Frank Pellas and Bronwyn Barter, the humans who obey the cats, explained that dogs have owners, cats have staff. Dogs think they are human. Cats think they are gods!
Kali, whose name means Goddess of Chaos, told me that they had never met a dog before; but they had heard stories and watched them from their front window. So when Kali invited mummy and me back for a return visit, I took it as a nice compliment and the beginning of a new friendship.
At one point during our visit all the humans started singing a song about a cat - a whimsical verse about an Owl and a Pussycat who set out to sea in a pea green boat with honey and plenty of money wrapped up in a five pound note.
I think I caught the gist of this strange story . . .
An owl serenaded a pussycat while gazing at the stars and strumming on a small guitar. He crooned, “Oh lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love, what a beautiful Pussy you are.” The Pussycat responded by describing the owl as an “elegant fowl” and complimenting him on his singing. She suggested they marry, but they didn’t have a ring. So they sailed away for a year and a day and discovered a pig with a ring in his nose. They bought the ring for a shilling and were married the next day by a turkey. They dined on mince and slices of quince, then danced hand-in-hand on the sand to the light of the moon.
Mummy thinks it’s a very romantic poem, even though it’s make-believe and was written way back in 1871. I like to see mummy happy and laughing. It makes me happy too. Even the cats were purring. I’ve put the poem here for you to read or sing to your pussycats. I hope they enjoy it.
THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT by Edward Lear
The Owl and the Pussycat went to sea
In a beautiful pea-green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five-pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
"O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are, You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!"
Pussy said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl!
How charmingly sweet you sing!
O let us be married; too long we have tarried
But what shall we do for a ring?"
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-Tree grows
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose, his nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.
"Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling, your ring?"
Said the Piggy, "I will."
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon, The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.
