Where’s he gone? I’ve whistled and shouted him. He was around this morning. He’s probably asleep somewhere. I’ll have to put some food out for him and the other two… Or get some catnip out to attract him. I’m getting worried but I think it’ll be OK. It’s just that feeling of missing something, a silence when you expect noise. I don’t want to lose anything else at the moment. I haven’t heard from a friend recently and I get the same feeling. I’m over thinking probably. Easy to let things get to me. But I don’t want a prodigal cat. X
Kitty likes curling up by the sofa. Right where I walk to get into the kitchen! He turns over and miaows at me when I approach him. Delighted that I’m saying hello. Then proceeds to get underfoot, as I walk slowly behind him. Sometimes he tries to rub against my ankles, which could be deadly to him as I’m still using crutches and am quite unbalanced. Then he jumps up on to the kitchen cupboard miaowing for a tasty treat or to run his head against my hands. He’s a lovely, medium sized cat. No malice, mainly living indoors although he does pop outside sometimes. His one trick is not to come when I whistle him. He used to, but when we got the bigger boy rescue cat it seemed like it learnt to come to me when I whistled, but my old friend has decided to come over when he wants not when I call him unless treats are involved.
Gratitude is something I’m trying to find every day. Three little things that I can write even if it’s been a bad day? Things like being stuck in traffic but someone let me out at a junction. I went to an art meeting today and people appreciated what I was saying, and I’ve trained my cat to jump up on my knee when I whistle him so he can have a love. That’s the little light in the dark tunnel. A spark that makes me feel a bit better. I’ll take that. X
I used to whistle a lot when I first started working, usually because I was happy. Then someone said to me ‘a whistling woman and a crowing hen brings the devil right out of his den!’, they didn’t think whistling was ladylike.
I didn’t whistle much at work after that. But I had a tune that I would whistle to call in our cats and have used it ever since we started keeping them. It’s a short tune, but I think it gives them an idea of where I am. It also is high pitched so that it cuts through the traffic noise instead of shouting which can get jumbled up with other voices.
I kept whistling the tune when one of our cats went missing. I didn’t know if he could hear me but I hoped he knew I was calling him. After eight days he came back, very thin and ill, but I think the whistling helped him know he was wanted.
Certainly most of my cats listen to my whistle and come when called. Only one ignored it. She would come to the back door then ignore me. As if to say, you are not my mistress! I’ve found one of them will jump up on my lap when I whistle and another gives a loud purr-miaow when I whistle at him.
Whistling is a challenge. I like trying to recreate bits of classical music, like the flight of the bumblebee or old hymns. As I just tried that the cat lying down on my right lifted his head, went purr-miaow and went back to sleep again!
The outdoor cat is now more of an outside cat. I call his name (he remains anonymous here) and whistle him and he comes in. I have to wait a few minutes while he mooches round the garden. He woke me up this morning by lying on me in bed for a cuddle, then up he got and slipped downstairs. I followed to let him out ( my indoor cats) also anonymous, have been out a couple of times but end up hiding under garden benches. They are a lot smaller and I think would get picked on by the ginger Tom who also patrols our garden.
After half an hour and a decaff coffee to warm me up, I whistled him about three times and he came back in from the cold and dark. He’s eating biscuits at the moment, having his fill. Next? He might go out to mooch again, but I hope he stays in.
By the way, I don’t know how many people whistle their cats, but it seems to carry better. I’ve done it since I was a child I developed some notes along the line of a ‘cat where are you?’ tune….ah he’s gone back upstairs…. Bye
Mallaband-Brown 