In August, Croydon Cats Protection rescued a tiny oil-covered kitten from a garage. She was terribly ill and there was doubt over whether she would survive. However, Cynthia, my friend and colleague, and her husband, nursed her night and day and gradually her health was restored.

As Whisper grew stronger, she developed the antisocial habit of hissing at and smacking with her claws out anyone who tried to handle her when she did not want to be handled. She came to me in the hope that I might be able to break her of this unacceptable behaviour.

Whisper was a little unsettled by the move and for the first few days hardly ate. Cynthia was worried about this and during a telephone conversation with me that Whisper overheard, suggested that if Whisper did not soon start eating properly, she should be checked over by a vet. That night Whisper began to eat properly.

If Whisper could write, this might have been the kind of letter she would have written to Cynthia after hearing that Cynthia was worried about her:

Dear Cynthia,

Please do not worry about me. I am purfickly all right. When Auntie Sheenah came to get me up this morning she found that I had eaten all the food she had put down last night. The reason why I wasn't eating was because I was cross with you for sending me away. But I'm not cross now. I'm having a, mainly, lovely time with Auntie Sheenah. She's very good at initiating games and makes me play a lot. I like playing hide and seek, chasing ping pong balls and catching a fish or a feather on the end of a pole. I also like killing my toy mouse. Auntie Sheenah says I'm very good at catching things and thinks its funny that I always take what I've caught off to my secret place to either play with it some more or try to eat it.. Although I have only been here since last Thursday, Auntie Sheenah now lets me have the run of Uncle Peter's office for nearly the whole of the day. It's a big office and I have explored every inch of it . Yesterday, Auntie Sheenah found me on the windowsill looking out at the garden. My favourite daytime sleeping place is a shelf behind my pen which is out of Auntie Sheenah's reach. When she wants to get me she has to encourage me out with my fishing rod toy. I am beginning to get used to Auntie Sheenah wanting to sit me on her lap and stroke me and now settle down quite quickly. However, I am not yet a completely domesticated cat. I still like scratching Auntie Sheenah and sometimes spitting at her or running away from her when I don't want her near me. She says I must learn not to do this because, otherwise, no-one will want me. I don't believe her.

Anyway, must go now. I've a fish to catch.

Whisper.

Copyright © Sheenah Large
September 30, 2002