Fourteen years ago when I was driving on a freeway off-ramp in San Jose, the driver in front of me tossed a tiny kitten out of the window of his pickup truck. It landed in the Oleander bushes on the freeway divide. I immediately pulled to the side of the road, unable and unwilling to believe what I had just witnessed. I pulled the kitten from the bushes - miraculously, he was not injured, just stunned - and took him home with me. He was only ten weeks old. Because of his black and white markings, we originally called him Penguin, but that name somehow evolved to Mr. Goo, and then to Gooey.

Right from the start, we realized that Gooey was no ordinary feline. Some cats prefer to keep their thoughts to themselves, others answer only when spoken to, but Gooey talked all the time. He initiated daily seminars on a variety of topics, including (but not limited to) feeding schedules, food preferences, the feline health benefits of an all-chicken diet, etc., etc. That guy could really dish it out!

Shortly after I rescued him, I was playing some old Billie Holiday vinyl, and Gooey trotted into the room and sat down in front of the speaker. He gave the music his undivided attention for a short time and then burst into an enthusiastic accompaniment which was right on key. He was actually improvising some fairly intricate horn lines, and I made a big fuss over it, applauding him and telling him how talented he was. That was the moment a star was born. He now sings every day. If there is no music for him to accompany, he makes up his own complicated little songs, complete with dynamics and key changes. These a cappella performances are usually executed in the laundry room hallway where the acoustics are best and offer just the right touch of reverb. And every performance must be duly acknowledged and applauded.

Soon after Gooey began to demonstrate his vocal talents, I was poking around at a flea market, looking for oddball items for a sculpture project I was working on. I bought a small red t-shirt and a goofy pair of kids' sunglasses with lenses shaped like mice. When I returned home, Gooey greeted me with his usual barrage of questions and comments, demanding to know where I'd been and if there was anything in that bag for HIM. As a joke, I put the t-shirt on him, pulling his front legs through the arm holes, and set the sunglasses on top of his head, tucking the frame arms under the back of his collar. Well, that crazy cat puffed out his chest and started to strut his stuff, parading around the house and demanding that we get him an agent right that very minute, because he was now ready for Prime Time. There's been no living with him since. He now has several outfits, including flannel shirts (with the sleeves rolled up), tank tops, hats, bandannas and bow ties. They hang on a child's antique clothes rack in the front hall. Whenever someone new comes to visit, Gooey restlessly paces back and forth until we dress him appropriately. He then performs with gusto, confident that these new friends will adore him. He has amassed quite a fan club.

The Golden Horn is actually a gold charm which we presented to Gooey after one of his lengthy performances, hooking it onto his collar with much ado and ceremony. It only served to further expand his confidence and bolster his ego. You can't imagine how entertaining it is to live with this character. This cat that someone once threw away like a sack of garbage infuses each and every one of our days with joy and laughter. May he always hear the sound of many hands clapping!

And now I think it's appropriate that we let Gooey have the last word here.
To hear Gooey sing, click on the
LAST WORD
bar below!