Meeting Night And A Power Purr

 

            “Is everyone here?” said Toots. “I have a couple of matters to discuss with all of you.”
            “I’m here, and Willie is lying around here within earshot, pretending to sleep,” said Suzy. Her face was rather faint in the glass and her voice was remote and rusty but managing to come through.
            “How about Buddy? Is he on too?” asked Toots, staring into the talking glass. “I’d like to talk to Professor Farn’s temporary cat, but I don’t know her name, so I can’t call her.”
            “Hey, Toots, how’s it going baby?” said Buddy appearing suddenly in the night window.
            Toots looked a little startled but kept calling the meeting to order. She often didn’t approve of gentleman callers but decided that California manners must be a little different and that it didn’t mean anything.
            “I would also like to have Skinnies attend but he’s off somewhere and I don't know if he got the message,” added Toots.
            “Violet? I can see you clearly, you are fairly nearby,” said Toots. “Now, of course, Sammie is right in the office with me.”
            “Yo! Present,” said Violet.
            “Meow! Alright. Here we go. It has become obvious to Sammie and me that a mother cat is living rough with her kittens somewhere around here. I have no idea if she even has a name or has ever lived in a house. Well, she does have an emergency name, Louise. I don’t know if she was dumped, or her lady died or something awful has happened to her home. My gentleman thinks that she has her family hiding in his neighbor’s shed! I am afraid that her kittens with be so uncivilized that no one will be able to take care of them.
            “What I’m talking about is trust. In most cases trust is a life saving issue for a cat. If a cat can find someone who is trustworthy to love, why, all of her problems are over, or his.
            “I was thinking that we could put our heads together and send a power purr to this Louise. Meow! If we could convince her to trust Sammie and my gentleman, he could help her find a safe home for herself  and her kittens.
            “That should work! What cat could resist such a purr?” Violet spoke up. Violet knew all about trust and was a great believer in good intentions.
            “Let’s do it,” said Suzy. “I can’t stand thinking of those babies being out there with foxes, coyotes, owls and hawks and snakes!”
            “Every cat, especially you femmes, has free will, you know, ladies,” said Willie. “We can send the message, but we can’t guarantee that she will agree that it is the course of best wisdom. She will do as she thinks wisest in her situation. But, by all means, let us send the purr.”
            “Yeah, we better try,” agreed Buddy. “It is the loving thing to do in this case.”
            Sammie hopped up by Toots, so she could see in the talking glass as well. All the cats shut their eyes together. They called Louise as hard as they could in their hearts, and they purred the message of hope and trust to her just as hard as they could, all of one accord, for a long few minutes, until they felt the message had gone out.
            Toots opened her eyes and looking intently at every one in the glass, said, “good. Thank you all, ladies and gentleman cats! It’s the very best we know how to do. Louise must take the message and do as she thinks best.”
            “Now the other thing is a mystery! Sometimes, you know how it is, I see stuff. Not regular stuff. It’s on the other side of the window, so, I deal with it the best I can, though it can be scary! Meowwwww!” announced Toots to the still assembled meeting.
            “Here we go,” said Sammie. She hopped back down and settled into her bed.
            “You sleep too much Sammie, you miss everything,” said Toots. “For one thing there are lights. I mean round lights that are like colored bubbles that are all lit up inside. They roll along the ground, and then they shoot up into the air. They, like, hide. Then they pop out again!
            “Sometimes they make ringing or buzzing noises! What are they? Anybody know? Have any of you seen them?” asked Toots with her eyes wide. Since this was a rhetorical question, she continued. “Then I see huge figures, coming and going. What are they doing? Yeah, I know, we have talked with some Forest People, but these are more like giant dogs. Ew!”

            “Sorry! Sorry I’m late to the purr, everybody! I’m adding my late agreement!” Skinnies had arrived. He looked back over his shoulder nervously.
            “But, yeah, Toots, I’ve seen ‘em. They follow me around!  I don’t know what they want. I don’t know if they just love me, or want to skin me out,” he said in an aggrieved tone. “Makes me nervous. Keeps me up at night, running the streets, trying to keep ahead of 'em. Blue ones. Like eyeballs, the size of, like, grapefruits!”
            “Have you tried asking them?” said Willie, who didn’t much approve of running. “Maybe they are chasing you because they have a message for you.”
            “Come on!  That’s the most cornball thing I ever heard, Willie! You ask ‘em! Good night! See you in your dreams guys and gals!” And just like that he was offline!
            Suzy said she would keep an eye open for them, and report back if any appeared. That green dog bit had kind of put her off nighttime gazing, but she would go back to her station just for Toots. Violet said she would be looking too. But, she wasn’t expecting much.
            Buddy said, “keep watching the skies! Woooo!” and laughed it off, nervously.
            Everyone jumped and scattered when the door opened suddenly. The meeting broke up instantly, because Toots and Sammie’s human had arrived with treats and a hairbrush, and nothing’s better than that after a busy meeting night! Nothing beats a good brushing with treats!
            “I bring you ladies greetings from the Upper Lefthand Corner,” he said.
            Toots and Sammie looked at him, purring like the very good kitties that they were!