Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Josie, As If Remembering

Josie is my oldest cat (by a year), and the one who has been with me the longest. She has changed through the years, becoming much more demonstrably affectionate. She has also mellowed to a degree.

I thought of this earlier in the week while I was in the bedroom listening to music. It was a station that plays largely solo piano music, recent compositions that are variously compiled under the titles ‘adult contemporary’ or ‘new age’. In any case, I like it. This one selection featured not just a piano, but the sounds of birds, to evoke a feeling of a woodland in summer. When the birdsong was heard, my Chubs, who was curled in the saddle of the tall cat-tree in the bedroom, one of her favourite resorts, noticed, and turned toward the source of the music.


She was not alarmed or even noticeably alert. She was not annoyed, nor was she interested in finding these birds. It was as if she were simply enjoying the sounds. Was she recollecting a distant memory, when she was a kitten, possibly the last time she was outside? Was she thinking of lying under a tree in a forest glade, watching the birds above, or drifting off to sleep in a warm slumber?

Whatever her thoughts, Josie was contemplative until the birds ceased to sing. She then returned to her rest, her eyes closed, her breathing gentle. My oldest cat has changed through the years but, perhaps for a moment, she was young again, when everything was new, she was an excitable youngster, and birds sang in the trees overhead.

11 comments:

  1. Aww..that is a sweet story. Clearly, her hearing is still good.

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  2. Maybe the birds continued to sing in Josie's dreams.

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  3. What a wonderful post. I've always wished I could tell what my cats are thinking. But unfortunately, they like to keep their thoughts to themselves.

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  4. It makes us so happy to see our cats interested and happy. Dear Josie enjoys the sound and you enjoy watching her. Another win-win situation.

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  5. It's quite obvious that you love Josie to bits!

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  6. I enjoyed this post very very much. You are unswervingly in tune with your beasts. The rapport and love in the home is close to palpable to the reader.

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  7. You've written such a lovely post and I have to echo Carole's/Katie's comment. My boys keep many/most of their thoughts to themselves (echoing Roberta), though even I, as dense as I can be, can understand on occasion.

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  8. maybe the tune sparked a memory for her, much as a song we hear does ~~~~~~ if you can recall the name of the song; it would be nice to be able to download it { if possible } for future playing ! ☺☺♥♥

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  9. She does look like she is pondering something. Does she have a story to tell about her past life or have you had her since she was a kitten? Maybe you could write a post about each of your cats history. I only ask because I am curious.

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  10. Lovely to watch her enjoying past memories. It would be interesting to know what they are thinking....but maybe not everything.

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