Traveller Story: The Cat Who Waited Four Hours for a Cloud to Leave
Every year, we gather stories from clients who have completed a journey. This year’s finest comes from a three year old tabby called Pudding, who sat at a window and waited for a cloud to leave.
The setting
It was a Wednesday in late spring. Pudding had taken up her position at 12:55 PM, on the sill of the dining room window. The sun was bright and the patch beneath it was already warm. She settled and prepared for a long, restful afternoon.
The cloud
At 1:40 PM, a cloud appeared. It was small, white, and entirely innocent. It moved across the sun like a lid on a pan. The patch went dim. Pudding opened one eye.
The wait
For the next four hours, Pudding did not move. She did not groan, or complain, or reposition. She sat, upright, with her face to the glass and her tail wrapped around her feet. She became, in the words of her owner, “a statue of expectation”.
A bird landed on the fence. She ignored it. A neighbour’s dog barked. She ignored that too. A moth tried to enter the room and was dismissed with a glance. She had one objective, and the objective was behind a cloud.
The return
At 5:52 PM, the cloud moved. A shaft of light fell across the sill. Pudding stood, stretched and lowered herself into the patch like a captain boarding a ship. She was warm. She was home.
Reaction
Her owner, who had spent the afternoon doing the washing up, said the experience had changed her. “I realised I have never waited for anything,” she said. “I always just check my phone.”
Lessons for travellers
- Patience is its own reward.
- A cloud is not an ending.
- The sun always returns, usually at a quarter to six, when it no longer matters.
- If in doubt, sit.
Our response
Sunbeam Voyages has awarded Pudding a certificate of merit and a small ribbon. She chewed the ribbon. The certificate is under a cushion. It is in good company.
