Thompson's Cat

by Robert Moore Williams

The weird, invisible insect depopulated an entire planet. Now it was felling Thompson’s crew as his ship hurtled toward the sun ... certain death for all, including the disease carrier. Forgotten in the panic was Buster, Thompson’s wise cat.

Genres: Science Fiction

23 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1952

About the author

The prolific author Robert Moore Williams published more than 150 novels and short stories under his given name as well as a variety of pseudonyms including John S. Browning, H.H. Harmon, Robert Moore, Russell Storm and E.K. Jarvis.

Williams was born in Farmington, Missouri and earned a journalism degree from the University of Missouri, Columbia. He had a full-time writing career from 1937 through 1972 and cut his teeth on such publications as Amazing Stories, Fantastic Adventures, Astounding, Thrilling Wonder and Startling.

In 1955 Williams cranked out The Chaos Fighters, the first of 30 novels he would write over the next 15 years. These novels include the Jongor and ,Zanthar series. His most unusual book, however, is one that is labeled as fiction, but is actually an autobiography: Love is Forever - We Are for Tonight (Curtis 06101, 1970). In this short, 141-page work Williams presents a description of his childhood and then discusses his experimentation with hallucinogenic gasses, Dianetics and 1950s-era communes.

Williams married Margaret Jelley in 1938 and they had one child. The couple divorced in 1958. According to the Social Security Death Index, Williams died in May of 1977 in Dateland, Arizona.

Reviews

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sep 16, 810pm ~~ This is my third story by Robert Moore Williams. During my Comet Magazine project earlier this year, I read a couple of his dark, otherworldly tales and had noticed this title either at Gutenberg or here on GR. I promised myself that Someday I would read it and see what was so special (or maybe scary/creepy?) about Thompson's cat. Tonight I wanted a short piece before diving into a poetry collection that will make me work, so here we are.

Thompson is the man in charge of an exploratory mission out into space, beyond Earth's solar system. When we meet Thompson and his crew, they are on the surface of a planet. A dead planet. No beings around, just a few skeletons here and there: some appearing as if they had tried to hide, others still praying in front of altars.

What exactly happened here? Will our brave crew ever know? And what does that cat have to do with anything?

But my biggest question is how did Thompson get permission to take a cat along in the first place? I am still working my little pea brain about all the issues involved with the idea of a cat in outer space. Pigs In Space I get, but a cat? lol

Nifty little story, and fun to compare with the memories of the two stories he wrote for Comet Magazine. Both of those were published in 1941. The world had turned a bit by 1952, or else Williams was not as pessimistic about life by then, because this story is not nearly as creepy scary as the others.

Still, don't think I care to go anywhere near this dead planet any time soon!

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A neat little short story about a group of intrepid space explorers who are accidentally saved by the ship's cat! The cat can see the insects carrying a deadly plague, but the humans can't! Interestingly, one subtext of the story is that the humans' arrogant assumption that they are invulnerable to any infection contributes to their problems. Dated, but a good old-fashioned sci-fi story.

[Forked Radish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whenever there's a plague, people blame some innocent animal as its vector: cats, rats, marmots (groundhogs, note the date), monkeys, and most recently bats. But the correct animal to blame is always the same.

[Tony Ciak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scifi,short story, cat saves the crew.Love it!!!