Leonard (My Life as a Cat)

Leonard feels alive on the road trip. Olive looks at the map for roadside attractions. Time is still tight but they don’t want Norma to get suspicious. Leonard thinks about how this road trip is both more stressful and more enjoyable than his trip by light. Norma keeps insisting they stop, first for biscuits, then for a long walk in the forest. They stop at a campsite and Q breaks out his ukulele despite Norma’s protests. They make up a silly theme song for the aquarium.

Leonard falls asleep in Olive’s arms. He wakes up stressed, shedding patches of fur. They stop at a cowboy-boot-themed diner. The waitress insists they do not allow animals, but Norma bribes her with a big tip. 

Back in the Winnebago, Norma suggests playing a game to pass the time. Q suggests they play a game where they describe their best day on Earth, either one that has happened or one they can imagine. Norma goes first. She describes the day before she sold her shrimp boat. Olive’s parents came to visit Norma; it was the first time Norma met Olive as a little girl. Norma took Olive on the boat and watched the way her son looked at his tiny daughter. 

Olive has tears in her eyes. Q imagines his best day will be watching an injured dolphin that has come into the aquarium go back to the sea. Olive stares out the window and skips her turn.

A storm hits and Q has trouble driving the Winnebago. Olive wants to press on but Q insists they stop. Olive worries that they’ll have to drive all night. Q reassures her that anything is possible with enough coffee. They debate telling Norma about Leonard, but again worry about the shock.

The storm sets them back two-and-a-half hours. Olive jiggles her knee nervously. Nobody speaks for a hundred miles. Q finally pulls into a campsite after midnight. Olive surprises Leonard with a small green tent big enough for him and Olive. Inside the tent, he feels like a park ranger. 

Olive looks at the map and realizes they still have 14 hours of driving left. She apologizes for not making them leave earlier. Olive admits that a tiny part of her was waiting until the end of the month so she could have more time with Leonard. Leonard types a message asking her about her best day on Earth. 

Olive tells Leonard about how she wanted to like Frank but hasn’t connected with him. Olive shows Leonard a photo of her dad that she has been keeping in her overalls pocket. Olive can’t remember if she even said goodbye to her dad. Olive asks Leonard to say a real goodbye before he goes. She presents him with a handmade ranger badge.

They drive through Nebraska. At a gas station, they stop for a while and spot a deer, signifying to Leonard how close he is getting to the wildlife of Yellowstone. He has mixed feelings about leaving. 

Leonard catches up to the present moment, where the story began. Leonard knows he does not belong on Earth. They approach Yellowstone. Olive holds Leonard’s paw and he lets himself feel all his emotions. Leonard explains that Olive has to throw him into Old Faithful, the geyser. It will catapult him into the air and his species will collect him from there. 15 miles from the geyser, the Winnebago gets a flat tire.

Leonard wishes he could help with the tire and perform some of the duties of a park ranger. Stanley points out an enormous owl in the sky. It swoops down and snatches Leonard’s raincoat out of Olive’s hand. Stanley, Olive, and Leonard chase after it. The ground is muddy and soon they slip and slide. Olive falls into the river. Leonard flings himself into the river to rescue her. He finds his way to her and they swim against the current back to shore. Norma catches up to them and cradles Olive in her arms. Olive clearly has a swollen ankle.

Olive finally tells Norma her feelings, explaining that she just wants to do one thing right for Leonard and it will help her feel better about her difficult relationship with Frank. She tells Norma that every day at Turtle Beach is her best day on Earth. Norma sees Olive’s ankle and insists on taking her to a hospital. They leave the raincoat behind.

The ambulance comes and takes Olive away. Leonard wishes he could spend his remaining hours on Earth with Olive. Q offers to take Leonard to Old Faithful if Olive doesn’t come back in time. Norma calls to tell them Olive’s ankle is fractured. Leonard feels guilty and thinks Olive would be safer without him. 

Leonard says goodbye to Stanley. He types out a message to Olive telling her his best day was the day he met her. He assures her that she is good and thanks her for being a good friend. He says goodbye and insists that he must do the rest of his journey alone.

Leonard sneaks out of the Winnebago and walks alone the final seven miles to the geyser. He marvels at the untouched wilderness. Leonard runs into a bison and must squeeze past it. Leonard hears his hive calling out to him. Leonard tells them about what has happened. They do not understand and dismiss his feelings. Leonard rushes to Old Faithful, passing park rangers. He realizes that he has truly lived, even though it was in the body of a cat. The rangers begin chasing after Leonard, thinking he is rabid. 

Suddenly Olive appears on crutches, calling out to Leonard. Leonard stops. Olive tells Leonard that he is family, too. One of the park rangers grabs him by the scruff of the neck. The hive instructs Leonard to bite the ranger and run. Leonard realizes that he wants to spend his life with Olive because he is experiencing love. Leonard decides to stay.

Olive and Norma have to pay a fine for the geyser incident. Two days later, they drive through Nevada. Leonard learns that Olive told Norma the truth about Leonard’s identity at the hospital. There’s an article in the newspaper about Leonard, the house cat who tried to jump into Old Faithful. Norma drives them to a bowling alley, remembering that Leonard had wanted to bowl. Leonard realizes that Olive is his soul mate.

Leonard wakes up to snowfall in Maine. Olive’s mom makes breakfast. Olive finally told her mom what Frank had said to her. Now Olive’s mom has moved back to Maine without Frank. 

Olive appears in her coat and boots. She takes Leonard outside and puts up an umbrella to surprise him. She helps him hold the umbrella in his paw. He holds on tight.