More About Bonnie & Smokey - How I Became an Animal Whisperer

Bonnie was the smartest cat I've ever known. Smokey was very sweet but "not the brightest bulb." I once watched him chase and catch his tail and bite it over and over. He was very confused about what was biting his tail! He never did figure out that it was him, he just stopped doing it. Cats do have facial expressions and his was very obvious each time he experienced that pain and didn't know why.

Bonnie didn't play with toys much after she reached maturity. She was also less than the normal year old (with some cats it's two years) when she reached maturity. She then became a lady rather than very playful.

Not long after I brought home a plastic donut toy, Smokey was trying to figure it out. It's one of those toys with openings in the top and a ball that runs around a track inside, a donut shape. He'd seen the other cats play with it but couldn't figure out what to do to make the ball move. He hovered over it for quite awhile, and Bonnie noticed. It's the only time I've ever seen her show off. She went over to the toy, reached in and swiftly batted the ball several times in both directions. I've never seen a cat so fast with it. Then she walked away. Fortunately, Smokey got the idea and was able to play with it after that. I never saw Bonnie play with it again. However, she did like the equipment I had for them. She'd scale the cat tree in moments to get to the shelf, and she loved boxes and the carpeted tunnel I got for them.

Bonnie preferred my bracelets to any toys she had. She helped me select my bracelets each morning until she bit too hard on a clasp and broke one. She loved to sit on my dresser and paw through the bracelet drawer of my jewelry box. She'd then delicately lift out one or more bracelets with her teeth. There's a charming series of books by Shirley Rousseau Murphy, the Joe Grey series. One of the characters is a cat named Dulcie who was once human. Dulcie loves scarves and beautiful things, would steal them from others and bring them home. I always equate Bonnie with Dulcie. I have two beautiful statues on my dresser of a cat covered in purloined jewelry because of Bonnie. The bracelet selection time was a special part of the day for us.

Bonnie was totally a princess. When I'd put my makeup on in the mornings, she'd sit on the toilet lid and put her front paws on the edge of the sink to watch me. In the evenings she'd get up on the toilet lid and sit so I'd sit on the floor and pet her. It was her throne and I'd stay until she had enough petting, would jump down and walk away. I'm very easy to train. Now I have a sleek black cat, Breezy, who also gets up on the toilet lid. She waits for me to finish at the sink, then reaches up for me with both front paws so I'll pick her up. She settles in my arms, puts a front paw on my cheek, and nuzzles me. She has me carry her around in my arms like a baby until she's ready to get down. Breezy is not at all a lady like Bonnie was. She's a wild and lively little thing even though she's way past kitten-hood. Bonnie was very stately and deliberate in her carriage, always with her bushy tail held high and curled over. Very secure cats carry their tails that way.

Bonnie knew her tail was magnificent. She loved to put her tail against my nose so I could fully enjoy the feel of it. She knew she was beautiful. You could tell from the way she walked. She was also very dainty. When we had steak I used to cut little tiny pieces for her to eat. She'd lie beside my plate and wait until I was done eating and had cut her pieces. Then she'd delicately eat each piece off the edge of my plate. She never tried to get my food until I cut her pieces for her. I also fed a little to Smokey, because he was generally very polite about it too. None of the other cats tried to do it, and I didn't allow the others on the table during meals. I only allowed those two because of how polite they both were.

Bonnie was also very graceful. We had a ladder backed chair with small round rungs in the kitchen. On one side was the kitchen table, and there was a small table behind it. Bonnie would stand at the edge of the kitchen table and put her front paws on the top rung, then her back paws. She'd balance there for a moment, then move her front paws to the table behind the chair, then the rest of her body. I've never seen another cat display that kind of balance.

Bonnie developed a heart murmur just before she turned four, quite a young age for that. She had enlarged heart walls. Being so clever, she always found ways not to have to take her medicine. No matter how clever I was, she was more so. Because of this, she died at the age of 7. It still hurts too much to talk about, but I was with her when she died. I miss her every single day, although I know she's with me in spirit. It was her choice to die young. She came here to be with me and teach me, and then she was done. She won't be back again no matter how much I want her. You have to know at this point that I believe in reincarnation. I don't blame her for not coming back, because of what so many cats suffer at the hands of humans.

When Bonnie was about six she started teaching me all about cats. In the evenings she'd sit on the arm of the couch behind me, and we'd commune silently. We'd just stare at each other and "talk." Some cats consider it a challenge if you stare into their eyes. I learned that from Smokey, who once smacked my best friend in the face for that. He was in her lap and initiated the eye contact so who knows why he smacked her. Fortunately he didn't have his claws out because he smacked her in the face so hard that we heard it! Of course he then jumped down and ran away.

But Bonnie would sit by me and "talk" with me. She taught me that cats think in pictures, not words like we do. She taught me that they do understand the things we say though. Most people don't realize it but they think in pictures when they use words. So the cats "see" the pictures in our minds. Therefore, you truly can't fool a cat by saying something nasty in a sweet voice. Now, I want to assure you that they don't read our every thought. They'd be bored to tears! But they do pick up a lot of the important points. If you're planning to move, they know that. They pick up on tone and volume, and that helps them decide whether to tune in. They also pick up on our moods, and tune in to some.

Bonnie taught me how cats think, and what they think and care about. She taught me all things cat, gave me a full understanding of them. I'm sure she was a human in one lifetime, just as I've been a cat. She downloaded full topics of information to me in these "talks." Often I had trouble fully understanding what all I'd been given, and putting it into words because she downloaded full concepts. I also wasn't entirely ready for all this at the time, but she knew she didn't have years to wait for me to be ready. Eventually I opened to my gifts and started using and more fully understanding and absorbing what she taught me. And so, thanks to Bonnie, I'm a cat whisperer. And that has enabled me to be a full animal whisperer. It's always been in me to woo and understand animals, but Bonnie gave me the tools.

About This Blog

My name is Jenny Lea and thanks to Bonnie I'm a cat whisperer. I'm actually a whisperer for all kinds of animals, but Bonnie opened those doors. Right now I live with 6 cats. I do Reiki on cats, other animals, and people. I also help people with animal behavior problems and communicate with animals. The first couple of posts will be about Bonnie so you know why she's in the blog title. After that the posts will be about my cats and other animals, plus whatever you need addressed. I welcome comments and questions.

For 7 short years I lived with the most amazing cat ever. Her name was Bonnie and she was born in my house, to one of my cats, in April of 1993. She was the last of 4 born, the pregnancy an "oops" event. Young cats can actually go into a pre-heat stage and that's what we thought was going on with Sugar.

I attended Sugar while the kittens were born, was there for all but the first one. When the last one was born I kept trying to dry her off, was worried. She was smaller than the others too. Eventually it became clear that the reason she looked wet no matter what at first was that she was the only long-haired kitten in the bunch. She was also the only pure black one.

The birthing box was in my bedroom and I kept watch over the kittens as they grew, much the way a mother watches over a baby. I'd awaken during the night and anxiously check on them. I made sure they were safe and taken care of. I put a barrier at the end of my bed, far from the birthing box so our 100 pound dog wouldn't disturb them. He, Guinness, was curious and kept looking over the barrier. I wasn't worried that he'd try to eat them, only afraid he'd accidentally step on them. The first kitten was born in the hall and he just looked at it, had time to eat her before I got there.

Originally I was going to keep one of the kittens and find good homes for the rest. I was going to keep the first-born, a black kitten with some white. But as they grew and began to leave the box and wander a little, their personalities began to become apparent. Over time I saw that the long-haired black girl and the only male were bonded, while the other two were independent. I also saw that the long-haired kitten was very smart, sharp, and clever. Soon I'd taken such a liking to her that I decided to keep her and the male. He was grey so I named him Smokey and gave her the name I'd already chosen for a female, Bonnie.

Bonnie was the most adventurous of the kittens, the first to leave the birthing box, the one to first explore under the dresser and bed. Once I was sitting on the floor at the end of the bed with my back to the foot board and felt kitten claws. Of course, it was Bonnie, playing with me from under the bed. Bonnie was also the first to venture down the hall and out into the living room. I followed her and watched as she walked over to Guinness (part Irish Setter and I knew he'd be a "stout" fellow) and sat down near the middle of his side. She slightly stretched her nose up toward him and he turned and leaned his head down to her until they were nose to nose. She had him wrapped around her little paw ever after.

Guinness never had anything to do with our other cats or kittens. I hated it when Bill The Cat wanted him. Bill would weave back and forth under the dog's muzzle and tickle his chin with his high-held tail. When one of the cats awoke Guinness from a nap, he'd startle and grumble. But Bonnie could do anything to that dog. When she was full grown she'd stand on the edge of the table near the back door and step on his back while he was waiting to go out. When she awoke him from a nap, he always somehow knew it was her and awoke gently and easily. He simply adored her.

Bonnie was a princess and only had use for Guinness, Smokey, and me. She tolerated petting from the kids but that was it. She avoided other people and quietly ruled over the household. The other cats just left her alone. She was very self-possessed. That's one of the things I noticed early on - she had such a firm sense of self. It was so very obvious. She knew exactly who she was and what she wanted, what she would and wouldn't do. I never saw her negotiate with another being, dog, feline, or person. She simply was.

For the first 5 years or so of her life, Bonnie regularly snuggled with Smokey. She and Smokey worked things out at some point, over me. Smokey would snuggle in my arms on the couch in the evening and Bonnie never got on the couch with me. Bonnie would snuggle against my arm during the night, up by my pillow and Smokey never got on the bed with me. I'm not sure why she eventually mostly quit snuggling with Smokey, but by then she was so totally wrapped up in me. That's a good place to stop for today, I think. Besides, I can only talk about Bonnie for so long without my heart breaking all over again.