A Two Cat Lap

Bear with me whilst I tell you something about my rescue kitty cats.

A couple of things I’d like to admit is that these two little alley cats have slinked their way onto my lap and more especially into my heart.

I was not expecting it, indeed it caught me by surprise, the surge of affection that raced through me when Tiger the tortoiseshell first hopped onto my lap, pressed her body against my chest and nuzzled into my shoulder as though she was a kitten looking for a safe place.

Lilly was far more timid and, after her early disappearance for nearly two weeks, she has kept close quarters in the cat shack. Throughout the summer, she has preferred to sunbathe near her home and snooze in the cool of the shack.

But, in recent weeks she has become bolder, coming a little closer to our monte day by day until finally, she has joined Tiger in taking up residence on the front veranda. The first time she appeared I was sitting at the table drinking tea with Tiger and the dogs, when I noticed Lilly had crept up beside us and with a light, agile hop, she was in what I suddenly discovered is my two-cat lap.

Bear with me again as I tell you how she lifts her little white head and gently head-butts me before rubbing noses. Quite a distinct set of rituals to those of Tiger with her ferocious affection and desire to suck and chew my clothes!

Lilly snuggling up to Ella

And another thing, I had never expected all my four-legged darlings to get along. But they do. To be fair, when Lilly attempts to curl up with Ella she gets a look that says ‘If my legs worked better I’d chase you up a tree, so don’t push the envelope.’ Lilly takes it in good part and mainly, we arrange ourselves with the cats in my lap and the dogs on either side. But you can see in this photo she has achieved her objective.

The biggest surprise is the sense of total calm and peace that ensues when everyone is settled and we sit watching the day unfold. I sense the dogs’ deep and rhythmical breathing, as they descend into dreamland and their legs begin to twitch. The cats’ shorter breaths turn into purrs, as my fingers caress their soft, warm fur, eyes tight shut.

And I am totally caught up in this moment. No noise or extraneous movement, all of us breathing together as I watch the birds and listen to their songs, the light glistening on the dew, the grass growing, green covering the land like a blanket, so welcome, so longed for, so needed.

We all meld into each other and the landscape, so calm, complete and relaxed - for now at least.