SUMMERSIDE, PEI, Canada -- For Hobbs, a big red-and-white cat, daily life with highly regarded singer-songwriter Nathan Wiley can mean unwelcome disturbances at any time.

As eight-year-old Hobbs settles to nap on one comfy chair or another, Nathan often resumes work on a new song. That means playing musical instruments.

“Mainly, Hobbs just sleeps,” Nathan said. “But he’s continually alarmed by weird sounds. Maybe it’s guitar, drums or keyboards. I keep thinking he’ll get used to those sounds, but he doesn’t seem to…. He likes to come in my music room and snoop around, but if I start to play anything that’s even a little loud, he’s out of there. He used to be scared of guitars and got over that, but definitely he’s not cool with the drums yet.”

Hobbs and Nathan share a home in Canada’s smallest province. As a youngster, Hobbs arrived at Nathan’s door, found food and settled down. “I do love cats,” Nathan said, “but Hobbs decided to move in, and there wasn’t much I could do about it…. As long as I feed him, he’ll stay.”

When stuck on writing a song, Nathan sometimes stops and goes to “spend time with the cat”. Then the missing pieces may come to him. “Song-writing is such a strange thing,” he said.

Greeted by our reporter, Hobbs accepted some petting, but then resumed snoozing. He enjoyed a reasonable stretch of quiet time as we interviewed Nathan.

Maybe Hobbs listened a little, looking perturbed and thinking: “What the hell? Does Nathan think he’s the only singer here? Cats can purr, you know.”

As a child, Nathan had pet dogs. “I always wanted a cat, but they petrified my mother.” His mom dislikes Hobbs only if he comes too close.

Felines’ independent ways allow Nathan to travel to gigs without worry that Hobbs may endure separation anxiety. “Are you kidding?” Hobbs probably muses. “When Nathan hits the road, I can sleep best.”

Deeply patient, Hobbs accepts his human’s foibles. He’s one guy who likes Nathan, but not necessarily for the music.


Nathan and Hobbs: long-term housemates.

ARCHIVES