Melissa and Taffy

MELISSA AND TAFFY
May 7, 2006


Melissa stepped quietly into the living room trying not to disturb Taffy, her cream-and-white tabby cat, who lay peacefully on the sofa in a tight ball. Melissa had just read an article on communicating thoughts to animals by using mental pictures and feelings as well as words, and decided this would be a good time to try it out on Taffy.

She knelt down on the floor next to the couch and stared intently at the caterpillar form of the feline reposing comfortably before her. Melissa constructed a visual image of the cat stretching its paw towards her and touching her on the cheek. She went to great lengths not to miss any details since she didn’t want to throw the cat off in any way. Then she projected this image in the cat’s direction the best she could.

Seemingly unaware of the girl’s efforts, Taffy snoozed on.

Melissa tried again. She pictured the tabby slowly opening her eyes.

The cat still didn’t stir.

Melissa tried again, this time she added some sentences by thinking to herself; “Taffy! Open your eyes now and stretch out your paw. Touch me on the cheek!”

The cat, seemingly intent on sleeping for at least the next forty days and forty nights, didn’t so much as twitch an ear.

Melissa tried again. This time she raised her silent voice and shouted her thoughts: “Wake up! Reach your paw out to me and touch me on the cheek!”

The cat remained motionless. Melissa inched her way closer to the couch and stretched forward until her face was only an inch away from Taffy’s furry cheeks.

“I said,” she projected her thoughts to the cat once again, “touch me on the cheek!” She pictured what she considered to be a perfect image in her mind of the cat reaching out with her paw. “NOW!” She shouted.

Suddenly Melissa felt a whack across her face and when she turned to see who the culprit was, she came face to face with Lionel, her old tom cat, who was sitting on the coffee table, staring at her.

“There! Are you satisfied?” He asked. “Now please shut up! You’re giving me a headache!”