Speaks From Her Mind

“Hello, good afternoon. Yes, I know it appears that I am not speaking, but I am. I speak from my mind, not my mouth.”

“But what I see is a very round tabby tortie, all rolled up in a ball – rather like one of those hedgehogs in Alice in Wonderland.”

“True. When a profound cat such as I speaks with her mind, she does not need to unroll. She just sends you fine cat thoughts. And, by the way, what is a hedgehog, anyway?”

“Oh, cat – you are interesting, aren’t you? I think a hedgehog is sort of a small porcupine, but I don’t see any around here – except maybe you. And I think your fur is much too soft and shiny for you to be a hedgehog. Do tell me more about you!”

“I am Layla. I’m a couple of years old, and you’re right – I am a round tabby tortie – can’t decide which, so I decided to be both. I have dainty white feet, and I keep them very, very clean. I like people. I also rather like Dominic who often sits on my roof. A fine guy cat. I even have a picture of us together. I love to be petted. You may even hear me purr. What won’t happen is that you won’t see me jump up and run around – not because I can’t but because….”

“Because - why?”

“The guy with the guitar, that’s why. This is so silly, I know. This human, Eric Clapton, wrote a song and called it “Layla”. That’s my name; he even spelled it the same way. He sang, ‘Layla, you've got me on my knees. Layla, I'm begging, darling please. Layla, darling won't you ease my worried mind.’ Now the song has nothing to do with me.

It isn’t even really about Layla; it’s about some woman named Pattie who was married to the human’s best friend. But, whenever I unroll myself, somebody starts singing, ‘Layla, Layla’ and gets out a guitar and starts doing riffs. So I stay rolled up. Is that silly or what?”

“It’s silly, dear cat, silly. And I’ll guess you unroll long enough to eat – and to talk to Dominic, right? How about if I pet you? You’ve got such a pretty face.”

“OK, how about if you go and find $100 so you can take me home? And we’ll change my name to Mrs. Murphy – you know, the cat in the Rita Mae Brown mysteries – because I think I look like her. And then guitar boy won’t be able to find me – how nice. I’d appreciate, though, if you’ve a nice soft, deep bed somewhere – just in case I need to do my hedgehog again. Maybe I could just roll myself up in your lap? Maybe, even, for another $100, my friend Dominic could join us? Maybe?”

PS: I currently reside at THE ADOPTION CENTER (not in foster care). If you can't stop in but would like to know more about me, please call 651-642-5900, ext.3. Thanks!

For more information about Feline Rescue, Inc. and a complete listing of our available cats, go to the Feline Rescue website. If you'd like to hear more Feline Rescue stories and see more pictures of our cats, check out the Feline Rescue Blog!