I took one look at the new box and my claws clung to the carpet in rebellion. It was big enough for me, but made of foul smelling plastic. Karen opened the door of the box for me, but I had no intention of entering it. I ran from Karen and stayed hidden, slipping out only to go to my litterbox or to eat.
Eventually I conceded to her demands. I had no choice.
After the harness, lead and now the carry box, I hoped she has no more nasty surprises for me.
What a miserable few weeks.
The day is warm as we set out to visit Helena. As usual, I find car travel unpleasant. I am a bit nauseous, but it will go when we stop. I wear the uncomfortable harness and Karen places me in the new carry box. Even though the plastic container has a soft pillow, I am unable to see much through the tiny holes.
I expect that she will clip on the lead when we arrive at Helena’s house. All of it is uncomfortable. Just as well the journey is short.
A Human, called Lily, waits for us outside the house. She thanks Karen for coming, and most of all for bringing me. As I am still in the box I cannot see her, but she has a kind, young voice.
‘I’ll take you to my mother,’ she says.
Inside the house, Karen opens the door of my carry box and clips on my lead. I sniff the carpet and walls as we follow Lily down the passage. I can tell that cats lived here at some time in the past. I hear gasping breaths. Lily takes us into a room where an old woman struggling to breath lies in her bed. Her face is pale and puckered, her eyes are closed and her body is tense.
Lily stands close to the bed. ‘Mum, your friend Karen and her cat, Bella, are here.’
Helena opens her eyes to greet Karen. Then she rests her attention on me.
‘Ah, Bella, you’ve come.’ She opens her arms to invite me to join her on the bed.
At last, Karen removes my lead but not the harness.
I know she is trying to do the right thing, but she does try too hard at times.
‘Take that harness off poor Bella. It is unnecessary in here,’ Helena says.
I am uncertain about jumping onto Helena’s bed. Between fast gasps, Helena pats the blanket. Karen nods and I am on her bed in seconds. I move closer, near enough for her to touch me.
Helena begins to stroke me with a gentle touch. Only Karen has petted me as tenderly. As she touches my pleasure spots – my tummy, neck, cheeks and behind my ears, I purr. She is a Human who knows a lot about cats, and likes us. I nestle near her chest. Her gasps tell me that this is where she needs extra help and healing. My purr deepens. She relaxes and falls asleep with her hand near my head.
Then the strangest thing happens. While Helena sleeps, her gasps for breath ease, and her body relaxes. Though I try to fight my desire to sleep, it overtakes me. When I wake, the room is almost dark and Helena is still asleep. I hear Lily and Karen’s voices in a room nearby. I give Helena’s hand a rub, and enter the world of sleep once more.
Later, when Lily comes into the room and turns on the light, I open my eyes. Helena is awake now and stretches. Though her breaths are still laboured, they are slower and a little easier.
‘How are you?’ Lily asks her mother.
‘I’m feeling much better.’ Helena stokes me tenderly. ‘I felt a healing warmth pass through me,’ she says. ‘It is all due to wonderful Bella. When I was a child we had cats. I believe that the energy in cat’s purrs heal.’
Karen says to Lily, ‘Recently I read some few scientific articles about the healing power of a cat’s purr. Whether is true that they can heal with their purrs, is still uncertain. There is insufficient research so far. But, your mother is looking better, Lily, and her breathing has improved. Relaxing with Bella and a good sleep seems to have helped.’
I enjoy the two of them talking about me. Of course we cats are healers. Everyone knows that.
‘Thank you, Bella,’ Lily says, as she strokes my head. I have something for you, and I hope you will like it.’
She places a saucer on the floor. I sniff the mesmerising aroma.
‘Go on, enjoy!’
Meowow Wow! Little bits of fish mixed with other morsels.
There are no words to describe the experience of eating this food. Of course I want more, but there is none.
I rub my head against Lily’s leg in thanks, and Karen smiles.
As we leave, Karen agrees to visit Helena with me again.
‘You did so well, Sweetie,’ Karen says during the drive home.
The tenderness in her voice and the knowledge that I helped Helena, compensates for the burden of wearing a harness and being placed in a carry box during the journey home. At least I am doing something useful.
Fat Rat’s! My food bowl is empty. I am starving. Where is my food?
Karen has been exceptionally busy today and has forgotten about me. A Cat Offence!
She is at her desk working on the computer.
Meow, meow, I say to her.
‘I’m busy Bella, let me finish my work.’
Meeeow, meeeow. I try again insistently.
‘No, Bella. I told you, I’m busy.’
I jump up and touch her leg, but she brushes me away. I circle the desk several times crying, but she doesn’t notice.
‘You are a pest, Bella. What do you want?’
I sit at her feet and lift my paw.’
‘You must really want something. I haven’t seen you do that before.’
She is behaving so stupidly. When she sits in front of the computer she forgets everything, even me.
Her hand phone rings and she answers. This time she is talking to a friend.
Oh no, not more talking!
In desperation, I show her my tongue.
She looks at the time. ‘Goodness, I forgot to put food out for you, my precious.’
She lifts me up and kisses my head. ‘I’m so sorry, Bella!’ Then she walks quickly towards the kitchen. I run ahead and wait outside the food cupboard. At last she fills my bowl and I eat.
She is back at the computer with a pile of papers next to her.
After my meal I go into my garden. I am about to fall asleep under a shady bush, when I hear quark, quark. I am alert in seconds.
Happy Cats, the duck is back! It ignores me as it picks at the grass. I try to sneak up to it, but it is smart. It has seen me and flies off to annoy me. Then we play, as it swoops down and then around the bushes. As hard as I try to catch it, I cannot. I give up and rest on the soft grass. It flies up to me, pecks my ear, and then disappears into the blue.
The sun is hiding behind the clouds when I decide to go inside. I am surprised to find Karen on a mat on the floor.
I watch her, as she curls and stretches her body in many positions. I keep watching, flabbergasted. She is stretching like a cat, and I am delighted that she is copying my stretches. She is on her hands and knees, spreads her fingers and looks down towards the floor. Then she breathes out, drops her head, pulls up her tummy, rounds her spine, and tucks in her tailbone. As she breathes in, she slowly returns to a flat-back position.
She notices me watching her and smiles. ‘A cat pose,’ she says.
When she has completed her routine, she lies on her back and closes her eyes. In bed at night she sleeps on her side, so I know she is not asleep now. She is floating as cats do when they relax.
We grab every opportunity to relax and fortify our bodies in order to remain in top condition. Cats truly know how to stretch for benefit. We stretch to relieve tension and to restore suppleness. I hope that Karen copies more of my Cat Stretches.
I am thrilled. Every day she becomes more like a cat.
I am asleep in the therapy room, on a sunspot under the curtain, when I hear the doorbell sing. Mia, the girl with yellow hair, who was bullied at school, is here with her mother. She sits on the carpet next to me. I am happy to see her and purr loudly.
‘Hello, Bella.’ Her eyes smile at me, and I smell her sweet freshness. I am pleased she is not crying today. She gives me a cuddle and I pur
r with joy.
I can tell that this child adores cats.
Karen tells Mia that she talked to her teacher, Mrs Sands. ‘Your teacher was horrified that children in your class are bullying you. She will speak to the bullies, and said it won’t happen again.’
The mother sighs. ‘Well it did happen again – yesterday. Mia was very upset, and now she refuses to go to school.’
Mia moves closer to me on the carpet and whispers to me. ‘I’m never going back to school, Bella. Some of the children are still nasty to me.’
Fat, Stinking Rats! Being bullied is dreadful. Poor Mia!
‘Did I hear you tell Bella that you’re still being bullied?’ Karen asks, looking concerned.
Mia clenches her fists and begins to cry. ‘I won’t go back. I won’t. Some of the children still turn their backs on me and say mean things. Mrs. Sands hasn’t helped at all.’
Mia’s mum leaves her chair and goes to Mia. She touches her hair and kisses her. ‘Don’t cry my darling...Karen will help.’
‘Of course I will,’ Karen says.
‘I will talk to Mrs Sands again. She needs to know what is happening.’ She takes Mia’s hand. ‘We are going to sort it out together.you, me, Mrs Sands and Bella.’
Mia looks unconvinced.
‘Well, I know that Bella doesn’t like seeing you upset, so she’s going to help us a lot.’
Mia nods, and strokes my head. ‘Yes, I know she likes me, and wants me to be happy.’
‘Well Mia, what do you think Bella would do if she was bullied by horrible cats that hissed at her?’ Karen asks.
‘I don’t think she would run away...or try to bite them,’ Mia says, looking at me. I purr and snuggle closer.
Karen knows exactly what I would do.
‘I think Bella would turn her back on them,’ Mia says hesitantly. ‘That’s what my Chi used to do.’
‘Yes, she would turn her back on them and be very angry that they are trying to upset her,’ Karen says. ‘I know that when Bella is cross with me, she turns her back on me and pretends I am not there. She ignores me.’
Mia nods and smiles.
Karen touches Mia’s hand. ‘It’s time to feel cross enough to treat these nasty children as if they don’t exist – ignore them completely. Just like Bella would.’
‘Okay, I suppose I can go back to school and give it a try,’ Mia says reluctantly, as she strokes me.
‘Keep imagining you’re a cross, proud cat like Bella, and soon the bullies will stop bothering you.’
Mia kisses the top of my head. ‘I love you, Bella’, she says. I put my paw in her hand and purr.
Karen is absolutely correct, I wouldn’t put up with those bullies in all my Cat Days. Mia ought to be angry if children are bullying her. I would hiss loudly, as well as turn my back on them. Karen is teaching Mia to stand up for herself. She has to learn to fight back, or her life will be a misery. It’s all about learning Catness, or in her case, Humanness!
Before they leave, Karen reminds Mia to bring her violin the following week. ‘I’m looking forward to hearing you play.’
Cat Work is over for the day. I am in my garden sitting on the top branch of the half-tree. I look into the backyard of the house next door with its ugly dog, and in all the other houses behind and in front of us. There are dogs and cats in the yards.
The cats are sleeping or playing. The dogs must be loved for the Humans to feed and care for them. I am lonely up here, but I am safe. Sometimes Karen opens the gate in the fence to let in one of the cats I like to play with, but mostly she is too busy and forgets.
The sun is starting to rest in the sky. I run around my garden three times, for exercise, before leaving through the special door that leads to the house.
‘You’re doing your racing spurt,’ Karen says with a laugh. ‘You’ve reminded me to ride my bicycle. I haven’t done enough exercise today.’
If Tony is in an exceptionally good mood when I pass him as I race around the house, he’ll say, ‘Hi, there you go, Bella.’ Other times he says to Karen, ‘That cat of yours is crazy!’
But I’m not crazy! So what if I race around the house. Tony often goes out to play with a ball. Most mornings, I watch him from the front window and see him running along the pavement. Is that crazy? This is my exercise and why shouldn’t I do it?
I am tired, but relaxed as I head for the big bed to sleep on Karen’s soft cushion. I am almost asleep when something bright and shiny grabs my attention. It is round and has a silver strap. Karen usually wears it on her arm, but today she has left it lying on the small table next to her side of the bed. I had better put it away for her, or she might lose it. There, I have it in my claws. I play with it, by turning it around and biting it. I drop it, pick it up again, and let it dangle until I am bored with it. Then I hide it under the bed, right in the back corner of the carpet where it will be safe.
Later I hear her shouting, ‘Where’s my watch? What have I done with my watch?’
She hunts everywhere.
Bad Cat Error! I didn’t realise that the shiny thing that was next to the bed was a watch...a time thing.
‘Did you take my watch and hide it?’ She asks me.
Meeeeow, I say, and slip under the bed towards the corner to show her where the watch is. I try to grab it in my paw but it is stuck. I call out a few times and she ignores me.
‘What are you doing under the bed, Bella?’
That night, Tony searches for the watch. ‘I’ll move the bed. It might have fallen. You never know. Ah hah! I’ve found it, Karen,’ he shouts. ‘Bella must’ve hidden it there. She can be a pest,’ he growls.
Karen glares at me, but she doesn’t want to scold me in front of Tony. I slink away.
I did try my best to protect her possession, but I have to admit that it was fun seeing them search for it. It isn’t as if I didn’t try to show Karen where it was. She ought to take more notice of what I tell her.
The sun has gone to bed, the dark sky sparkles with lights and the moon is full. Tony is sitting in front of the television drinking from his dark bottles of liquid and relaxing. I avoid him.
I am adjusting to the idea that perhaps he won’t ever change and like me.
Meanwhile, Karen is in the kitchen preparing dinner. I stay near her, but not close enough to be under her feet, or she complains that I’m in her way. Like most nights, she throws me bits of food while she’s cooking. She fills my bowl with fresh water and opens a tin of wet food for me. I am hungry and eat most of it, but leave a space in case Karen gives me a little of her food while she’s eating. The tinned food is boring and tastes the same whether it’s fish or chicken.
They sit on high chairs in the kitchen to eat. I sit nearby and wait. Karen calls me in the soft voice she uses especially for me, and puts a little of her food on a small plate for me. I gobble it up and meow for more. I am lucky tonight, she puts another bit on my plate.
‘You shouldn’t feed Bella from the table,’ Tony says crossly.
He is a fast, sloppy eater. He doesn’t realise that bits of his food drop onto the floor. I grab a bit now.
Later they both sit on the couch to watch television. I watch with them only if there are ball games.
Humans trying to run after balls and catching them is hilarious, and I enjoy it. They are extremely clumsy creatures.
Karen and Tony are hardly talking. He drinks more dark liquid than usual. Instead of tea in a cup, she drinks coloured liquid from a long glass. They usually sit next to each other, laugh at the television and kiss often, but tonight they look tense, sit apart, and argue. She sighs often, complains that he is drinking too much of his dark liquid, and that he has been coming home late. He replies angrily that she is always tired because she sees too many clients. The atmosphere in the room is heavy and stormy. As their voices become louder, I am scared and upset. I run to the other end of the house and hide behind the heavy velvet curtain where I feel safer.
When there is peace between
them again, I sit on her lap. Her radiating love warms me all over, as she strokes and tickles me. I snuggle close to her to show her how much I love her.
They begin to yawn. They stop playing with their hand phones, nibbling crispy bits of food and drinking hot stuff, and start the slow human process of going to bed.
All Cats above! It takes ages for them to wash and get ready to sleep. At least tonight, they haven’t closed the door to their bedroom. I wait until they are purring in their sleep and jump onto the bed next to Karen. She whispers to me softly.
Tony wakes during the night. He puts on the little light next to his bed. He goes to the bathroom and returns to bed, but he can’t sleep and lies awake until morning.
Humans make such a fuss about sleep. For me, falling asleep is easy and I can do it anywhere. After eating, sleeping is my next favourite thing, and I sleep a lot – at least sixteen hours a day. Humans know so little about us.
Why we sleep a lot, is a mystery to Karen. She often laughs at me and calls me Sleepy Cat. She ought to realise that we are most active when the sun has gone to bed, which means we have to catch up on sleep during the day. After breakfast is my best time for a snooze. Possibly, she forgets that even a housecat like me is instinctively a predator, wired over generations to hunt at night. Hunting uses up an enormous amount of energy, and we need reserves, whether we are pouncing on a mouse, or playing with toys. Like Humans, we doze, sleep deeply and dream. When we doze, we position our bodies to spring into action if attacked. I wish I could explain all of this important Cat Information to her.
Today, Jeremy’s father comes to talk to Karen.
‘Hi, Puss!’ He says.
He is tall and lean, with strong muscles for a Human. I pretend to be asleep, while I listen and watch Karen talk to him.
‘I am worried about Jeremy. He’s been so upset ever since we separated,’ he says with a sigh.
Karen nods. ‘Jeremy’s whole world is upside down now, and he feels lost. You have disappeared from his life, and his older brother has left home too,’ Karen replies.
Bella Page 5
