Casey: ‘Gibbs, have you noticed that Mum’s not been herself lately?’
Gibbs: ‘What do you mean, Casey? She looks like Mum so if she’s not herself, then who is she being now?’
Casey: ‘I mean that she hasn’t been Mum-like recently. She’s lost her purr.’
Gibbs: ’I thought she wasn’t as smiley-Mum-like as she usually is. So, she’s lost her purr, has she? Oh dear, Casey, this is serious.’
Casey: ‘Don’t worry, Gibbs. We can help her get her purr back. When she lies on the sofa for a nap or just a rest, I lie right up against her and purr as hard as I can. You know, that when cats purr, it puts the energy back into a human who has lost their purr.’
Gibbs: ‘What can I do to help, Casey? I’ll leave the sleeping and purring part to you because you’re so good at it and beside, Mum likes it when you spoon up to her.’
Casey: ‘If you say so, Gibbs. Well, you like sitting on her lap during the evening when she’s watching television. She likes that a lot because she strokes you, doesn’t she? Humans like doing that. It makes them feel calmer and at peace with themselves.’
Gibbs: ‘Yes, I don’t mind doing that, Casey. It makes me feel good as well when Mum strokes me. I dribble all over her jumper.’
Casey: ‘If you have a human who has lost their purr, there are a few things that you can do, fellow felines, to help them get it back.’
Gibbs: ‘Are you going to tell our fellow felines what to do then, Casey?’
Casey: ‘Yes, Gibbs. First, watch your human for signs that they’re not being their usually smiley selves. Some cats sadly live with humans that never seem to smile – that’s just the way the Dreamies fall, unfortunately. But most humans are smiley, and our Mum is a very smiley Mum, so we noticed quite quickly that she wasn’t being her usual smiley-Mum-like self.’
Gibbs: ‘What next, Casey.’
Casey: ‘Next, Gibbs, is to watch for signs for lots of leaky eyes going on. This is a sure sign that all is definitely not well with your human. Of course, they might just have leaky eyes watching something sad on television. But they might have received a letter in the post or had a phone call with bad news and that might make the leaky eyes happen.’
Gibbs: ‘What if they have leaky eyes for another reason, Casey, what then?’
Casey: ‘Good question, Gibbs. When some humans lose their purr, they might not have had bad news. They might just be down in the dumps. We don’t know where these dumps are or how your human might get down in them, but it is something we heard our Mum telling Aunty Carol who lives in Stafford on the telephone. So even though we don’t know what these dumps look like, you have to watch your human like a hawk to make sure they don’t fall down into them. By all accounts, it can take a lot of energy and effort to try and get back up again.’
Gibbs: ‘Gosh, Casey. This doesn’t sound very good on Mum getting her purr back, does it?’
‘Casey: ‘Aunty Carol told Mum that the devil regularly lands on her roof, drops his trousers and farts down the chimney a lot. That makes Aunty Carol lose her purr as well.’
Gibbs: ‘Crikey, I don’t want to be around when someone farts down our chimney, Casey.’
Casey: ‘Don’t worry, Gibbs. We’ve got this under control. There’ll be no farting down chimneys in our house. I’ll lie next to Mum as often as I can and purr as hard as I can. At night-time, when she’s watching something on television, you sit on her lap and make biscuits. Between us, we’ve got this covered. Her purr should come back soon. We want our smiley Mum back.
Gibbs: ‘So what should our fellow felines do if they notice their humans aren’t as smiley as they usually are?’
Casey: ‘It’s just a suggestion, of course, Gibbs, because every cat has his or her own way of helping their human live their best life. But if our fellow felines felt so inclined, they could try doing what we do with Mum. They could always let us know if it works, or if they try something else instead which makes their human’s purr come back.’
Gibbs: ‘Good idea, Casey. Between us felines, worldwide, we can make our humans happy again and if the world is purring, then everyone should be smiling. What a wonderful world that could be.’
Casey: ’Amen to that, Gibbs.’
(Thanks to Aida Marina for 'enhancing' this photo of Casey and Gibbs and giving them a catnip stupor!)
Five Good Reasons for Having Your Cat Neutered
- Reduces fighting, injury and noise
- Reduces spraying and smelling
- Much less likely to wander and get lost
- Safer from diseases like feline AIDS, mammary tumours and feline leukaemia
- Reduces the number of unwanted kittens