Scamp Learns a Lesson

  Hi! This is Scamp. Sophie wanted to me write the column today because I learned something important recently and she thought I should share it.
  A while back I decided that I wanted to learn how to roar. I tried to do it on my own thinking that it might be an instinctual thing because I'm a cat. I made some loud, interesting sounds, but it was not anywhere close to roaring.
  I decided to go to You Tube. You can learn lots of things on You Tube. Sophie has learned knitting things from watching You Tube. C learned music things from there too. I thought that maybe I could learn to roar by watching You Tube. I searched and searched, but couldn't find any roaring lessons. Finally I though that maybe I could learn by watching videos of lions roaring. I found several videos of roaring lions and watched them carefully. Finally I decided to try it myself. I took a big lungful of air, opened my mouth and no roar came out. All that came out was a really loud meow. I tried again. this time it sounded more like a howl. I tried a third time. No luck.
  Sophie heard me and came to check on me. She was worried at the sounds I was making. I told her  that I was trying to roar. She told me that I am a little cat. I didn't like that. I am a perfectly normal sized cat. She explained that it was a way to separate out cats. Big cats are lions,tigers, jaguars and leopards. Their vocal cords are different from those of the non-large cats (aka small cats) and this difference enables them to roar. It meant that no matter how hard I tried I would not be able to roar.
  I was very upset. I really wanted to be able to roar. It would be very practical. Sometimes I help Sophie wake C up in the morning. It would have been fun to wake him with a robust roar rather than jumping on his face. I could have roared to scare off predators. I could roar to signal that someone is in my territory and needs to leave. I think that Sophie would prefer that I roar at something instead of peeing on it. I wanted to roar so badly. I was so sure I could do it. I didn't know what to do. I decided to mope.
  Colby tried to cheer me up by licking at my face. I kind of liked it, but I was moping. I smacked him with my paw. I jumped up on the chaise and hung my head over the side. Moping is boring and I eventually fell asleep.
  When I woke up I still felt sad. I was never going to be able to roar. I got mad. Why did I have to be a non-large cat. Why couldn't I have been born a big cat? I have a mane of fur, well it's a ruff actually, but it looks like a mane. I'm a fast runner. Sophie says I walk like a panther. If I look like a big cat than I should be able to roar like one. Right? Life is so unfair.
   At dinner time Sophie called us to eat. I looked broodingly at my bowl of food. It would have given it up gladly for the ability to roar. Sophie noticed my brooding and told me that she would show me something after I had finished my meal. I took a taste. It was my favourite, chicken and tuna. I ate it savoring each bite.
  When it was done I went to look for Sophie. She was sitting at the computer. She asked me to jump up. She pulled up an article on Wikipedia. It was on purring. It turns out that the big cats can roar, but they can't purr unless they are exhaling. They can't purr like I can. I also learned that a purr can be healing. According to the article purring can improve bone density. Sophie says that this means purring can make bones stronger. Sophie reminded me that I am the house therapy cat. That is my job. My job is to make my humans feel better when they feel bad.
  I began to feel better. I have a great purr. I can even chirp when I purr. Colby likes my purr and tries to imitate it. I thought it about it more. Sophie was right. I am the house therapy cat. While the ability to roar would be fun, a purr is much more useful.
  It made me feel even better to know that purring can help make my humans healthier. A roar can't do that. My moping was really silly. I would have been embarrassed about my moping, but cats don't get embarrassed. I felt cheerful again. I would have smiled if I could. I jumped off Sophie's lap and sauntered into the living room.
  I stopped mid saunter as another thought occurred to me. I can do something a lion can't do. I flicked my tailed happily. I have a mane, I can run fast, I am graceful like a panther and I can purr. Being a non-large cat isn't so bad after all.