I was once an indoor and outdoor cat. I had the freedom to roam between the house and outside as well. I was born in a woodpile in a backyard. My mother, after she abandoned my brothers and me, went to live across the street. So, I have never lived on the street as other cats, such as Nuri, have.
From their stories, it sounds like a nightmare to me. To have to worry where your next meal will come from. Perhaps you’ll find mice or rats to eat. But what if there is no prey around? I guess they get into the human’s garbage to find some food. That’s not a good diet for a cat and it’s messy.
Then there are territorial disputes which could be fought to the death. Or more kittens get born than we could take care of. I don’t want to think about it. I urge humans to help those cats and at least put them in shelters where the cats have a chance at an actual home.
My girl tells me we saved Spot from living on the street. He and his mother and siblings were living on the street until someone gave the little fur ball to her. So, I hope there are plenty of happy stories such as that to those cats who are born on the street.
One of the best things about cats is their purr. When I pet them and make them happy and comfortable, they tend to purr for me. It’s a calming and relaxing sound I can hear and feel. It makes me want to cuddle up to the cat and keep them purring. It could be a cat’s way of meditating. It’s even better when I can hold the cat as a human baby and feel their purr within my own heart.
Whenever cats talk, most humans hear meow or miaou. Or perhaps even spelled a different way from either of those. It’s hard to say if the cat is reciting one of their latest poems or an article for a magazine, or just hi, but one thing is clear. Cats do talk to their humans. Cats do have things to say. Not necessarily all the time. Sometimes they ask us questions or confirm what they think we are saying to them. Make no mistake meow or miaou means a lot coming from a cat even if humans don’t always know what it means.
Sometimes humans think our eyes are glowing. Some humans find us frightening for that reason when they come across us in the dark. Our eyes don’t glow, they just reflect the light. It doesn’t take much. Sometimes the reflection happens when someone takes a picture of us and the flash goes off. It’s very obvious in the dark when a little light is caught by our eyes.
I don’t understand why any human finds it so frightening. It’s a normal phenomena. It’s the way our eyes are made. There are human scientists who understand this after studying us for years. You can ask them if you don’t believe me, a cat. My girl doesn’t find it frightening when she sees our eyes in the dark. She knows it’s one of us and never gets scared.
If animals could speak the dog would be a a blundering outspoken fellow, but the cat would have the rare grace of never saying a word too much. —Mark Twain
I’ve known a lot of cats in my life and I can say they don’t usually talk unless they have something to say. I’ve had more talkative cats that bordered on too much, but then they would stop and there would be peace and quiet. I do like how quiet cats are.
Dogs I have noticed don’t alway stop talking and take it too far.
The smallest feline is a masterpiece. —Leonardo da Vinci
Of course every feline even the smallest one is a masterpiece. They are graceful and have that hard to identify quality which many humans tend to lack. It’s one of the many reasons cats make wonderful little companions.
I’ve lived with other cats inside. Usually it’s easier when you share the home. There’s no reason for vicious fights. But cats from outside try to come in and take over. Those cats aren’t fun. They are bullies.
Sometimes cats just show up and want to come in because they are attracted to my girl. It’s true she’s a crazy cat lady or gattara as the Italians say. Cats are attracted to her ever since I claimed her as my own. She did bring home a kitten and eventually he grew up. I’m so glad he did.
I couldn’t stand when he was a kitten and just wanted to play with me. I just wanted to be left alone so I could sleep and dream. He never cared. He thought since I was the adult cat that I would play with him whenever he wanted to.
After he became an adult, I discovered how much I love him. The little guy grew on me. He still looks up to me, but now it was at the same level.
I recently started a new website. It’s just an experiment and I thought it would be a good idea to do as the literate cat that I am. I will now give book recommendations and some reviews of books that can be found on Smashwords. Those same books might be available from other stores, but it’s hard for me to know unless they are my girl’s books.
Author bylines Reveal quite a bit Of the person Writing written material, Yet felines also have Something uniquely ethereal To them, And even hauntingly enchant Like the Siamese cats From Lady and the Tramp, And even when some felines Behave like vamps, Cats could form Musicality Like Cool Jazz Cats Within reality, and have Musical and jazz qualities along Their own style All the while
I write to you, dearest subjects, at the turn of another season. I began penning these letters to you nine months ago in the depths of winter. Soon, I will move back to my winter quarters in preparation for long, frozen nights and cloudy, sleepy days. The warmer seasons have been eventful this year, rife with intrigue and change. I am not sure what this winter will bring, but I hope, at the very least, it will bring a kind of peaceful, introspective slowness to my empire, and that I can nap by my fire again, undisturbed and in my most suitable feline glory.
Around the time that I began writing to you, I had been hearing rumors of a creature known as Dog coming in my imminent future. Little did I know the kind of changes that would come to my life in the seasons after. It is safe to say that at this point Dog is not going anywhere. For the first few months, I held out some hope that Dog might have been a temporary visitor in my realm. Unfortunately, as I suspected, this was never meant to be the case. As I approach nine months cohabitating with Dog, I have begun coming to terms with the fact that he is indeed a visitor of the permanent variety.
This September marks my fifth year since assuming the position of emperor in this household. In the years since my ascension, I have learned much about imperial ways. I have gained experience, confidence, understanding. But, I will admit, little had prepared me properly for the arrival of Dog after five years of ruling largely undisturbed and alone.
I never thought I would “share” — how I hate that word — my empire with anyone, and certainly not someone as stupid and uncivilized as Dog. Alas, I did not have much choice. I have made the best of things as much as I can. Dog is learning, in a slow, painstaking process, how to carry himself around the Emperor. His learning is very slow. But he does learn eventually, and I don’t have to use my claws as much anymore.
This winter will not be like the winters past, but perhaps I will sleep by my fire after all. Perhaps as Dog grows older, he will grow wiser, although he will never be as wise as me. My human says that one day she hopes to see us sleeping by the fire together. I laugh at this foolishness. Obviously, that will never happen — Dog is stinky and scratches himself obnoxiously. I would never sleep next to Dog. But maybe one day, just maybe, Dog will be a good subject to me. Maybe I will watch over my empire from my regal high spots, and Dog will be among the crowd, one of many who are loyal to me.
Sometimes, for a few minutes, I sit next to Dog. He is stinky, but he is warm, full of a never-ending kind of stupid, wholehearted love. He follows me around the house, and he checks up on me throughout the day while I’m taking my regal rest. Sometimes he worries about me, protects me. My human says he sees me as one of his sheep, something to guard with his life.
Maybe human was not so foolish after all. Maybe Dog will have a place in my empire one day. He just needs to keep learning, and I will have a place for him under my mighty Paw.
We interrupt your usual monthly communication from the emperor to bring you an emergency missive!
Pay attention, readers, for this is an important message from his highness, Emperor Julius!
His highness is currently being held hostage and subjected to atrocious acts. Despite his power, he is currently unable to escape from this predicament. His highness requests assistance immediately. He does not know if he will survive. Should he survive, he will be a shadow of his former self, haunted by nightmares. He is suffering horrors he hoped never to experience. The Emperor is being given a bath!
This emergency missive comes from the dark depths of the bathroom where the bath is occurring. The brave emperor, despite his struggles, has managed to compose and send this message out to all of his loyal followers:
Dearest subjects, this was an utterly unnecessary atrocity! I am not guilty of the things they claim — I hadn’t gotten into anything I wasn’t supposed to! I was not so dirty that I needed a human-enforced bath, and certainly not one with cat shampoo! I was fine, I could have taken care of things myself.
Baths are for Dog, not me! Dog gets them frequently, since he rolls in mud and other unspeakable things. But baths are not for me, not for cats, and especially not an Emperor, even if he has in fact gotten into things he wasn’t supposed to get into.
What an insult! They will pay dearly for this once they have unhanded me. Of all the things you could subject a cat to, a bath is by far the worst.
Lies and slander! It’s all lies and slander! I might have been dirty, but I didn’t need a bath!
My servants will regret their decision, mark my words!
Until next time — assuming I live to tell the tale.
Signed,
Emperor Julius
Emperor Julius, despite his claims to contrary, did survive his bath
Sir Socks Le Chat 