Fat Baby

Fat Baby is a feline companion whose sharp-tongued concern becomes clear during the separation between Valera and Sagan. Finding Valera numb with grief after Sagan leaves, Fat Baby first rebukes Penchant for offering comfort that sounds more like a reminder of how long Sagan lived without her; later, Fat Baby confronts Sagan with the evidence of how badly Valera is suffering.

Presence During Valera’s Grief

Several hours after Sagan departs, Fat Baby, Penchant, and Ulysses find Valera curled up in bed, spent and staring at a darkened window. When Valera whispers that she is worried about what Sagan will do when daylight comes, Penchant suggests he managed for more than a century and a half before finding her. Fat Baby responds sarcastically, scolding Penchant for insensitivity. The rebuke shows Fat Baby taking Valera’s pain seriously, even while the cats’ exchange keeps its dry, argumentative tone.

Confronting Sagan

Fat Baby’s concern becomes more direct when Sagan returns. After learning that Valera has taken sleeping pills, Sagan fears she may have overdosed or tried to kill herself. Fat Baby dismisses that fear, pointing out that Valera survived magical poisoning and explaining that the pills are for sleep: she has grown used to Sagan holding her and now hugs piled-up pillows through the night in the hope that they will help. The detail makes his absence tangible in Valera’s nightly routine, while Fat Baby’s matter-of-fact explanation prevents Sagan from mistaking her attempt to sleep for an attempt to die.

The cats then challenge Sagan over his departure and his return. Fat Baby joins the angry feline accusations, and even hisses at him. When Sagan says he wants Valera to come with him and be with him, the surrounding exchange raises the unresolved question of whether he will change his mind again. Fat Baby’s role is therefore more than delivering information: the cat makes Sagan face the hurt his choice has caused and the uncertainty that still shadows his promise.