I have been blessed with a house full of wonderful kitties, but especially so since two of them like to practice the "Kitten Mind Meld". Being distinctive individuals, of course they have their own styles.

Harri is my most prolific melder. I've mentioned before about how she helps me get the canned food served in the morning. While I'm washing out all the kitty dishes, she walks on the counter beside me to be sure I don't get distracted. Then when I start drying the dishes, she sits on the washing machine (where I dish out the food, and where she gets her dish placed) waiting for me. As I get each dish dry I carry it to the washer and set it down, bend my head down to Harri, and she presses her head hard against mine and purrs up a storm. We do this for each of the six dishes, so I get quite a bit of head-to-head purring every morning :) I'm sure she's sending me thought beams that say "Salmon, salmon, salmon", or something similar.

My more intense melder is Amelia. She doesn't often get in a snuggle mood, but when she does she will not be refused. When Nancy or I are sitting on the couch, Amelia will hop up beside us, climb up into a lap, put her front paws on a shoulder, and lay her head down on that shoulder and turn into a purr machine. Her entire being becomes focused upon directing purr energies into the human chosen for this blessing. Last time I was blessed with an Amelia snuggle, Nancy was on the other end of the couch. I had been planning on getting up to go to the bathroom when Amelia climbed up (of course). I snuggled with her for a good 10 minutes or so, then I told her "sorry, little girl, I've got to put you down now". Nancy laughed and said that her eyes didn't open, her ears didn't twitch, nothing happened except the front claws extended just a tiny bit. By her inaction she was saying quite clearly "you aren't going anywhere, human!" Amelia in snuggle mode turns into a completely immobile lump of fur and purrs, and will stay there for hours if you allow her to.

Fortunately for me, once Amelia is in snuggle mode it's possible to get her to unattach herself. Once Nancy saw that Amelia was going to try to be a permanent fixture, she talked to Amelia herself. She said "On my, what a beautiful little tortoiseshell girl kitty that is!". Amelia of course recognized that Nancy was talking about her, and lifted her head and meowed in thanks. I was then allowed to get up.

How many other kitties like to practice the Kitty Mind Meld?

Copyright © Dan Mahoney
January 19, 2007