Time spent with cats is never wasted.
– Sigmund Freud
A
t least once a day our old black cat comes to one of us in a way that we’ve all come to see as a special request. It does not mean he wants to be fed, or to be let out. His need is for something very different.
If you have a lap handy, he’ll jump into it. Once in it, he begins to vibrate almost before you stroke his back, scratch his chin, and tell him over and over what a good kitty he is.
Our daughter puts it simply: “Blackie needs to be purred.”
Blackie isn’t the only one who has that need: I share it, and so does my wife. Still, I associate it especially with youngsters, with their quick, impulsive need for a hug, a warm lap, and a hand held out – such gestures requiring only a little time.
If I could do just one thing, it would be this: To guarantee every child, everywhere, one good purring every day. Kids, like cats, need time to purr.
- Fred T. Wilhelms