Author and poet Robert Graves missed out. He never wrote about Claudius the Cat of Tabby’s Place.Of course, our Claudius is a much more recent global development than the Roman Emperor Claudius. The emperor was born in 10 BCE. The cat was born around 2016 CE. That was about 31 years too late for Mr. Graves to have ever heard of the feline that he might have also chosen to call Claudius the God. Had he met our Claudius, Mr. Graves would have discovered distinct differences between the cat and Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus. The shorter given name is just the beginning.
Claudius the Cat, being a cat, has quite a different approach to governance than Claudius the Emperor had. Claudius the Cat, being a cat, in fact refuses to govern at all. The least governed of all things in the realm of Claudius the Cat is his heart. Being shy, this might not be immediately apparent. Being curious about interactions with other cats and also curious about people, the truth becomes clear fairly quickly.
On a recent visit to the illustrious inhabitants of Suite E, Juel the Jujubee (He said it was okay to share.) took great pains (They were actually joys.) to demonstrate how to cat with a human from a perch up on the ramp.
A bit ramped up himself (literally at the highest point), Claudius the Cat was rapt! His eyes went from human face to proffered Juju-belly (technical term) to hands (also technical term). If cats could go agape in astonishment, Claudius would have had his lower jaw all the way down on the floor.
He watched.
He sniffed a free hand.
He accepted a cautious, gentle pat.
Mere moments later, Claudius the Cat completely lost control of his ungovernable heart. Such it was that, in front of one human, there were 2 tabby cats: one begging for tummy rubs, the other wide-eyed and sweetly begging for head skritches while also halfway on top of the other tabby. This was the first meeting between Claudius the Cat and this particular person (Full disclosure: yes, ‘twas I, myself). The beautiful brown and white tabby with the Roman nose and regal bearing got downright silly with eagerness for attention. Rumor has it that there was much giggling. (This can neither be confirmed nor denied. There were only feline witnesses, and they are all very good at governing their tongues.)
Having risen to the heights of leadership (the ramp), Claudius the Cat yet declines to rule actively. He opts for grace and gentility…and a little bit of goofiness. Despite himself, he is a conqueror, but a kind one. From humans, he requests prompt meals of the finest fare. From fellow felines, he asks for warm, snuggly welcomes. He doesn’t demand anything in particular, but he responds enthusiastically to offers of friendship and attention. It might take a minute or three, but patience has extreme rewards. The cat who could be emperor rules with furry paws. His touch is light, but it burrows deeply and grows.
Claudius’s ungovernable heart has grown deep and has a strong impact on those around him. Anyone who meets him will find their own heart become similarly unruly. The heart thus given grows. Hearts shared grow exponentially. One pat is enough to start it all. One giggle-filled visit is enough to seal the deal. Meeting Claudius is to enter new realms. Snuggling with Claudius is to be carried along to the apex of purring contentment. What will happen when Claudius the Cat becomes the adopted heir to a forever realm where he can rule over his forever family? Right now, this might seem like a cliffhanger. But, the end of the Tabby’s Place part of his journey might be just around the corner for Claudius the Cat. Let the applications come in! Let the giggling commence!