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I read a short story about a hitman hired to kill a (black?) cat that was hanging around the house of a pharmaceutical company executive who had used thousands of cats in experiments.

It ended badly for the hired gun. Anyone know the story?

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    More detail would really help here. When did you read this story? How old was it? Where/when was it set? How exactly did it "end badly"? You might like to read our guidance on writing good story-ID questions.
    – Rand al'Thor
    Jun 27, 2016 at 20:44
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    Also, most importantly: was this story science fiction or fantasy? Animal experimentation and hired killers are, unfortunately, all too real.
    – Rand al'Thor
    Jun 27, 2016 at 20:45
  • @Randal'Thor - In this instance it was a horror story with an uplifted (and malevolent) cat.
    – Valorum
    Jun 27, 2016 at 20:59

1 Answer 1

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This is "Cat From Hell" by Stephen King, available to read online here

A professional hitman is offered $12,000 to take out an unusual target—a cat. He accepts, despite being told that the cat was implicated in the murders of three different people. He soon discovers that the cat is much more than it seems—the employer reveals that his company tortured and destroyed thousands of cats in the name of research, and he believes this cat is a feline emissary of revenge. While the hitman is driving toward a desolate place to kill it, the cat escapes confinement and eventually attacks him—crawling inside his body to finish the job—after he is temporarily paralyzed in the resulting accident. After killing the hitman, the cat leaves on "unfinished business" to go after the hitman's employer.

You might be interested to know that it was adapted for the Tales from the Darkside movie.

Warning: NSFW (Slightly Gory)

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  • Wow. So fast, and with so little detail in the question. You have powers.
    – Rand al'Thor
    Jun 27, 2016 at 20:51
  • I was watching this a few months ago. It just chimed
    – Valorum
    Jun 27, 2016 at 20:59
  • The Cat From Hell, Baen Books.
    – user22484
    Jun 27, 2016 at 22:53
  • @user1155120 - Cheers for the link.
    – Valorum
    Jun 27, 2016 at 23:17

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