Mindful Monday – A Cat Who Changed a Heart

Not everyone adores cats. In fact, some people absolutely despise them. I look at a cat and see a beautiful, interesting being. Some people see in a cat something quite different—a dirty, mangy, ill-mannered creature who lives in gutters. Some even fear cats. And many of those people have changed their perception of cats over time. Why? Because of a cat.

My mother’s cat, Smokey, has two new best human friends. One comes to the house every morning around nine to hang out with Smokey and Mama for a few hours. Around eight forty-five each morning, Smokey goes to the front door and waits for Joleen (not her real name) to arrive. Once Joleen has given him a treat, he’s ready to begin his day adventuring in the out of doors (unless it’s cold or rainy, then he prefers to stay high and dry).

His second best friend is one of Mama’s granddaughters who spends the night with her. She arrives from work around six each evening and Smokey is always at the window watching and waiting for her. He likes her because she plays with him. He must enjoy her style of cat-play.

How does a cat know what time of day or night it is? Does he pay attention to the moon and stars or is it the household routine that gives him the clues? Perhaps it’s all done through ESP—he reads Mama’s mind (Joleen will be here soon) or Joleen’s mind (I’m on my way to see Emily and Smokey).

Now the granddaughter has always liked cats. But Joleen does not. They scare her a little. She freaks out when they start kneading with their claws. Smokey was almost a deal-breaker when we interviewed Joleen for the job. She was eager to help Mama out—she liked us and our mom—but she was not happy to learn there was a cat on the premises. That has changed, however. Joleen may not be ready to go out and adopt a cat or warm up to neighborhood cats, but she certainly has accepted Smokey. “He’s not like other cats,” she says. That’s what all former cat-haters say once a cat worms her way into their heart. Smokey has never tried to knead on Joleen and she likes the way he butts her with his head to get her attention or rubs up against her legs. In fact, Joleen is so enamored with Smokey that she has offered to take him should Mama ever need to find him a new home.

Read more stories of how a cat has changed a heart in Catscapades, True Cat Tales. http://www.matilijapress.com/catscapades.html Also available at Amazon.