describe Jessalyn's home.
C. They describe the problem in the story.
D. They describe important new characters.

3. How are Esha and Jessalyn's homes different?

A. Jessalyn's home is noisy while Esha's home is calm.
B. Esha's home is large while Jessalyn's home is small.
C. Jessalyn has a small family while Esha has a big family.
D. Esha's home is close to the school while Jessalyn's home is far away.

4. Why does Jessalyn think that Esha and she do not fit in with their families very well? (Paragraph 48)
A. Both of them argue with their families a lot.
B. Both of them are different from their families.
C. Both of them like cats more than their families do.
D. Both of them are quiet while their families are loud.

5. How do Jessalyn's feelings change throughout the story?

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 Discussion Questions
Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared to share
your original ideas in a class discussion.

1. Have you ever felt like you did not fit in? When did you feel this way? What happened?

2. Do you have any pets? What kind? Do you wish you had a different kind of pet? If so, what kind of
pet would you like?

3. Do you think Mrs. Lockwood was right when she assumed one of the girls plagiarized their work?
Was it fair to only have one of them redo the project? Why or why not?