As per usual, tonight when I came home from work, Princess was waiting for me, sitting on top of the television, jumping down and running over to me to say hello, and Rufus (who I only adopted at Christmas – was going to have a computer, ended up with a cat), comes down stairs from his duvet to say hi and have some cuddles. Thinking about it I find pets quite amazing. I beleive that many people who read this have pets, and I would have though that your pets come to welcome you, ask you for things, come to you when you are not well to offer ‘healing’. Is this not some type of magic ?
Over the weekend, my wife gave herself food poisoning. She was quite ill. Rufus never left her side, with the other three coming up quite often to say hello, and nuzzle. I friend of mine was murdered a number of years ago now. I was very depressed. My cat Loki stayed with me for fives days solid. Would not leave my side.
Animals are very good judges of human character. Those who have dogs may notice that their dog can be come ‘nasty’ with certain people, even though those people haven’t actually done anything. What have they picked up ? Recently, we had to have a new roof. We phoned around and had several companies around for quotes. It was the cats who decided who got the job. Some of the people who came around were instantly liked by the cats, with the cats not leaving them alone. Up on their laps, pawing them for attention. Then, again the same cats, when approached by some of the other people who came around hissed and ran out of the room when the people tried to be friendly. Those people certainly didn’t do anything to get hissed at, so what dove the cats to behave in this manner ? It was interesting that one of the people who got hissed at eventually tried to pressure sell at 500% the cost of the other firms ? How did the cats know ?
I would say I have a close relationship with my cats, Rufus especially. He’s my boy as I would say, almost a familiar. I never chose him at the animal shelter. He chose me, and became a trusted friend and confident almost immediately. How does this trust build ? Why did he choose me at the shelter ? How many people out there ended up with a pet that chose them rather than them choosing the pet ? How many people feel their pet understands them when they speak to them assuming you do talk to your pets – I always talk to mine, even discussing problems at work with them. Why would I talk to my pet about work problems ? They can’t discuss it with me, or understand me ? But yet, after talking to them, I feel more relaxed with an answer to the problem. How is this so ?
I think magic is a lot closer to home than people otherwise might think, and the wonder of pets is a prime example.
This is a topic I can easily relate to because I didn’t set out to adopt my cat at all. I didn’t go to a shelter to meet her. Someone came out to my neighborhood and dumped two dogs they no longer wanted. They were left for dead and too skittish to come near anyone because they were so terrified. If I could have saved them I would have, but they were gone in the blink of an eye.
It rained a lot that year. It rained so much that the dirt road I lived on turned into a running river and trapped everyone in their homes frequently. That night, there was a soft mewling coming from the darkness. Inspection with a flashlight showed two little yellow eyes peering onto my side of the fence.
The kitten eagerly came into the house. She was tiny and relatively clean save for the water and mud from the rain. She was cold and hungry but friendly enough that you could tell she wasn’t feral. Hawks circled daily out in the middle of the desert so it was unlikely she was a stray, either. She would have easily become lunch. It seemed plausible she was dumped along with the dogs earlier in the day.
After a small meal and an offering of water, the kitten was glued to my side. She has never once scratched me, not even as a kitten. I can’t even go to the restroom without her trying to follow me in. She’s always ready to greet me with a meow and jump onto my lap when get home (she’s gotten too heavy to sit on my shoulder anymore).
She’s the only cat I’ve ever had that has managed to find her way home after running away. I spent an entire day looking for her and she showed up on the doorstep the next morning pregnant (I’ve since gotten her spayed). I was honored by being the only one allowed to touch her newborn kittens. Any time someone else tried she would give them a stern warning and move them to a new spot.
I have no doubts in my mind the bond she and I share is magical. She’s never shown any interest in my other workings, but she is always content to sit with me quietly if I’m doing something important. However, if I goof off, she will roll onto my laptop and stay there until I give up whatever meaningless task distracted me.