The Tail of 4-Feathers A True Tale

We adopted a kitten from our local humane society who was far too active for his own cramped kennel and needed much more room to move.? We named him Iggy, after? Iggy Pop, the “Godfather of Punk” who had a hit record called, “Real Wild Child (Wild One).”? Four legged, butterscotch-dipped, hyperactive? Iggy fit the name, and was set free.?

We have a fenced-in pen that leads from a landing off the kitchen where our pooches can “get some fresh air” whenever they please because of the doggie door in place.? Iggy was way too active for our cramped, two-story kennel we call home, scaling the 8-foot-high wall like nothing.? So thankful to be roaming free that he would bring us “presents”: a bird head on the pillow, here; a “chunk of baby bunny,” there.? All very sickening.

One spring morning, I walked into an upstairs bedroom and saw three gray feathers scattered on the floor.? Gingerly, and with the trepidation of finding the rest of the bird not in one piece, I scoured the nooks and crannies and corners and secret kitty-caches, not expecting a favorable outcome.? The bird, or any parts of the bird, were nowhere to be found. Only the three feathers. Odd.

Until I glanced at the ceiling fan.? Peeking behind the blades, looking cartoonish with a mixed expression of fright, confusion, and relief on its still attached face on its still attached head on its still attached body, he looked exasperated, like: “HELP! I don’t belong here so get me the hell out!” I obliged by covering it in a towel and releasing the bird back outside, thinking it would surely flop to the grass or fly crazy with several tail feathers plucked out, but my spirits soared with it as it flew up and over the roof just fine.? And that was that.

We have a pool in our backyard, surrounded by lush lilac bushes for shade and privacy. Soon after the “lucky duck” incident, we began hearing the mew of a kitten coming from the foliage.? “Great, more unwanted fur babies–spay and neuter!” my outraged wife complained, as she went down to “rescue another one”.? But this mew was not coming from a cat, but from a catbird.? One with some tail feathers missing who had built a nest in there.? “I would have thought you’d be a million miles from here,” she said.? “Stay safe.”

That summer, the bird, now called 3-Feathers for obvious reasons, flew down to the lowest electrical wire, the closest tree branch, the nearest section of fence to greet us nearly every time we went outside that summer.? He “peeked in”? from the porch railing during my indoor morning coffees.? As strange as it may seem, it appeared that he was bonding with that thing with skin who saved his gray feathery-ass.? Literally.? Mew.

Later that spring, 3-Feathers and catbird wife raised two catbird kids and showed them off quite regularly, until all four perched on a wire on a blustery day in autumn, flew a loop over us, and took off to warmer climes.? And that was that.

Until the next May.? I was shocked, thrilled, surprised, amazed that 3 and his family came back for their second summer, building their nest much safer and higher near the top of our maple tree!? The next few months were a repeat of bonding between bird and man (maybe becoming too bonded in his mind, my wife was thinking….). We even developed our own communications, a pidgin mix of “mew, mew, mew”s, “here kitty-kitty-kitty”s, and tongue clicks and kisses.? (Catbirds are intelligent and are great mimics. Their direct cousins are mockingbirds). 3-Feathers was becoming as much of a member of the household as wanna-be-assassin Iggy, who now even seemed to have a “claws off” policy and a peaceful aloofness with the adopted gray catbird family.

With the weather closing in on winter, they did their “farewell loop” and took off for warmer climes a second time.? And that was that.

Last May, they migrated here for the third season in a row! Same tree, same nest, same spiritual waves or vibrations, or whatever it is called, between us. My wife was thinking I was growing delusional as she observed our interactions for the next few months.? I think she became a bit of a believer, but I’m not sure.? I don’t find a bonding between beast and human all that unusual.? We interact together all the time, whether gorilla and sign-language interpreter, boy and dog, parrot and their “owners”, who are especially attached emotionally, intelligently, and socially with one another.??

Last September, the Catbirds left. Without their usual farewell loop.? And that was that.

I was bummed for weeks afterwards that the avian family didn’t “say goodbye” as they usually did. The leaves on the maple did their blazing and falling until the branches were bare and naked, but for the vacant mesh of sticks and twigs up near the treetop, a melancholy reminder of loss.??

We were on the pool deck, wringing out the last memories of summer, me still moping, depressed, and disappointed when a slight breeze kicked up.? One gray feather.? It wafted and shifted from the nest to within a few feet of me.? It was their goodbye. A wonderful surprise!

?I cherish the feather as a spiritual affirmation given to us as a gift, as a sign from beyond this life. My wife still thinks I’m deluded, but I’ve become more and more convinced that now-named 4-Feathers? is a spirit, disguised. Crazy talk from a confirmed atheist!

I 5000% believe in the presence of spirits. I believe that they are real and that they communicate with us in different ways. That they leave physical signs for us to become aware of their presence and “proof” of a here-after. I researched the subject, agnostically, and found some meaning:

One of the prominent signs of the presence of a spirit is the feather. This feather is commonly found in a place where a spiritual presence is at its peak, (i.e., the maple tree). Furthermore, you can find this feather in your car, in your room, on the pathway, in your office—or on your pool deck!

Gray feathers are symbols that a spirit being is watching over you. The color sits between black and white, which means it represents the balance between two opposing forces, a neutrality of emotion and energy.? It is a sign from your spirit that you are at the cusp of wisdom and knowledge, that you are on the right path to spirituality and enlightenment.? Gray feathers are interesting because it’s one of the most direct, but also indirect, messages that a spirit can give you!

Furthermore, whenever you find a gray feather on the ground, it is a message from a deceased loved one.? It is a sign that they are watching over you and empowering you to scale through hard times in your life. Most times, when you feel lonely and a feather appears on the ground, it means that you are not alone. My wife’s nine-year old son died suddenly in the yard near where the maple tree stands, 27 years ago. For nearly three decades we pleaded for a sign that he is well.

Mew.

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