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.
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