Karen cleans the carpet carefully with soap and disinfectant, and puts loads of pepper on the spot to stop him going there again.
‘Not under any circumstances am I having Oliver spraying all over the house. Once is enough!’ She says to Tony.
Oliver is asleep, as I listen to Karen and Tony discussing him. They agree that he has to be neutered.
‘He is already looking out for females in season. It will get worse as he grows older, and we won’t sleep much,’ Tony says.
‘I’m taking him to the vet tomorrow,’ Karen adds. ‘No more spraying or prowling. We are having him neutered, and that’s final.’
The word vet makes my whiskers shiver, and neutered is the most awful word of all.
Early this morning, Karen wakes Oliver and puts him into his carry box. I hear him meowing all the way to the garage. Just as well he doesn’t know his fate. The handsome Bengal at the cattery was neutered, and not at all happy about it.
I shudder as I remember Karen taking me to the vet to be neutered, or spayed, as Humans call it. It was a nasty operation to prevent me having kittens.
There I was in a sunspot for my first long snooze of the morning, when Karen woke me. Before I had time to protest, she grabbed me and put me inside my carry box. At the vet, two large dogs growled at me in the waiting area, but their owners had them on a tight lead.
‘How long will Bella have to stay?’ Karen asked a young nurse.
‘Until tomorrow if all goes well.’
‘I have something I’d like Bella to have, a shirt of mine. She’ll be able to smell me with her, and not be as afraid,’ Karen said.
Karen patted my head, whispered that she loved me, and would see me soon. I had no idea why I was there or what was going to happen to me. It was the first time she had left me in a strange place and I was scared. The nurse put me into a cage smelling of other animals. I cried as I rubbed the cage frantically to remove the odours. Then I sat on Karen’s shirt and waited. I had no idea what I was waiting for.
The same tall vet with large hands, that had touched me before, felt me all over. He said that I was in good shape for the operation. Then he looked serious, and called one of the nurses to prepare me for surgery. I did not understand then what surgery was. Nor did I know what I was about to lose, and how I would feel about it later. All I felt was a tiny prick.
I woke up in my cage. I could smell Karen’s scent and wished she was with me. I hurt and cried softly. The vet examined me, and then gave me an injection for pain. I floated off to somewhere in the future where all cats are loved. I was asleep for ages. When I woke, it was morning. Other cats around me told me what I had lost. They were there for the same operation.
I heard the vet say. ‘She’s fine and can go home now’.
Karen came to collect me. Once home, I slept a lot and ate little. Soon I was well, but furious.
What about Cat Rights, I thought. It was unfair and unjust! Karen had made the decision to have me spayed, and as a cat, I had no say in the matter.
However, now, after a long and hard think about it from all Cat Angles, I realise that having kittens may not have been the best idea. The life of feral kittens is uncertain. An uncared for Mama cat alone with kittens is even worse.
After six to eight weeks, if they survived, my kittens could’ve been taken from me. Perhaps the lucky ones may have found a good home, but others could’ve ended up with uncaring Humans, or even become wild and lived out of garbage tins, as so many cats do. Enough deep thinking about a painful subject, I tell myself.
I am restless as I await Oliver’s return. When Karen brings him home, he refuses to eat and wants to sleep in his basket.
I am concerned about him, and hope he will be well in the morning. I hope too that he will stop spraying. During the night, I watch over him and lie next to him. It is strange that I feel so motherly towards him.
I did not realise that he had grown up, though all the signs were there. Perhaps he sprayed to send me a message, to tell me that he is a mature cat now – that the time has come for him to mark his area of the house. The house was mine before he came, but now I have decided to give him what he wants, or we will fight. There is enough space in the house for both of us – two scratch poles, three low windows, several places to run and to sleep at night. Some areas we can claim as our own, others we can share. He will mark his part of the territory as soon as he recovers.
I wonder if he understands the type of surgery he has undergone. I guess he will find out.
Another icy morning. As I wait for Oliver to wake, I sit at the vent to warm myself and think deeply.
Today is the day that he will claim his equal share of the house. Naturally, I want to keep my favourite spots, the ones where I spend most of my time. He can have his half of the rest. We will share the television room, and the big bed, as he sleeps on Tony’s side and I am with Karen.
Once Oliver has eaten his breakfast, I tell him about my decision and wait for him to join me. Initially, he eyes me, unsure of my motives. Gradually he follows me, and begins to cover my scent on his portion of the house. I can tell he is thrilled to have his own, and equal, territory. When he has completed spreading his scent, he comes to me. We touch and rub. He gives me a nose kiss and his purr is deep and throaty.
Now we are equal and true friends. He is happy and I am too.
Max comes to see Karen again. He says he has been stressed, is not sleeping well and is hardly eating. He looks pale and dishevelled.
‘Hey kitty cat...life can be tough,’ he says. After he sits, he puts his head in his hands. ‘The hassles with my parents, and school exams have stressed me out.’
They discuss Max’s problems and I am about to nod off, when Karen suggests he tries meditation.
‘An excellent idea – better than tablets. I tried it on my own once, but the trouble was that I started off okay, and then I couldn’t hold my concentration. It’s worth another try, I guess. If you do it with me, Karen, it might work,’ he says with a shrug.
Every time Karen works with meditation, I listen and do it too. It is like a Cat Dream and I enjoy it.
Once Max settles in his chair, she talks to him in a soft, calm voice. I watch him take deep breaths, his eyes flutter and close. Then my eyes close too.
‘Imagine that it is late afternoon and you’re in a rambling garden filled with exquisite plants. You’re sitting under a shady tree and watching the butterflies,’ she says in her soothing voice.
I am in my garden. I am warm, the grass is soft and I am under the half-tree. I watch the butterflies and try to catch them, but they fly away. As I listen to Karen’s voice, they disappear.
When I wake Max has gone and Karen is working on her computer again.
Karen’s phone rings, and I try to hear her side of the conversation.
‘Oh yes, I remember, you were here for the cricket match. I hope you enjoyed it.’
‘Goodness...is that what they said after you had the tests...definitely cancer in your leg...but at an early stage and they managed to cut it out. Bella knew, and she was trying to alert you to it...she is amazing! Well, thank you for letting me know. I hope that you recover soon,’ she says.
Karen comes to my basket and strokes my head. ‘You are an incredible cat and I love you lots and lots,’ she says.
I am in Karen’s therapy room when Jeremy and his mother arrive. Jeremy looks well and cheerful.
He runs to me and gives me a cuddle.
‘Bella, Bella, I’ve brought you a present,’ he says, as he pulls a toy mouse that moves from his pocket.
Meow, meow, I say, and rub my head against him in thanks.
Jeremy has gone to all the trouble of bringing me a present. How kind! He has a lot of caring Humanness in his small body.
The toy mouse is a poor imitation and moves slowly, but it doesn’t matter. It smells of catnip, so it could provide some fun. He makes the toy mouse run for me, and while I pretend to chase it, I listen to his mother�
��s comments.
‘Jeremy has moved on and is happier and more independent. He is sleeping and eating well now too. His brother, Laurie, has kept his promise and popped in to see him. Last week he took Jeremy for an ice cream. It’s his relationship with his father, that I’m a bit concerned about.’
Karen nods, as she often does. There are times when it seems to me that when Humans nod, it is often better than them talking.
Thank Cats! Jeremy is tired of the mouse game. I snuggle up to him while he talks to me, but continue to focus my attention on the conversation between Karen and his mother.
‘Jeremy has been spending a lot more time with his dad over weekends. They went to the beach, had fish and chip dinners and saw fun movies together.’ She shifts her position on the chair before continuing. ‘That’s all fine, but Jeremy tells me that his dad has a special girlfriend now. Jeremy doesn’t say much about her, but a serious girlfriend is a lot for him to handle so soon after our break up. I guess I’m afraid that he won’t have as much attention from his father now.’
Jeremy starts playing with the mouse again, but I don’t show as much interest in it this time.
I am glad when Karen interrupts the game by asking, ‘How are you enjoying being with your dad, Jeremy?’
Jeremy grins. ‘It’s great! Mum lets me stay up a bit later some nights so I can see him during the week. We are having fun on weekends. Laurie comes to visit me too. Next week Laurie and Dad are taking me fishing.’
‘That’s exciting!’ Karen says. ‘Is your Dad’s new girlfriend coming fishing too?’
Jeremy shrugs. ‘I don’t know.’
‘What is she like?’
He shrugs again. ‘Okay!’
Karen and Jeremy’s mother have an incredibly boring conversation about the girlfriend.
Cats Alive! What is his mother worrying about? They split up, so surely she isn’t jealous. Just as well I’m a cat. Humans make their lives incredibly complicated.
Their conversation seems endless. I stop listening and fall asleep.
Thank Cats! Oliver has not sprayed again, and he has stopped wanting to run out at night. He is active and playful, retrieves balls thrown for him, and likes playing games like Hide and Seek. When Tony is at work and Karen is busy, we play together, wrestling, or chasing each other, and he wins every time. We give each other quick nips, but we don’t fight. He is not aggressive towards me, and he has become more affectionate to both Tony and Karen. I like him a lot more now.
Cat Sleep! I am happy and make the best of the cooler months by sleeping in my basket or near the heating vents. I enjoy sleeping so much. It is of key importance to cats. Like me, Oliver finds heated spots for sleep near the vents. We are both independent cats, but we keep warm during cold nights by cuddling up together. During the heat of summer, we will sleep alone.
Being comfortable, feeling wanted and having a full stomach is the secret to good cat sleep.
Karen is extremely busy! More Humans seem to feel sad, worried and lost during the cold weather. Her phone rings all the time with requests for appointments. She can’t refuse to see sad Humans. Instead, she makes extra time for them by having a shorter lunch, or starting work earlier and finishing later. Of course, I worry that she will exhaust herself.
When she is busy, I am busy too, doing my work comforting troubled children and teenagers. I try hard to help as many of them as I can.
I enjoy being busy and helpful.
Life in Catland is pleasant and I have no complaints. The food is excellent. Karen knows the brand of food we enjoy most, and she provides us with treats most nights. The atmosphere in the television room at night is peaceful. Oliver sits on Tony’s lap, while I remain close to Karen. I am happy that our owners are sitting together, laughing, touching often, and kissing.
I made a huge error. Life was wonderful in Catland until this morning.
I woke to find our house dark and icy. We are experiencing an electricity outage today. I am frozen, and I can hardly feel the tips of my ears. Humans seem to manage the cold more effectively than we do, by wearing many layers of clothing to insulate them from the cold. We have only one thick, warm coat for winter.
Last night, I had one of my dreams about water – a bad omen, so I shouldn’t be surprised to find something unpleasant happening.
I was running through tall undulating grassland when clouds banked up, the sky darkened, and down poured heavy rain. To escape the loathsome rain, I ran and ran until I found dry shelter under some rocks. I stayed there, tired, cold, hungry and scared, but the rain didn’t stop.
Karen is keeping warm by wearing a coat and gloves inside the house. She is asking all the people due to see her today to bring a blanket with them. Just as well she remembers to fill our bowls with extra food for energy.
Tonight, the cold house without electricity is extremely unpleasant. Karen and Tony are so cold that they are wrapped in blankets. They also complain that there is no television. To find their way in the house, they hold light beams, they call torches, and place candles in all the rooms. Karen is aware how cold we are and lines our baskets with fluffy blankets. Just as well Oliver and I sleep bathed in each other’s body heat.
The outage continues for another day. Tony arrives home with a box of logs that carry the scents of many creatures and plants. We sniff them and wonder where they come from. He takes a few logs to the sitting room and after several attempts at lighting them, he manages to start a fire. A slow, wisp of a flame grows, turns shades of blue and orange, and magically the room is warm. Tony and Karen settle in front of the fire and we sit with them.
Without television as a distraction, Tony and Karen talk. He shares his memories of his youth with Karen, of nights spent with his parents and grandfather, Pops, around a fire in their farmhouse. He sighs, and his expression changes to sadness.
‘I wish I had met your parents, but they were gone before we met,’ Karen says, as she puts her arm around him.
Tony replies, ‘The night of the fire, I was at boarding school and Mum and Dad were alone in the house. Pops wasn’t there then. He was away on his first holiday in many years. Dad lit a fire, but they were both tired after work, and fell asleep. By the time they realised the house was burning, it was too late. I can’t help thinking, even now, that if I had been at home instead of at boarding school, they might have survived the fire.’
‘It must’ve been a dreadful time for you. I know it still upsets you,’ Karen says and gives him a hug.
‘This is the first fire I’ve lit since the farmhouse caught alight that night.’ He sighed. ‘Mum and Dad should’ve sold the farm, when Pops advised them to sell it. The endless hard work was overwhelming. When my uncle wanted to buy it from them, they refused to sell. They had lived there all their married life and it was part of them. Pops realised that they were worn out with the battle of running the farm, and by then he was too old to help them. If only they had taken his advice.’
‘It’s a magnificent piece of land, and an exquisite view of the mountains! You can’t blame them for wanting to stay on, but they needed a lot more help. Fires are monsters. I’m so sorry, my darling. I know you miss them terribly, but just as well you are close to your grandfather. He has been like a father to you. I love him too.’
What a tragedy! Poor Tony! His story makes me think of little Dane who witnessed the fire next door, and how badly it affected him. I feel sorry for Tony for the first time.
Oliver is upset for Tony too. He knows about fire. When he ran away, a house near the field was on fire. The Humans inside were screaming and the huge, plumes of smoke were frightening.
He goes to Tony, sits, on his lap and nuzzles close to him.
‘Oliver, my boy, you understand,’ Tony says in a voice choked with emotion.
‘Oliver can hear the sadness in your voice...and Siamese are very sensitive. He’s grown into a loving cat.’ Karen comments.
Tony and Karen are eating their breakfast when the phone rings. I
t is a friend of Tony’s grandfather, who tells Tony that Pops is in hospital. During the electricity outage, Pops became disoriented in the dark, slipped and fell. He lay alone and in pain, unable to move until his friend found him this morning and called an ambulance.
Tony looks upset and rushes to the hospital. He returns later, and tells Karen that his grandfather is recovering and should be out of hospital the following day. He sits with his head in his hands, thinking what to do for his grandfather when he leaves hospital. Karen puts her arms around him.
‘I love Pops and I’m so sorry he fell. He won’t be able to care for himself. It will be no trouble at all looking after him here until he feels stronger. I’ll make up a bed for him and you’ll be able to spend time with him when you come home from work. I know you would like that,’ she says with a smile.
Tony gives her a hug and kiss. ‘I’d like to help him. He has cared for me whenever I needed him.’
Karen tidies the back room and all is ready for Pops to stay.
‘I hope the electricity will be back on by the time he comes...but we’ll cope if it isn’t,’ she says.
Tony helps Pops up the steps to the house. The old man’s face is white with pain, and he battles not to groan too loudly or cry out.
Karen welcomes him and helps Tony to make his grandfather comfortable. The house is still cold, but Karen manages to make hot food for Pops on a small stove with blue gas flames that smells disgusting.
‘If I’m not wrong he’s an animal lover,’ Karen says.
‘I know he likes dogs, but I don’t think he’s keen on cats,’ Tony replies.
Oh well, our lives will be turned upside down with him coming to stay if he prefers dogs. I guess he will be in the bed in the back room where Oliver stayed after I rescued him. It’s not worth worrying about.
Cats in Heaven! The house is warm again tonight, and the lights are back on. The vents radiate heat. I’m so happy! Pops in lies in a warm bed, and both Karen and Tony are caring for him. Oliver and I keep away from the old man who dislikes cats.
Bella Page 14