Maquinna's Poop du Jour

An Unrepentant Ailurophile

I love cats. This does not make me anti-dog, just pro-cat. Dogs are fine and noble creatures, but I admit without reservation that I resonate more strongly with cats.

Some people say that cats are self-serving, lazy creatures. I cannot entirely disagree with this, and yet I think that has much to do with my respect for them. They live their lives without apology, in complete pursuit of all that pleases them. They are shamelessly hedonistic and never mask their opinions. I think many people are annoyed by cats because they represent everything they wish their own lives could be if they were free of self-imposed moral restraints and responsibilities.

They are not without their habits. Anyone who has lived with a cat knows that they have definite preferences for prime sleeping spots, sunny windows, and even people. They often develop routines, demanding their food at a certain time, or expecting to be catered to in some particular way. My beloved Cally, who I lost a year ago, considered a green blanket I bought in Arizona to be unequivocally hers, and no matter where it was, she claimed it. Motorhead, our current cat, was lately taught to go under the bedcovers; now she insists on having a 'cave' of bedcovers made for her whenever I am in bed.

Accompanying this post is a picture of my mother's cat, Cassie...but to call her my mother's cat is most incorrect, as it would suggest my mother possesses her. Nothing could be further from the truth. Cassie has always come and gone as she pleases, and even after being declawed to ameliorate relations with a bird-loving neighbour (a procedure I cannot ever advocate; claws are essential to cats, and they are part of the cat contract), she continued to bring in offerings from time to time ranging from small rodents and bugs to full-sized rabbits. She has decided in the last six months that she would prefer to live in the field behind her house, clawless yet feral, and my mother has seen her but rarely since. I admire Cassie immensely for this.

posted by Maquinna @ 10:02 a.m.