Little Honker and the Swinging Tails

Warren was not a typical cat. He could not meow. He honked. His honking, he discovered, was useful. He scared a little stinker out of his backyard and saved his family from the famous Skunk Perfume. Later he discovered his love for music. His talent even led him to a concert performance.

Warren was a Siamese cat. He lived with his Siamese cat family and his human family. His feline family could meow. Warren tried and tried. He could not do it. Every time he tried, he honked. Finally, Bernice, his mother, decided honking was his proper meow. Even though his siblings laughed at him at first and did not want to play with him, they learned one spring day that his honking was a good thing. No Skunk Perfume for Warren’s family. Thank goodness!

Later Warren discovered his love of music when his human girls practiced the piano, saxophone, or flute. Warren joined in as much as he could. He seemed to have rhythm flowing through his body and it made him paw notes while Kari played the piano or flute. He honked in all the right places when Kris played her saxophone. He also did his special cat dance whenever he could. 

If music was on the radio, Warren would honk-sing to the tune. Sometimes he would tap his front paw on the floor or overturn a waste basket and pound out the tune. He had a great ear for any beat.

Because Warren had special talent, he was invited to play at the winter recital. He played duets with his girls and was given a bell set to play along with the band. Even though his bells got loose and he chased them and a bunny around the auditorium, he was the hit of the night. There were cheers and shouts in the auditorium. “Go Warren! Go Warren!” Clearly he was not a typical cat and did not have typical cat talents.

Warren wanted more music. Just playing with his girls was not enough. It was time for THE talk. He had been thinking about it for a long time. From kittenhood, Warren had been able to communicate with his girls. He was not a typical cat. 

 “I want more music,” Warren honked to Kari and Kris. “What can I do?”

“Warren, you can always practice with us any time you want to play. We even got you your own set of bells,” said Kris.

“Not enough,” honked Warren. “What else can I do? You are not here all the time.”

“I suppose you want your own band now after having so much fun at the winter recital,” said Kari.

Warren gave a kitty smile and rubbed against Kari’s legs. The thought of his own band created all kinds of ideas in his furry little head. He had dreamed about this. “Great idea,” he honked. “How can I do that?”

“Whoa,” said Kari. “You really think you want to start your own band? Where would you get the other players? What instruments do you think should be in the band? What music would you play? You can’t even read music.”

“Whoa yourself,” honked Warren. “I do want a band, but I need your help to get the band members. Help me?” 

“Okay,” said Kris. “Let’s think about this.” She turned to Kari. “Do you remember the Johnson’s two black-and-white cats, Oreo and Izzie? I always thought they were pretty cool. Maybe they would be interested.”

“Oh, and what about Floyd and Ace? I always loved Floyd’s deep meow, and Ace is really a character,” chimed in Kari. 

“Floyd is such a beautiful Tuxedo cat,” Kris said.

“Don’t you just love Ace’s sleek orange fur?” Kari asked. “I think those two would be great additions.”

“Let’s do it!” honked Warren. He was so excited that he could hardly stand still. He was on the piano bench, pawing keys, then off the bench, and then twirling around the room. He could hardly contain himself. “I hope my feline friends are as excited as I am about the band,” Warren honked.