Cartel Cats: Know Your Rights
Chapter Eight: Waking Up to Fear
There are mornings in Pawloma when the sun barely peeks over the rooftops, and every shadow feels like a warning. Barbara Sanders knew that kind of morning—the kind where you wake up not to a gentle breeze, but to the cold, hard muzzle of fear.
Today, the city was buzzing with talk. Another sweep by the Pawloma Police. Another round of "random" stops. Another day when every cat, no matter how clean their paws, was treated like a criminal.
The crew gathered at Mama Patch's porch, tension thick in the air.
Barbara (quietly):
"Imagine if every morning, someone woke you up with a gun in your face. Then told you: 'Smile. Don't get defensive. Act like nothing's wrong.' Could you do it?"
The younger cats shook their heads, eyes wide.
Barbara:
"That's what it feels like when cops treat everyone like the same perp at the same damn time. They expect us to trust them, to act calm, while they hold our lives in their hands. How is that trust?"
Scene 1: The Encounter
Later that day, Sneezy Lila and Sleepy Sal were walking home with a bag of groceries. A patrol car pulled up, lights flashing. Officer Barker and his partner stepped out, hands on their belts.
Officer Barker (cold):
"Where are you two headed? What's in the bag?"
Sal's fur bristled. Lila's tail trembled.
Sleepy Sal (trying to stay calm):
"Just groceries, sir. We're going home."
Officer Barker:
"Let me see."
He snatched the bag, rifling through it. Lila's eyes filled with tears—not from fear, but from the humiliation of being treated like a suspect, again.
Lila (voice shaking):
"Why do you always think we're doing something wrong?"
Officer Barker (shrugging):
"Just doing my job. You know the drill."
Scene 2: The Aftermath
Back at the porch, the crew gathered around Lila and Sal.
Rico (angry):
"They act like we're all guilty, all the time. How are we supposed to trust them?"
Barbara:
"You can't build trust by treating everyone like a threat. You can't demand respect while pointing a weapon, real or not, at someone's life."
Mama Patch nodded, her eyes sad but wise.
Mama Patch:
"If you want someone's trust, you have to show them they're safe. You have to see the cat, not just the case."
Scene 3: The Real Question
Barbara addressed the crew, her voice steady and strong.
Barbara:
"If you wouldn't be able to smile with a gun in your face, don't expect someone else to. If you wouldn't trust someone who treats you like a problem, don't expect trust in return."
She turned to the younger cats.
Barbara:
"Your fear isn't weakness. It's survival. And you have the right to be treated with dignity, no matter what uniform someone's wearing."
Scene 4: The Moral
Mama Patch gathered everyone close.
Mama Patch:
"Don't let anyone tell you to hide your fear, or to pretend everything's fine when it isn't. Real trust is earned, not forced. And respect goes both ways."
Rights Recap Song
🎶
If you woke to a threat, could you smile on demand?
Would you trust the one holding your fate in their hand?
Respect can't be forced, and trust can't be bought,
It's lost when you're treated like something you're not.
See the cat, not just the case,
See the heart, not just the face.
We all want to feel safe, to belong, to be free—
That's the only way trust can ever truly be.
🎶
Spoken Outro (Barbara)
If you want trust, you have to give it.
If you want respect, you have to show it.
No one can smile through fear forever.
We're not problems to be solved—we're lives to be lived.
And every life deserves dignity, no matter what.