Message of Support From the Melville Cat

Hi everyone. It’s Smokey. Sorry I haven’t blogged for a while. Things got a bit awkward around here, what with me trying to trick my humans and live two lives at once. Heather was upset and wouldn’t let me near the computer for a long time. But I’ve convinced her to give me another chance.

I want to let you all know that I am doing my best to help Heather in her time of need. I’m not sure what happened, but I know Joe is gone and Heather is very sad. She tries to pretend sometimes that she is okay on her own, but I know better. So I’m spending most of my time at the Lucky 5 Star these days, keeping Heather company.

This is where I like to sit in the morning when Heather makes coffee.

When Joe first went away, I was a bit suspicious. I would run into the house, say hello to Heather, and then leave again. I wasn’t sure if she wanted me around or not. But eventually we fell into our old habits. I came to see Heather in the morning and sat on the deck with her. Sometimes she walked around the garden with me, and occasionally I got a treat.

Then one day, things got really weird. I came to visit and there were lots of strange people in the house. Heather was crying all the time. I tried to get close to her but it was hard with so much commotion.

I managed to have a good time, anyway. One night someone brought a big plastic bag to Heather’s house, from a place called ‘Ocean Basket’. The bag was FULL of fish! Heather and her friends ate most of it but they dropped some on the floor for me. It was a delicious meal.

Heather’s sister, Sue, came to visit from America. Sue was very nice to me. There were also some children staying here for a few days and I let them play with me.

Keeping Sue company while Heather is busy.

During that confusing time, Heather put me outside every night and told me to go home to my other human, Ms. M. I didn’t go though. I wanted to make sure Heather was safe. So I slept on a pillow that I found in Heather’s garage. Ms. M. was fine with it anyway – I explained the situation to her and she said I should stay with Heather for as long as I need to.

Eventually, all the strange people left and Sue went back to America. The first night Heather was alone, she put me outside like usual. I stayed out there for a few hours, but it seemed too quiet inside. I stood below Heather’s bedroom window and saw it was halfway open. I jumped up and pushed my way in.

The light switched on and Heather snatched the curtain open, to find me sitting on the window sill. She looked scared, then relieved. ‘Okay, kitty. You win,’ Heather said. She got back into bed and turned out the light. I jumped up next to her and we went to sleep.

Victory! The bed is finally mine. I sleep there every night now. Heather doesn’t even complain when I get muddy paw prints on the duvet.

When Heather cries, I just sit and listen. And I purr when she pets me. I think I am a big help.

I like to snooze on the kitchen floor sometimes too.

We had a bit of a hiccup when I woke up before dawn one day and decided to go hunting. I caught a bird and brought it into the bedroom to show Heather. She was still asleep. When she awoke and saw me with my prize, she was very upset. She tried to push me out of the bedroom and I lost hold of my bird, which began to fly around the house. Heather yelled and said bad words. I ran to catch the bird again, and unfortunately knocked over a chess set. I knew I was in trouble so I took my prey outside. Heather locked me out for a few hours.

All is forgiven now.

My favorite place to relax is on the top of the small sofa, with my back against the wall. I commanded Heather to take my photo there one evening, even though she said it was too dark and the photo would be blurry. I rewarded her with a magnificent view of my lethal jaws.

Now. If only I could convince Heather to feed me.

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Bing says that according to Chinese folklore, black cats are drawn to people when their loved ones die. If you lose someone close to you and there is a black cat around, the cat will stay near you while you mourn. I’m starting to believe the same of gray cats.

I’m not feeding Smokey because I want to encourage him to maintain his ties with Ms. M. I don’t feel stable enough to take full responsibility for a pet right now. But food or no food, Smokey seems determined to be a part of my life. I must admit that it’s nice to have him.