"No, I don't...that would be impossible," said the Man.
"But even though you do not know where they are, you believe they exist. And even though some of the string is with you, and other pieces of string are elsewhere...even though some pieces of string are short and others are long, and even though your ball of twine is not the only one in the world...you would agree that all the string is related?" the Cat asked.
"I've never thought about it, but yes, I guess they would be related," the Man said.
"What would happen if a piece of cotton string fell onto the ground?" the Cat asked.
"Well...it would eventually be covered up and decompose into the soil," the Man said.
"I see," said the Cat. "Then perhaps more cotton would grow above it, or a rose."
"Yes, it would be possible," the Man agreed.
"Then the rose growing on your windowsill might be related to the string you are holding as well as to all the pieces of string you do not know about," said the Cat.
The Man knit his brow in thought.
"Now take each end of the string in one hand," the Cat ordered.
The Man did so.
"The end in your left hand is my birth and the end in your right hand is my death. Now bring the two ends together," the Cat said. The Man complied.
"You have made a continuous circle," said the cat. "Does any point along the string appear to be different, worse or better than any other part of the string?"
The Man inspected the string and then shook his head "no."
"Does the space inside the circle appear to be different from the space outside of the circle?" the Cat asked.
Again the Man shook his head "no," but he still wasn't sure he understood the Cat's meaning.
"Close your eyes again," the Cat said. "Now lick your hand."
The Man widened his eyes in surprise.
"Just do it," the Cat said. "Lick your hand, think of me in all my familiar places, think about all the pieces of string, think about the cotton and the rose, think about how the inside of the circle is not different from the outside of the circle."
The Man felt foolish, licking his hand, but he did as he was told. He discovered what a cat must know, that licking a paw is very calming and allows one to think more clearly. He continued licking and the corners of his mouth turned upward into the first smile he had shown in days. He waited for the Cat to tell him to stop, and when he didn't he opened his eyes. The Cat's eyes were closed. The Man stroked the warm, brown fur, but the Cat was gone.
The Man shut his eyes hard as the tears poured down his face. He saw the Cat on the windowsill, then in his bed, then lying across his important papers. He saw him on the pillow next to his head, saw his bright gold eyes and darkest brown on his nose and ears. He opened his eyes and through his tears looked over at the rose growing in a pot on the windowsill and then to the circle of string he still held clutched in his hand.
One day, not long after, there was a new Cat on his lap. She was a lovely calico and white...very different from his earlier beloved Cat and very much the same.
Author's note: I've had many special cats in my life, from my first, "Angel," to others who followed and passed on, "Ankara," "Khufu," "Chico," "Nina," "Kinky," "Fleck," "Sergei," "Katerina," and "Sir Edmund." Each one wonderfully different and very much the same in their capacity to love and be loved. Many times in my life, I have said that each of them could have no equal, until another cat came into my life to prove me wrong.
I dedicate this story to them and also to the memory of a prince among cats, a Burmese, "The Count," loved and missed by a special friend, Dick Weavil, the publisher of "AnimalTalk," an e-newsletter whose weekly rescue editions have resulted in countless animal lives being saved. To subscribe, e-mail nyppsi@aol.com; in the subject line type: MAILING LIST, and in the text of the message type: SUBSCRIBE.
[The illustration for the story contains the Zen symbols for (top to bottom), Spirit, Enlightenment and Love.]
Jim Willis is the author of the book, "Pieces of my Heart - Writings Inspired by Animals and Nature," now available through Amazon.com in the U.S. and the U.K. Jim's writings have been featured often both in About Cats and About Veterinary Medicine. If you were touched by "The Zen of Cat," you'll love the book!
Your Guide's review of "Pieces of my Heart."
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