A few kind readers shared their interest in an interview with Curly Whiskers. I have to admit that yes he did swipe at my leg as I went to speak with him.
Whisperers are cats who stay close to the ground. They have to remain inconspicuous to the rest of the Neighbourhood, whilst still networking and knowing the latest tuna. It’s a tough job, sometimes the toughest because a stake out can take hours to complete, so often it’s worth hunting and eating before completing one. Some of the best whisperers ditch their humans early on because there’s nothing worse than a human shouting out ‘Fluffy’ giving the rest of the cats the tuna of their human name. Also, some cats will use human names to seek out whisperers to hide the tuna from them, others will use this as tuna to mock them. There’s nothing funnier than a cat named ‘Ian’ to the rest of the Neighbourhood.
We also have to be trusted and to trust those who we are working with. It would be pointless to find tuna and then a cat to then have to verify it with other cats. Trust has to be present for all parties because a whisperer has to be able to fully focus. Without this, they will miss worthwhile tuna; no cat wants to lick the bowl for scraps because they’re not sure if they can trust the cats that they are working with.
When starting to look for a whisperer, do not be deterred if the whisperer takes time to agree to work with you. Usually we stay with the cats that we have worked with because it takes a long process to confirm that they are trustworthy. Also, we have to have a friendship because we’ll be spending a long time in the Neighbourhood working for them. We have to know our cats inside out to ensure that we know what they are thinking and where to find them quickly.
This interview had to be paused, as Curly Whiskers had some urgent tuna to attend to.
Paws to you, and good luck in finding your whisperer.
