Bedtime Cat Tales: Bones & The Unusual Friendship

Hi there,

Welcome to this sleepytime cat tale about Bones,

The neighborhood cat.

My name is Susan Guttridge,

And tonight I'll be reading you the story of Bones and the unusual friendship.

I'm so pleased you're here.

If you've been following along on the adventures of my cat Bones,

Then you well know by now that he was once a found cat,

So scrawny and lost all those years ago.

We brought him home and cleaned him up,

And he really was just skin and bones,

Which is how he got his name.

With regular meals and a warm place to sleep and a lot of love,

Bones grew into a healthy,

Friendly,

Street-smart cat,

One who's loved by all the neighbors on my block.

As he filled out,

His name stretched out too.

Sometimes Bonesy,

Sometimes Mr.

Bones,

And on sillier days,

Billy Bob Bones.

I like to say that Bones and I have a mutually beneficial relationship.

He found a home,

Or several homes,

Safety and affection,

And I found the joy of never feeling alone,

Because when you share a life with a cat,

There is always company.

And in truth,

I think my whole street benefits.

I watch as people's faces light up when Bones pads up their driveway,

Or emerges from underneath a shrub to greet them.

Though he's my cat,

He's also become a little bit of everybody's cat.

These cat tales are fictional,

Of course,

Stories inspired by what I imagine Bones might be up to on his neighborhood walks.

Before we start the story,

Take a moment to settle into the comfort of your bed.

Give your body a stretch,

Letting those muscles soften as you feel the mattress beneath you.

Feel the weight of your head cradled softly on your pillow,

Your sheets or blankets around you like a cozy hug.

And with every breath,

Let relaxation drift slowly downward from the top of your head to your shoulders,

Through your arms,

Hands,

And fingers,

Through your chest and belly.

Letting that relaxation drift through your legs,

All the way into your feet and toes,

Leaving you feeling light and calm,

Like a cloud floating across a still night sky.

With your breath flowing in and out at your own pace,

Let's join Bones on his next adventure.

On this particular day,

It was a warm,

Sun-shiny summer afternoon.

As always,

Bones began his day with his usual routine,

A sip of cool water from the bathroom faucet,

A few bites of breakfast,

And then a slow,

Confident stroll to the front door,

Ready for his next adventure.

I watched him go,

Holding the door for him,

My coffee in hand.

As he moved through the garden,

His tail stood tall,

With a tiny curl at the top,

A sure sign of curiosity and contentment.

I watched as he paused to sniff a rosebush,

His white whiskers twitching,

And then he turned,

Continuing along the garden path.

It really was the perfect yard for a cat.

Shrubs offered secret hiding spots,

Bees and butterflies danced among the blossoms just out of his reach,

A patch of lavender spilled over a garden stone,

Releasing its scent whenever Bones brushed past.

The wisteria hung heavy with blooms above a shaded bench,

One of Bonesy's favorite spots to nap.

More than once,

I'd sat there only to rise with a layer of orange fur clinging to my pant legs.

On this quiet afternoon,

Bones found a perfect cat-sized sliver of sunlight and stretched out,

Letting the warmth soak into his fur,

The garden humming softly around him,

Alive,

Peaceful.

I puttered around the house,

Finishing up a few chores inside,

And then I realized that the sunlight was calling me,

Too.

I slipped on my gardening gloves and stepped outside.

To my delight,

Bones was still there,

In his sliver of sunlight,

His eyes half-closed,

His paws tucked neatly under him.

I greeted him with a soft,

Hello,

Running my hand from the top of his head to the very tip of his tail.

He replied with his familiar little meow,

As if to say,

Oh hey,

There you are.

I worked away,

Trimming plants,

Weeding,

Tucking in stray branches here and there,

And as I did so,

Bones wove around me,

Brushing his tail against my legs,

Checking in.

Now and then,

He'd plop onto his side,

Stretching into the earth,

Or he would trill happily when I looked his way.

It's an easy,

Wordless companionship at times.

This relationship I have with Bones.

As I worked away in the yard,

Enjoying the quiet companionship of Bones nearby,

The sounds of the neighborhood reached my ears.

A hammer tap-tapping next door,

A lawnmower further down the street.

The sound of children laughing in the park.

And then,

Beneath it all,

A new sound.

The steady beat of footsteps on the sidewalk,

Accompanied by the light patter of paws and the jingle of a leash.

Bones lifted his head,

His ears forward,

Alert.

His nose twitching.

He lowered his body,

Still,

Alert,

Prepared.

The tip of his tail gave a faint tap-tap against the ground.

Something,

Or someone,

Was coming.

From just beyond my lilac hedge,

I heard a cheerful voice call out,

Hello.

I turned and smiled.

It was my friend Megan,

Out walking her little brown-dashioned Vincenzo.

Vincenzo,

Or Vinny for short,

Was a small bundle of curiosity.

His sleek coat gleamed in the sunlight.

His nose hovered inches from the ground.

Tracking every invisible scent.

His tail wagged with determination.

Ears flopping in rhythm with each quick step.

He was a little dog with a big sense of purpose.

Bones watched him from his patch of sun,

Motionless and alert.

To him,

I'm sure this long-bodied short stranger might be a threat.

His ears quivered slightly,

His muscles poised to spring if needed.

Vinny,

Though,

Was too busy sniffing the lilac to notice.

Every now and then he made a soft snuffle or a tiny sneeze.

As he followed the scent trail.

His tail wagged in tight,

Happy circles.

I stayed quiet for a moment.

Settling into a confident posture so Bones could sense my calm.

Animals,

I think,

Often mirror our emotions.

It's something I've read about.

Those mirror neurons that help us feel what others feel,

Enabling us to attune more fully.

Maybe Bones could sense from me that all was well,

Because slowly his shoulders loosened.

His eyes softened from wary to curious.

I leaned on the hip-height wooden fence and chatted with my friend.

It felt good to pause and catch up,

To share smiles under the sunshine while the animals did their own kind of exploring.

As Vinny turned his attention away from the lilac roots,

He finally noticed the presence of a familiar face.

The little dachshund lifted his head,

His long snout pointing in Bones' direction.

He gave a low,

Questioning,

I think a common vocalization for his breed when they're unsure but interested.

Then he took a few waddling steps forward,

His short legs moving with surprising speed in that signature dachshund bounce.

His floppy ears flopped again with each stride until he paused a few feet from the fence.

Bonesy tensed,

Shifting his weight,

Prepared to bolt if needed.

But Vinny didn't push,

He simply sniffed the air,

Nose twitching,

Tail wagging,

And then just as quickly bounced back to Megan's side,

Letting out a curious whine.

He looked up at her as if to say,

Did you see that cat?

Now what?

Megan knelt and gave Vinny a gentle pat,

Murmuring something soothing.

As our conversation continued,

Punctuated by laughter and easy pauses,

Bones seemed to be just taking it all in.

He must have just noticed a couple of friendly humans,

A dog that clearly knew how to respect feline boundaries.

There was no barking,

No chasing.

I was impressed,

Vinny clearly had been raised with cats about,

Probably ones larger than him when he was a puppy.

Gradually,

Bones shifted his body posture,

His tail lifted,

Slowly curling into its typical question mark shape.

His body relaxed.

And then,

Unexpectedly and delightfully,

He actually let go of his tail.

And he began to purr,

A deep,

Soft rumble that carried across the garden.

That sound always makes me smile at him.

Then,

To our amazement,

Bones stood and calmly padded toward the fence post nearest Vinny.

He paused,

Poised and alert,

But unafraid.

When Vinny didn't react,

Bones moved forward again and leaned his body against the fence post.

He turned his cheek to the wood and rubbed it slowly along the edge,

Jaw to cheek to shoulder.

Cats,

I've learned,

Have scent glands in their cheeks,

And I bet that this gentle headbutt was a way of saying,

This is mine.

But perhaps,

Just perhaps,

It was also a small,

Subtle welcome.

Vinny remained still,

Watching,

His little body still wiggling with excitement,

But not pushing closer.

His tail wagged,

And his gaze remained wide,

Alert,

Soaking in this new,

Cautious friendship.

I suspected that Megan had errands to get to,

But neither of us could quite pull our eyes away from seeing unfolding between our pets.

To my complete surprise,

I watched as Bones took yet another step closer to Vincenzo.

Then,

With a slow,

Luxurious stretch,

He lowered himself to the ground,

Just on the other side of the fence.

He rolled onto his side,

Then onto his back,

Exposing the soft,

Orange and white fur on his belly.

He wiggled slightly back and forth,

Giving himself a cat massage,

I'm sure,

On the sun-warmed stone,

His paws curled in contentment.

This is the ultimate sign of trust in a cat,

Exposing their vulnerable belly.

I do believe it meant Bones felt safe,

Vinny was no longer viewed as a threat.

As this interaction unfolded,

Vinny tilted his head,

One long ear flopping sideways,

And he gave a tiny,

Puzzled woof.

He sat down,

Just a few feet away,

His back legs tucked under him,

His tail wagging slowly now,

Almost as though he wasn't quite sure what to do next.

After a minute,

Bones rolled back onto his side,

Then pushed himself into a seated position,

Calm,

Watchful,

The tip of his tail giving the occasional,

Relaxed flick.

Just then,

A tiny black ant appeared on the sidewalk.

Bonesy's attention snapped to it,

He lowered his head,

Paw lifting with delicate precision.

The ant zigzagged forward,

Bones' paw followed,

Hovering,

Shadowing the little creature without ever touching it.

Vinny caught the movement immediately,

He tilted his head,

Nose twitching,

Unsure whether this was play or prey.

An audible huff escaped him,

A protective sound,

But when Bones simply sat back and watched the ant wander off,

Vinny relaxed also,

Giving a single wag of approval.

The air between them felt calm,

Curious,

But unthreatening.

Eventually,

My friend glanced at the time,

And gave Vinny the signal to heal.

She said goodbye with a smile,

And Vinny gave one last curious sniff in Bones' direction,

Before turning to trot down the sidewalk at her side.

Bones seemed to watch them go,

His eyes following their movements along the sidewalk,

And his purr started up again,

A low rumble in his chest.

I squatted down beside him,

Giving him a little neck scratch and letting him know how proud I was of his behavior.

He stood and stretched,

And then he did that funny little cat dance that all cats seem to do,

Walking just out of reach so that I have to move forward to pet him,

And of course I did,

I scooted a bit forward and then pet him.

And he moved again,

So I scooted again,

Laughing softly.

Finally,

He flopped down in the perfect spot,

Just within arm's reach,

And allowed me the honor of a few solid minutes of neck rubs and affection.

As the sun shone in the sky,

Then in a nearby tree,

Birds chirped and fluttered.

Bones yawned,

Stretched his front legs far out in front of him,

And then stood with a casual air.

He ambled across the street to my neighbor,

Mrs.

Banks' house,

Climbed the side stairs to her balcony,

His favorite lookout spot over the neighborhood.

I could see him settling in up there,

The wood of the deck warmed by the day's sun,

Even in the shade of a tall evergreen tree,

Watching the world from his perch like a sleepy little lion king.

I turned back to my garden,

Plucking a few more pesky weeds that were climbing up the stems of my zinnias,

And I smiled to myself.

What a chill cat Bones can be,

At least when he's out here among friends.

Of course,

Once he's back in my house again,

And sees my dog,

Things tend to return to their usual dynamic.

Side eye stares and exaggerated displays of displeasure,

As if to say,

Don't you think I'm getting soft now?

Life is certainly never boring when you've got a cat.

Before heading inside,

I looked once more across the street.

Bones was still there,

Stretched out on the balcony,

Perfectly still,

Perfectly content.

I imagined that if cats could smile,

There would be a little grin on his sweet orange face,

Completely satisfied with the goings on of his day.

And now,

As we leave Bones to enjoy his nap,

I hope you enjoy your sleep,

Carrying with you the warmth of the story.

Take a deep breath in,

And as you breathe out,

Let yourself melt even a little deeper into your cozy space,

Just like Bones,

Curled up after a satisfying,

Unexpected adventure.

Good night,

And may the peaceful wanderings of Bones,

The neighborhood cat,

Guide you into a restful,

Perfect sleep.