The inspiring words of a Cat from Cape Verde

On my first post after coming back from my honeymoon, I told you guys I had a few stories regarding some animals I had met in Cape Verde. After telling you all about the sparrows, the dog and the lemon sharks, there's one more story missing: my meeting with the king. I called him Mufasa, and he was a yellow cat. Mufasa was the resident cat from the hotel we spent our vacations in, and everybody respected him: he even had his own minibar, where the staff left him water and food everyday.

 

By both lunchtime and dinnertime, he would wander around the restaurant, sitting very calmly and politely near each table, waiting. Some tourists would just ignore him, others would share their meals with him. When that happened, he would eat and politely rub his back on the person's leg, before moving on to the next table. One day, he came to our table. Of course, I carefully chose something from my meal that wouldn't harm him and shared it with him. He carefully grabbed it from my hand, rubbed his back on my leg and said: "Thank you for your kindness."

I smiled, and answered: "You're welcome, your highness."

Already on its way, he stopped and turned his head around to face me, looking both surprised and pleased. He said: "Now, that's a first! You just called me your highness?"

I smiled back at him, and by that time my husband realized what was happening, he shrugged and kept eating. He's more than used to my "weirdness" towards animals. I replied to Mufasa: "Yes I did! Aren't you the king?"

He sat near my leg and blinked, yawning. He said: "In that case, is this my kingdom?"

I shared a bit more of my meal with him, and said: "Yes, it is. But you already knew that."

As soon as I said this, I saw this intense sparkle brighten his eyes, and he suddenly looked way bigger than his physical body. As if his energy had reached out for mine and we had become one. He said: "Oh, you're one of Them..."

I frowned: "What do you mean?"

He smiled, narrowing his eyes. After staring at me for a few seconds, he replied: "among the human kind, there's a group of people that already accepted they can communicate with other species through energy, and you're one of them. But you already knew that."

If you ever felt so inspired that it seemed you were filled with a healing light from within, you know how I felt listening to his words. It just felt right, if you know what I mean. I nodded: "I guess you can say that." He added: "Tell me more about me being the king."

I was about to answer, but decided to check on my husband first. I changed looks with him, and he shrugged again. He said: "Do your thing. After all, he's the king." Me and my husband share a deep connection, so I wasn't even surprised that he knew about that. I turned my head to face the king, and said: "You're not the typical king sitting on his throne, even though you're respected around here. You're the king because you take care of your kingdom. It's not random that you stay here while other cats just come and go; it's not random you approaching specific tourists when you're being fed by the staff everyday; It's not random you taking a nap under specific deck chairs by the pool."

The yellow cat took a deep breath and jumped over my lap. He replied, mysteriously: "And why is that, then?"

I started feeling a bit embarrassed, afraid of looking cocky, but took a deep breath and said: "Because you're a healer, and that's what healers do: you can spot disturbed energies, and you know where you can make a difference. Sometimes, you heal them just by standing close by." 

I stood silent for a few seconds, and added: "Isn't that lonely, sometimes? And heavy to carry?"

He took a look around us, took a deep breath and said: "Sometimes, yes. But there's no better comfort than finding your purpose and fulfilling it. Then again, you already knew that, either."

I felt like he was speaking through my soul, reading deep inside me. I nodded, and said: "And that's why, your highness, you're the king. A true king takes care of his kingdom. And heals it just by living by his own truth."

The yellow cat jumped down from my lap and rubbed his head on my leg, allowing me to pet him for a bit before leaving. Already walking away, I still heard him say: "Stay true to who you are and no matter the distance, I can assure you we'll meet again.Thank you for surrendering to your inner calling. Tell them about me. They'll find the true within ourselves, too."

Vanessa G. Lourenço