The Cat from Hell

by Stephen King

Наёмный убийца — человек без брезгливости. Особенно если за работу хорошо платят. Но когда тебе «заказывают» не ребёнка, не старика, не беременную женщину — просто приблудного кота!.. Впрочем, работёнка-то лёгкая, почему бы и не выполнить. И что с того, что кот странный: наполовину чёрный, а наполовину белый? Что с того, что кот этот будто бы причастен к смерти троих стариков. Ты-то не старик. Профессионал потому и профессионал, что доводит своё дело до конца! Что с того, что кот, похоже, тоже профессионал и намерен довести до конца то, за чем пришёл на землю.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Audiobook, Classics

20 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Stephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of them. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.

Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.

He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.

Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.

In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.

Reviews

[BookHunter M ُH َM َD]

إذا كان القط يمثل عند بعضهم الحيوان الكيوت الرقيق الذي تحبه الفتيات و يدللنه فإنه قد مثل عند القدماء تناسخ الأرواح و صار معبودا لبعض الشعوب و مقدسا لدى بعضها الأخر. أغلب الناس يتشاءم من القطط السوداء بينما يسمى فاحشوا الثراء بالقطط السمان. يمثل القط ثيمة واضحة لأدب هاروكي موراكامي مثلا بينما يظهر عند ستيفن كينج ظهور خاص يليق به في عالم الإثارة و الرعب.

إذا كنت من عشاق القطط فقد تنفر من هذه الرواية و إن كنت محايدا مثلي فقد تتوجس منهم خيفة بعد ذلك.
إنه القط الشرير الذي يقبض أرواح كل من في الدائرة حوله بينما يبقى هو بشكله الوديع الأليف بعيدا عن الشبهات تماما.
لماذا لا يتخلصون منه بعد كل ما أحاط به من كوارث؟
هذا بالفعل ما يحاول أن يشرحه لنا كينج في هذه القصة القصيرة من مجموعة بعيد الغروب

[Calista]

From what I can tell, Stephen King does not like Cats. He doesn’t seem to use them in a positive light and in Pet Cemetary, they are evil.

This story is rather humorous. An old wealthy man hires a hitman to kill this cat that he believes is a hellcat and killed 3 other people in the house. The end of the story, we get to see the cat in action.

The story is short and a quick read. This is classic Stephen King. Stephen relishes grossing out the reader at times like he’s still a 14 year old boy. He can write some great brief stories.

[Peter]

Halston is a hitman. He is very astonished when a rich pharmaceutical tycoon gives him a very special order: To kill a cat! The cat is in his house at the moments, it was a stray taken in by his deceased sister. Well, he thinks the cat already killed three people in his household. Halston actually likes cats but agrees with the contract. Can you guess how the story runs? Marvelous story about a true hellcat. You will also hear what might be the motivation for the cat to kill. The story is also included in King's anthology Just After Sunset. Tremendous story, highly recommended!

[فايز Ghazi]

- قصة مجنونة اخرى من قصص ستيفان، قتل ودم مبني على الإسطورة القائلة بعلاقة القطط مع الجحيم والأرواح الشريرة، وكيفية قيامها بعمليات شيطانية بدافع الإنتقام... لا انصح بها لمحبي القطط!

[Karla]

Story 3 stars**
Audio 3.75 stars**
Narrator Holter Graham

[Luciana Gomez Mauro]

Increíble.
Lo termine de noche y me dio un poco de asco ese final. Pero muy bueno.

[Rana]

القصة التاسعة من بعيـد الغـروب،

أفضل قصة في المجموعة ، وأول قصة تستحق 5 نجوم بالنسبالي

وبرغم إني من محبي القطط وعمري ما قدرت أشوفهم إلا كائنات لطيفة جداً ، إلا إن اللي عمله القط ، وبرغم إنه كان شرير ، خلاني مبسوطة وأنا بقراها

الأحداث فكرتني بقصة the black cat لإدجار آلان بو
لما حد يأذي كائن بريء ، ماعتقدش إنه هيسكت لمجرد إنه صغير ومن وجهة نظره ضعيف ، بالعكس ، ممكن اللي يحصل بعد كده يبقى غير متوقع

وده بالظبط اللي حصل في القصة

شخص كان بيشتغل في شركة أدوية ، وكانوا بيعملوا تجارب على القطط لحد ما مات منهم عدد كبير جداً

لحد ما جه القط ده ، واللي كان السبب في مقتل 3 أشخاص

فقرر الشخص اللي بيشتغل في شركة الأدوية إنه يجيب قاتل مأجور ويطلب منه يقتل القط ، لأنه شايف إنه خطر ، أو إن جواه روح شريرة

وبتبقى في الآخر مواجهة بين القاتل المأجور والقط

قصة حلوة جداً ، والنهاية بردو حلوة جداً ..

[SHERINE]

قصة «القط القادر»

القصة حلوة، لكني مش من محبي القطط بصراحة، بحبهم كده من بعيد لبعيد، وبخاف منهم، وحاليًا هخاف منهم أكتر.
لكن في المجمل، هي لطيفة ومش مملة.

[Abeer]

لا اعتقد ان القطط كائنات لطيفة وكيوت الا فى الفيديوهات التى نراها عبر السوشيال ميديا... غير ذلك فالله وحده الذى يعلم ما يدور برأسها
وهذه القصة توضح ان غالبا ما يدور برأسها اشياء يستحسن الابتعاد عنها

[Milagro]

Una pequeña historia que sobrepone demasiado.
Se muestra el mito que hay entre los gatos y el infierno: te puede asesinar o sabe más allá de la humanidad. Me recordó al relato de Edgar Allan Poe El gato negro.

Recomendado, fácil de leer y entretenido; destaco la forma que el autor describe lo sangriento.
Final: 4.5

[Asha Seth]

Spooky shit. I hate cats. Now I hate them more.

[Crime Addict Sifat]

Is it a fairy tale or what ! Unrealistic. Total chaos.

[Matilda ❤️]

Lite svårt o säga nått eftersom den va 20 sidor😀
Men men den va lite gargig o slutade skumt

[Scott]

"It's green eyes glared like headlights from Hell". Indeed. This is one helluva disturbing tale from King. An old man brings on Halston, a gun for hire, to eradicate a seemingly sinister cat living within the mansion for $6000, and another $6,000 when the dead cat's tail is brought back to him to prove the deed done. This cat is presumed to be the cause of multiple murders within and around the old man's estate, and needs this cat out of the picture, for it appears it's time for him to be next. Halston takes the job and lets just say it ends up being a lot more insane than he anticipated.

The heightened suspense and gory detail make this for one of King's more demented stories. Wonderfully narrated.

[Regis]

Pawsitively terrifying. Awesome narration.

[Lorraine]

A quick short story where King sets an eerie mood immediately for the reader. Does evil exist? Can animals seek revenge? Where does fear originate from? In 38 minutes King creates a short story that ‘plays’ with these questions but of course, in King’s unique writing style of horror.

[Mo Majid]

King’s love-hate relationship with cats continues. This one kills in a most animalistic fashion too.

[tomas]

vore???

[Mansi Rathod]

Creepy cats

[Jacob Rohrbach]

King's version of "The Black Cat" by Poe but instead its about a hitman trying to kill a cat instead of a man's decent into madness. Fun stuff, corny, but fun

[Fer B]

4.5 Stars
I found this book in my computer, and because I'm curious and love cats I decided to read this. Damn that cat, It had a mission. Never get between a cat and its prey...unless you've won the cat's favor. Strange thing: the cat in this story reminded me of my mom's cat (who lives with my greatgrandparents, grandma and grandaunt), and she is a a timid fur ball with a food addiction; and of the cats I feed, including my own little sweetheart, and my mom doesn't like him…

I read a comment asking if King hates cats or something, but I didn't feel that in the writing. I mean, the cat is like an avenger, I think, ready to end the man and his hate. So...unless one counts the cat in Animal Cementery and the cat in the movie Cat's Eye (I'm not sure on what book the movie is based) And even in those doesn't feel like there is a real hate for cats, but well.

As always, the gory details helps creates a vivid image, which I enjoy depending of my modos. I would love to see the old man's face when the cat returns.
Happy Reading!

[Lucia Némethová]

Part 2 ságy "From hell" :D Tentokrát to už konečne s tým názvom sedelo :D prvá skúsenosť so Stephenom Kingom a hneď taká zlá... keď sa chcete zasmiať, prečítajte si, ale nič originálne to neprinesie, akurát tak okrem mačky spiacej v diere v bruchu, ktorú si sama vyhryzkala :D ja neviem, čo to chcelo byť...

[B B]

There you have it. A cat seeking revenge on those who would abuse cats. Is it supernatural, or is it just a very focused feline? The cats behavior is intense enough to make one think there are other forces at work taking satisfaction in the purrrfect results.

[James Biser]

This is a creepy tale about a hit man who is hired to kill a cat. The person who hires the assassin explains that the cat is from Hell and has already killed most of his family. The professional killer agrees to kill the animal, but it is not a simple act to kill the cat from Hell.

[Marlee]

A creepy and interesting short story with a rather disgusting end. I am often disappointed in short stories because they usually leave the reader with too many questions. While that is still true with this story, it’s a good read.

[Kelsey]

Fine. One great scary image at the end, the rest is pretty generic for a Stephen King story. Read out loud around a campfire so that was cool. Mentioned erection completely unnecessary and weird to throw in there. Team cat honestly.

[Angel Torres]

This is quite a trip. The story is simple and short but still holds a strong premise and good characters.

Instead of being a story with horror and terror it becomes an experience of grotesque and disturbing events.

[Chandni]

What the heck even is this story? Does Stephen King really hate cats or something?

[Deyth Banger]

Typical Stephen King style... bloody disgusting... crazy, insane imagination... that's what we know and we are going to remember Stephen King with.

[Nona Drobot]

What the hell?