A sad tale of a black short-haired Persian cat, who went missing. Victor’s sister Carol, learned what had happened to him.
Ganesha and Yagna were two black Persian, very intelligent cats. The male, Ganesha was shorthaired, and his sister Yagna had long hair. We live in a town of approximately 400 people. As the town doesn’t even boast a grocery store, we went 45 miles away to shop. Both cats were out when we left. Ganesha was sitting on the front porch. Yagna was off somewhere hunting mice or birds.
We got back home about 5 PM. Yagna was waiting for us at the door, but Ganesha was nowhere to be seen. We thought nothing of it as we went into the house. A few hours went by. Carol began to worry about him. It didn’t help her peace of mind that many cats had gone missing in the town in the last few weeks.
However, being farm country most of them were not neutered, or spayed, so they tended to wander off, especially in the mating season. Ganesha, however, was neutered, just as his sister was spayed. To be gone so long without coming in to eat was not like him.
When he had not come home by the next morning Carol got really worried. So did I. The day passed with no sign of him. Another day passed, and then another. Carol was now beside herself with worry. The two felines were like children to her. We searched the town from one end to the other several times, but Ganesha was not to be found. And then Carol, who can be very psychic at times, had an experience.
She was in her bedroom. It was night. She was grieving so hard for Ganesha it took a long time before she began to drift off. Suddenly, Ganesha appeared. She knew she was in the in-between state of sleep and being awake, and that the cat was not physical, because he was floating above her bed.
“Ganesha?” she whispered.
He started to float out of the room. She knew he wanted her to follow him. She did, though not physically. When he came to the wall of the living room he sailed right through it. That brought Carol up short. She didn’t think she could do that. The experience ended there. She woke up.
Later she managed to go back to sleep. Again, Ganesha appeared. She followed him out to the living room wall, and this time when he went through it, she did too. He led her to the only restaurant in town, through a wall, and into a kitchen area. She noted a large stainless steel sink attached to a back wall. Hanging over this sink was a body dripping blood and twitching ever so slightly. Her eyes widened, and then her heart sank. The body was that of Ganesha! His teeth had been pulled, his mouth taped, and veins opened to allow the blood to drain out into the sink.
He was too far gone to rescue. His little spirit had already left the body. It had come to show her what had happened to it. Carol told me about the experience the next day.
“And it was the restaurant in town?” I asked.
“Yes. But it was probably only a dream,” she murmured.
“Ok, let’s go and see,” I suggested.
“You want to go to the restaurant?”
“That’s the only way to find out, isn’t it?”
We had never been in the small restaurant. It did not have an appealing appearance on the outside, and we figured anytime we wanted to go to one, we’d go to a good one in some nearby larger town. Carol hesitated, and then stood up.
“Let’s go,” she said, making up her mind.
The place was old, the floors uneven. There were a few booths at the back, which we headed for. To get there we had to pass a counter with dishes piled on it, along with other restaurant paraphernalia. Behind the counter a large stainless steel sink could be clearly seen. Carol grabbed my arm.
“That’s it!” she whispered, her face pale.
“You sure?” I asked, grimly.
“I’m sure! Let’s get out of here!”
We turned around and headed back the way we came.
“Today, chicken fried rice,” a voice said behind us.
I turned. ”Chicken or cat?” I asked, looking the short, middle-aged female up and down. All expression left her face.
“Come on,” Carol urged. “Let’s go.”
“I’m coming,” I said, as the woman turned away. However, I caught a look that passed between her and a man I assumed to be her husband, working behind the counter. It was a look that asked the question: “How’d they find out?”
“I want them closed,” Carol said, when we were back on the street. “That was definitely the sink and area Ganesha led me too. I’ll see it in my nightmares from now on, poor little guy. How he must have suffered!”
“Well, that gives us a pretty good idea of where all the other fifty or so cats disappeared to. I agree; that place has to be closed.”
The restaurant was closed a few weeks later. There was no explanation given as to why. It just seemed to be an impulse thing on the part of the owners. They also left town quietly.
That was four years ago. Cats have not disappeared since.
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