The Cat Who Talked Alot

So God formed from the dirt of the ground all the animals of the field and all the birds of the air.  He brought them to the Man to see what he would name them.  Whatever the Man called each living creature, that was its name.  Exodus 2:19 [The Message]

Cat (kat) n., pl cat or cats

1. Any of a family of carnivores characterized by a lithe body,

and, in all species except the cheetah, retractile claws.

2. a small, lithe, soft-furred animal domesticated since

ancient times and often kept as a pet or for killing mice.

I have two adult cats in my household:  George [6 years old] is actually a female [the reason she is called George is story fodder for another time], and is an extremely large cat. Sapphire [4 years old] is also a female, but she is a small feline – especially when you compare her to George.  The two cats have very different personalities:  George is sulky, somewhat mean, and very controlling.  Sapphire is happy-go-lucky, and a real talker.  For those of you who are not cat people, I am not talking about meowing. 

George meows.  Saph talks.

Sapphire begins the day’s conversation very early – as soon as she hears my alarm go off.  She sits in the hall, chatting and cajoling, trying to entice me to come into the kitchen and feed her.  Thirty minutes later, she is in my office, perched on the floor next to my chair, nattering away about one thing or another – usually a request to have her face rubbed. While I am at work, she spends her day in the front window.  The minute she sees my car pull in the driveway, she jumps down, meets me at the door, and launches the dialogue all over again.  She offers comments, makes demands, and asks questions.  This distinction is clearly audible in her speech patterns.  Sapphire is my first talking cat, and she is fascinating to live with.

Interacting with this intriguing animal often takes my thoughts back to the Garden of Eden.  God created Adam, set him in his garden home, then created streams of animals and birds – each one named by Adam himself.  Could he talk to them?  Was there a form of communication between man and the animals?  Did he have a little cat [or a big one, for that matter] who asked questions and waited patiently for his reply?  Only God can satisfy my mental meanderings, but one thing is for sure and certain.  The day I set foot in heaven, I will have my answer.

We speak of the realms of the blest,

That country so bright and so fair,

And oft are its glories confessed,

But what must it be to be there!