Nine Fates

Nine Fates 

They say a cat has nine lives and they have eight near misses before they actually die. The question is does nine lives mean this, or does it mean nine lifetimes? Does it matter which it means? Maybe not! But let’s go with the story of a cat who who’s owner believes she actually died eight times already, in eight different ways, over eight different lifetimes, this particular cat is on their ninth life as we speak. 

She is called Ivory, is pure white albino Persian with beautiful blue eyes, aged 23 years old and is currently on her owners lap, circling around it to get settled and comfortable. While her owner Nancy, who is a well known psychic! Is about to tell journalist Gary Grayson all about Ivory’s past eight lives and record:-

“Hello, I’m Gary Grayson, I’m here with Nancy Smith, She is a clairvoyant, who has miraculously witnessed eight past lives through her her own psychic connection with Ivory’s minds eye, where the cat has show her all of her other eight lives.

I don’t know about you but I am certainly interested to hear about this wonder! so with my video recorder and microphone at the ready, it’s time to grab yourselves a cuppa and witness this amazing interview yourselves.

“Nancy, I believe you have a story to tell me about how resourceful fate can be?”

Nancy has started stroking Ivory, as Ivory begins purring contentedly she answers him.

“Oh yes dear, fate is resourceful that way! You see Ivory’s existence began back in 1883, though she wasn’t called Ivory back then, she was in fact a stray male cat called Oliver…

“Oliver was a pure black male cat, people were superstitious of him and saw black cats as a bad omen. They hated black cats with a vengeance and Oliver heard a lot of people say ‘shoo, shoo, away with you demon cat, out of my path’, they really believed a black cat crossing their path was extremely bad luck. An ill omen and they would do everything in their power to avoid black cats, including throwing things at them, kicking them out of the way and being as brutal as you could imagine.

“Anyone who was kind enough to be a black cat owner, was viewed as a witch and persecuted as such, for spying through their familiars (the black cats). Which created a lot of hatred of black cats and their apparent dark magic, as well as their owners believed witchcraft.

“Oliver however was not even lucky enough to be one of those luckier black cats, and had a lifetime of pure hatred aimed his way. He survived in the wild for 13 years hunting and living on mice, birds and plenty of other rodents he could find.

“It was a very lonely life and as he aged he found it harder and harder to hunt, until at 19 years of age, with his eyesight growing worse from all the fights he’d found himself in over the years, the hunter became the hunted. His life ended by an hawk attacking and taking his prey home for a family meal.”

“That’s really sad” Gary says

“That’s not the saddest or worst life Ivory has had, and neither is the next life. We are now in the year 1902, when Oliver was reincarnated into a rare brown Havana female….” Nancy continues ….

“In 1902 Oliver’s soul became a beautiful and rare brown Havana female cat. Being both rare and beautiful, she was wanted and owned by Percival Thatcher. Who named her Olive after his favourite fruit, which he believed tasted best as they turned brown in colour. Olive’s life as a kitten started out so much happier than Oliver’s had been. 

“But the happiness didn’t last long. Once Percival found he could make money from selling the litters of kittens she gave birth to, he started to become greedy, wanting her to have more and more kittens. Until she became exhausted and died after giving birth to a final litter at 11 years old.

“I’m sure you will see that Ivory has at least now know a little love, if only briefly” Nancy states. 

“So is the next life a life of more loving for her?” Gary asks

“Oh no dear, this is the lifetime I would call her most heartbreaking! She was unlucky to survive it as long as she did. It’s not for the faint hearted! I quite understand if you wish me to stop?”

“No that’s not necessary Nancy, I’m a journalist with a strong stomach” Gary assures her. 

“Well ok dear, don’t say I didn’t warn you!” She states, then carries on into a more tragic and horrifying lifetime…

***

“In 1913 Olive was reborn as a new female black and brown marble colour tabby, called Molly. It would be nice to say after the ending of her last life, she would have had a longer and happier life. Unfortunately it is true she lived a longer but not happier life, managing to survive all the abuse she lived through, by her very cruel owner Bertha Ward. Who found out at a young age that Molly was barren.

“She blamed her for being unable to bear kittens and make her money. After Molly lost her first and only litter of kittens, hearing the vet state ‘I’m afraid she is unable to carry a pregnancy to term and will find it very difficult, if not impossible to conceive again’. With this news, it was the only time Bertha bothered to take Molly to the vets. Now she was no use to her, she didn’t see the point in looking after her, but also didn’t want her reputation as an animal lover ruined. 

“Instead, Bertha had taken Molly home and scolded her, ‘what kind of queen cat can’t have kittens? you are useless to me useless’ she yelled. Infuriated by the sad look on Molly’s face, she proceeded to kick her in her belly a good few times, before starving her for the next week as punishment.

“Molly survived on the water she was given and a bug here and there. This kind of treatment, was then a regular occurrence for any slight thing Molly did wrong.

“One time she missed her litter tray, peeing onto the kitchen floor. At the time she was feeling scared, and unable to see her litter tray, she had the misfortune to not make it in time. Due to becoming blinded in one eye, from Bertha having broken her empty vodka bottle one night, again blaming Molly she’d slashed her across the face with it. Then later on she was used as a cigarette stub, leaving burnt patches across her skin.

“At the age of 12 the abuse became too much for Molly and in retaliation, she swiped her claws across Bertha’s face. It was the one and only time she fought back. 

“The next day Bertha took a cleaver to Molly’s front paws chopping the claws and half her paws away too. When Molly, came round from passing out due to the pain, Bertha sat and pulled out all of her back claws by the roots individually, with a pair of pliers to ensure Molly no longer had a weapon. After this Molly totally withdrew, silently hiding away when she could.

“When Molly was sick, Bertha left her lying in her own vomit. Molly wasn’t sure why she kept fighting for survival, but she somehow still had an instinct to do so. At least for the next five years where she continued to spend her days hiding away as much as possible, quietly eating the food she was given, never looking at Bertha anymore. Who rarely spoke to Molly except to complain how ungrateful she was, and that she was living too long.

“ By the time Molly got to the age of 17, she was very weak and just lay around a lot. Bertha was once again angry, giving her a few kicks in the belly saying ‘now lazy as well as useless, lying around, get up, get up” when Molly refused to even mew. Bertha did one final cruelty to her, by injected her with 2grams of rat poison and watched her squirm silently, in agonising pain until she died. Then she kicked her once more, and threw her in the back garden to rot muttering ‘good riddance’ to herself”.

Gary sat silently, he may have had a strong stomach, but a horror movie would have been less sickening to endure than this part of Ivorys story. Finally he found his voice and quietly said “sorry, I think I’m gonna need a moment, do excuse me” as he flipped the camera switch to off. He stood up to leave the room. 

“Of course dear” Nancy replied, taking a moment, to enjoy Ivory’s purring sleepiness, looking at her lovingly, with an adoring smile on her face. “Oh! and do feel free to grab yourself a glass of water from the kitchen, or maybe even a shot of whiskey from the cabinet to settle your stomach if you prefer”. 

She shouted through to Gary, who was on his way to the garden to have a cigarette to calm his inner turmoil. “Thankyou” he responded. Thinking to himself, he may not be able to hear anymore of Ivorys story, as he inhaled the smoke from his cigarette, held it in his lungs for a second, then slowly breathing the smoke back out, he sighed to himself. After five minutes or so of being in the garden, he decided it was time to go back in. If he quit now and didn’t get the whole story, he wouldn’t get paid. So taking a deep breath, thinking to himself. ‘I’m sure she said that was ivory's worst lifetime?, anymore should be at least a little better’.

He went back into the kitchen, grabbed a glass of cold water, gulping it down rapidly, then placed the glass back down on the empty sink drainer, going back into Nancy and Ivory, to finish his video interview. 

“May I” he beckoned towards Ivory, before returning to his seat. “Of course” Nancy replied, stopping stroking for a second to allow him to stroke her himself. 

Feeling the brief pause and a different texture of hand down her back, Ivory opened one eye suspiciously to look at Gary. “ Nice to meet you Ivory” he said, then sat back down on his seat.

“Ready to start again?” He asked, as Nancy returned her hand back to Ivory’s back, Ivory re closed her eye, purring happily once more. 

Gary switched his camera back on and Nancy continued On with Ivory’s story….

***

“In 1930 Molly was reincarnated into a male lighter brown and white spotted tabby called Milo. Although Milo was adopted by a kind lady called Ada Hughes. He was a very anxious and timid cat. Ada tried her best for the first 3 years but Milo was just unable to trust, and ran away. 

Even though Ada looked for him and kept reposting about him missing for the next 11 years. It wasn’t until someone called her and spoke about having spotted a cat of Milo’s description, who was around Age 14 and didn’t look well at all, that she saw him again. 

It was already too late for her to do anything other than stroke and comfort him. While he was lying down, looking into her eyes and she into his, she soothed him with “it’s ok Milo, you can go, maybe we will meet again in the next life”. He took one last breath shut his eyes and passed away right there, on the ground. 

“Ada picked him up, took him back home, giving him a proper burial and send off. Celebrating the 3 wonderful years she had had with him.” 

This brought a tear to Gary’s eye, but it was good to know she had finally felt human kindness again after the most brutal life. He nodded for Nancy to carry on. 

“In 1944 Milo was given another chance with Ada, who adopted a male black and white tuxedo kitten she named Arlo. His life was as happy as it could be, until he caught the cat flu at the age of 12. 

He died in Ada’s arms at home, as she held and rocked him, whispering in his ear. ‘At least I got to know you a little better this time Arlo, I hope you’ve had a better life with me” she smiled down at him. As he took his last breath, he placed his paw gently on her arm and closed his eyes once again...”

Nancy stopped for a moment, “Would you like a tissue?” She enquired, as she saw the tears welling in Gary’s eyes, while his lip started quivering. 

“Thank-you, I’m ok! this is very emotional but in a good way now.” He smiled.

Nancy smiled back. “The next two lives are a little sad again, would you like another break or should I carry on?” 

“That’s ok please do carry on!” Gary gestured with his hand upturned.

“Arlo became another male calico brown ginger and white in 1956. He was named Alvin by Benedict Hughes,(Ada’s son). 

“Benedict however wasn’t able to look after Alvin very well, due to him being born with PDA (patent ductus arterioles). Alvin collapsed and died young at only 9 years old.

“After dying young, Alvin was again reborn a domestic shorthair ginger female in 1965. 

“Being born a stray she was taken into the RSPCA where they named her Elvira, her siblings managed to get re-homed, but no one seemed to want to adopt Elvira. Even though she was beautiful in personality and nature!

“ She did get adopted out briefly, only to be brought back to the RSPCA. The staff loved her and kindly took it in turns to look after her in their own homes, but she was never adopted to a permanent home. 

Elvira made the most of the love she was given by the kind people, who did look after her until she died alone one night at age 16.”

“That was almost as horrible as Oliver’s life at the beginning of Ivory’s story!” Gary remarked “please tell me she was with someone in her next life?” He questioned.

Nancy nodded and smiled “She was, that was the life before this one, her happier male life with my father Frank”

Gary sat back into his seat relieved to hear this “that’s a huge relief” he mussed “do carry on!” 

Nancy carried on:-

“In 1981 a male ginger and white Siamese cat was born. Frank Smith bought him and called him Elmer. He was well looked after and lived, happily enough at Franks farm. Going out hunting rats and mice to bring home as gifts for frank, who appreciated Elmer’s efforts, rewarding him for doing well. 

“As Elmer aged he became more of a lap cat and stayed indoors for much longer. 

“However at the age of 20, Elmer decided to go out for one last walk, but not being as fast as he once was. He didn’t manage to run across the road in time, and was hit by a car. 

“He died on the vets table due to too much internal bleeding, where Frank decided it was best to have him put down.”

“I guess in that situation it was for the best!” Gary commented.

“It was, Elmer had a happy life with my father” Nancy smiled at the memory. Then added, 

“On my 11th birthday, my father decided it was time to have another cat in our lives but after loosing Elmer, he wasn’t sure he wanted to be the official owner so soon. He knew how much I loved cats and surprised me with Ivory who I named after her pure white fur, she is the last reincarnation of Oliver and was born in 2001. Dad bought her as a birthday gift for me 23 years ago.

“She has not only been looked after well but I have brought her up the whole time with a little support when I was younger. I’ve treated her like royalty her whole life, pampering her, and making sure she is happy.

“I now know she is ready to leave this world, having finally known a full and happy life, full of kindness she could never have dreamed of. She is content and getting spiritually ready to leave this world for good.”

Gary clicks off the camera and thanks Nancy for her time, asking 

“How do you know it’s her time?” He looks down and can see that both Nancy and Ivory look calm and peaceful together, Sitting in the chair.

Nancy is completely aware of Ivory winding down into the beyond. She feels Ivory’s, heart rate and breathing start to slow. she looks down at the beautiful white Persian cat curled up on her lap and says in response,

“Ah!, my Angel it is time! It’s ok you have done more than your time in this world. Now finally you can rest in peace!” Then looks back up to Gary as she adds “After all, fate is resourceful, and kind in the end” then back to the beautiful and precious rare girl in her lap, who is now taking her final breath. “sweet dreams Ivory!” She says as she lifts her into her arms and tenderly kisses her goodbye. 

The end.