The Haunting Tale of Pluto: A Dark Transformation

The Man and His Cat: A Tender Relationship

The man tells the reader about a cat named Pluto he used to have as a pet. He describes Pluto as a remarkably large, beautiful animal, entirely black. He takes care of Pluto, and Pluto follows him everywhere around the house. It is a very tender relationship.

Everything Goes Wrong

Then everything goes wrong. The narrator, an alcoholic, starts getting angry at everyone. He mistreats his wife and their other animals, but he never hurts Pluto. One night, the narrator comes home drunk and thinks Pluto is avoiding him. He grabs the cat, who bites him. The narrator cuts out one of the cat's eyes.

The Horror of Regret

The narrator is horrified by his actions. The cat's eye socket heals, but Pluto and the narrator no longer have a good relationship. Pluto starts to avoid the narrator all the time.

A Tragic End

The narrator hangs the cat 'in cold blood' from a tree. That night, his house burns down. The narrator, his wife, and their servant all escape the fire unharmed, but the fire destroys his home and all of his possessions.

Months Pass

Months pass. The narrator sees a cat remarkably similar to Pluto, except that on its chest is a white patch. The cat follows him home. At first, the narrator likes the cat, but soon he can't stand it at all, especially after he notices that one of its eyes is missing.

Fear and Madness

The narrator cannot bring himself to hurt the cat because he is afraid of it.

A Descent into Madness

Eventually, the narrator is driven so mad that he tries to kill the cat with an axe. His wife intervenes, and the narrator ends up killing his wife. He decides to conceal the body inside his house, behind the wall of the basement.

The Cat's Revelation

The narrator looks for the cat, but it is missing. For three nights, he sleeps undisturbed by the cat. Then, on the fourth day, police come to his house to ask questions about his wife's disappearance. During their investigation, the narrator raps on the wall he has rebuilt to conceal his wife's corpse. The noise of him knocking causes the cat, which had accidentally become sealed inside the wall, to howl, alerting the police to the presence of the narrator's wife.