Those of you who have read my earlier posts know that Minkey likes to read in the bathroom. Well, today I caught him with one of my psychology books – “Secrets Of Face To Face Communication”, by Peter Urs Bender and Dr. Robert Tracz. I am sure he was mortified – smart cats are never caught plotting to dominate the entire human race. (Which in Minkey’s world, consists of yours truly, and the Occasional Visitor.)

I wouldn’t have noticed what he was reading – except that he managed to look both guilty and outraged. Ears laid back to his skull, nostrils flaring, eyes wild.

And a gurgling sound that swelled from a moan to a yowl, in less time than it takes Sigmund Freud to leap to his favorite conclusion.

I had absolutely no trouble understanding what he was saying.

But I took the book away from him, anyway.

Yesterday I read in the news about a “vampire” unearthed in Europe – some poor woman buried with a rock between her teeth, a victim of a plague that swept across Europe in 1560 AD.  The writer concluded with the inevitable pondering over whether or not vampires existed.

Vampires… teeth marks… waking up with little holes all over one… Hmmm….

Just take a look at this completely unaltered photo of my Siamese cat, Minkey, and tell me – what do you think?

I once had a ghost cat. No, I mean, a real ghost.  And I don’t think it was one of my past pets.

We lived at the time in a century home in Aurora, Ontario. I used to see a little grey cat running along out the corner of my eye. When I turned my head properly to look, it would always “melt” into the floor or furniture. And it particularly seemed to like to run along my piano keyboard.

Since my dad was terminally ill and I was under a lot of stress, I put it down as a figment of my imagination. Then my friend Rosemary brought her mother to visit. I had never mentioned my little ghost to either of them.

As I was making tea, Rosemary’s practical mother suddenly piped up with: “Did you know you have a ghost cat?”  She went on to cheerfully relay how she had seen it run into the dining room and “melt” into the floor.

That’s when I first realized my ghost cat might be “real”.  (It was eventually seen and commented on by 4 or 5 incidental visitors.)

Now, a ghost cat is the sort of paranormal phenomenon I don’t mind at all.  I even invited it to come and live with us, when we moved. It didn’t. I think it was part of that particular house, which produced two other paranormal experiences while I was there. (In spite of that, I have to admit, it was one of the most pleasant houses I’ve ever lived in.)

They do say that animals sense supernatural phenomenon.  But having had a Siamese (namely, the Minkmeister) I now have another explanation.

I think they just like suddenly freezing and staring intently at Nothing with their hackles raised (usually while one is watching “Ghost Hunters” or “Most Haunted”). Every self-respecting cat automatically knows, it’s fun to scare the bejabbers out of your owner on a dark and stormy night.

Besides which, Minkey is a little softie, for all his attitude. At the first sign of a real ghost, he’d probably run up my shirt and hide!

Babies and cats DO go together – and Leo and his pet cat, Flea, are living proof. 

Leo is a rambuctious, happy, little (human) bundle of energy who just turned 2-years-old  the other day. Flea is a lot older and wiser, and as gentle with his human toddler buddy as Leo is with him.

It’s all about parenting. I’m sure that left to his own devices, Leo would happily grab Flea and traumatize the heck out of the poor old fellow. However, Leo’s mom devotes unlimited time to teaching Leo how to relate, share and consider the feelings of other living beings.

I’ve seen living proof of  this myself in the way Leo interacts with Lily, the younger baby his mother provides with full-time day care 4 days a week. Lily is as fair, quiet and gentle as Leo is dark, loud and rambunctious – but the two of them outdo each other in affectionate cooperation. It’s really lovely to watch them being generous with each other (though Leo does like stand beside Lily and open his mouth wide, when she’s getting fed her dinner).

Besides, even though Flea has never actually met Minkey – Leo has.

And when it comes to babies and cats, Leo is the only baby in the world that Minkey isn’t afraid of.