Wednesday, 18th March 2009
My Catty Teacher
In the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the Cat does not have a name. The Cat that lives in this house does – however, I refuse to use it, because that would give him the pleasure of knowing I acknowledge his existence. But does he care? Oh no. It is a well-known fact that dogs have owners, and cats have staff as well as Cat-ittude! Dogs come when they're called; and cats take a message and get back to you when they’re good and ready. There is a time for everything – but most of it can be procrastinated if it’s time for the aptly named catnap. A cat does not hoard food.
He thinks dogs are silly when they dirty their paws in order to dig holes for bones. A cat is not clean... he is covered in cat-spit. However, to Cat, as to cat owners, this means spotlessly clean – because any loose fur or foreign objects are caught and deposited squarely in hairballs... usually in the middle of the corridor or on a freshly vacuumed carpet. This has taught me that every so often I need to take stock of my life- removing all that is extraneous to an easy conscience.
Ironically, the stray cats I feed – to whom I have given names to which they answer – flock towards me when they recognise the noise of my opening front door. Cat looks upon them superciliously, yet he tried running away to join them a couple of times, thinking they were kindred spirits...
However, both times, he returned home within the week, dishevelled as only a cat can be; tail between his legs, glossy fur matted and stained with engine oil... and practically starving. He must have been at the very end of the pecking order when it came to food, and probably did not like the scraps that were leftover after everyone else would have eaten). Ironically, when he ran away, he made sure to keep out of our sight... but when he wanted to return home, he just sat down on the doorstep and meowed until we noticed.
He never did it again, even when the door is left open and the strays that are courageous enough walk in, eat, and walk out again. This has taught me that before trying new ventures, I must be prepared for them. There are a lot of human sharks out there, ready to take advantage of newbies and rookies.... anyone who is not streetwise (and Cat certainly isn’t, given his coddled existence) will get hurt. Joseph Wood Krutch put it in a nutshell when he said that cats seem to go on the principle that it never does any harm to ask for what you want. False modesty and reticence never did anyone any good.
I know he does not like me. He knows I do not like him. And yet, every morning, it is me he chooses to wake up, by leaping onto me as I try and get in an extra two-second’s lie-in... demanding he be fed and petted. Unlike the alarm clock, Cast has no “snooze” button. As the song says he wants it all, and he wants it now. Cat once brought me a headless mouse. He caught it in the back garden... and sashayed into the kitchen with it, dripping blood.... I am not afraid of mice – it’s just that I don’t like them. And when they’re headless, I happen to like them even less. However, my son explained that this was an attempt to placate me... he brought me his “game”, the results of his hunt, because he was trying to tell me (as translated by my son) that I deserve a gift because I am his provider.
This taught me that I must remember to show my appreciation for things I may not like. Of course, it also taught me that I must show my appreciation to others, too, simply for being what they are... friends who listen to me rant, mentors who show me the way, and so forth. Cat usually has free run of the house. But once, “someone” was coming and she insisted that we lock Cat up because of her (imagined?) allergies. So, in order to mollify her – for reasons I will not go into here – we placed Cat inside a bedroom and locked the door.
His pitiful cries – and the smug look on the visitor’s face – taught me that sometimes, people lie to get what they want – even if it means placing others at a disadvantage. Cat knew that this person was not really allergic to him. In fact he next time she came, he was lying down behind the sofa where she sat, throughout her visit, and nary a sniffle came out of her nose. I couldn’t wipe the silly grin off my face, and I caught her looking at me quizzically once or twice. I learned a Cat-alogue of things from Cat, far too many to list here. If, in the green year, we reach a compromise, Cat might be able to teach me a lot more.
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Another instance when she had two kittens and opened their eyes, I brought one and handed it to my wife When I brought the other one up from the basement she grabbed my wife`s kitten, brought it to me and began to feed them both on my lap. Each time I gave one to my wife, the mother cat grabs it and brings it to me. Cats are clever too. Maybe she thought I was the grandmother or grandfather.