Endearing

Endearing©

         I’ve been a cat owner for 12 years now. I’ve noticed that cats have odd habits that make them endearing, but at the same time, make us go “Huh?” These habits seem to be universal cat traits, because if I talk to other cat owners, they laugh because they know exactly what I’m talking about.

         For instance, what’s with the fake stare out the window? It’s not just a yearning, nostalgic look (as a dog does). It’s not a signal that they want to go outside. It’s an urgent “if-you-don’t come now, you won’t see it” attentiveness. They’re so alert that I must be missing a robbery, car accident, cat fight, massive landslide, or blantantly public makeout session! At least that’s what would grab my attention. But when I pull back the curtains, what do I see? Maybe a bush rustling in the wind in the neighbor’s yard. Maybe an ant crossing the driveway. “For Christ’s sake cat! You called me over here for this! What the…” And he looks at me with that “You-stupid-human” stare.

         Or what about when they are super hungry, but against all logic, they get in your way of feeding them? This can't be evolutionary. It’s completely counterproductive – every pawstep that cat makes is only one micrometer from causing me to fall like a stumbling idiot. And when I go splat, kitty goes splat! (Where’s the payback there?) I've concluded it's more like those insurance commercials, where the squirrels cause a car wreck. The cats are saying, “That was really cool last time when she walked out in her bathrobe in the dark. I got caught between her feet and she almost landed right on my tail! Let’s do that again!” The risk seems to be worth the excitement.

         Therefore I’ve learned to be a little cautious in my reactions to what are supposed to be obvious pet owner duties on my part. Because the cat-human interaction is sometimes predestined and written in a parallel universe, where cats have the upper paw


-Natalie Post