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June 2014 | Read this issue and more at www.healthandwellnessmagazine.net |
Cats:
The Dependent
Independents
By Charles Sebastian,
Staff Writer
Cats. Ruthless. Unyielding.
Stalking the house for anyone to
challenge their authority. Such
fiercely independent creatures, until
they hear the food bag open or fresh
litter being dumped in the box. The
Western and Eastern hemispheres
have domesticated them, the ancient
Egyptians worshipped them, and
the mystery of why cats visit the
terminally ill remains just that: a
mystery. If you are a cat lover, you
are an “ailurophile,” coming from the
Greek, and if you’re not a cat lover,
it could mean you don’t like being
bossed around.
A group of cats is called a
“clowder,” while a group of kittens
is a “kindle.” Cats’ nose prints are
unique in the same way as human
fingerprints; they can jump five
times as high as their own height;
and while you may think they are
snuggling up to you when you are
sick because they love you, it’s more
likely they want warmth and your
temperature is up. They spend 30
percent of their time grooming, are
cumulatively awake two out of every
7 years, and are marking you with
their scent glands when they wrap
around your legs, not “cuddling.”
While so many of the 500 million cats in America wind up in the
wild or put down, many of them
find their way into our homes and
hearts and provide great solace and
companionship to those who desperately need it. Because Mohammed
liked cats, Muslims have held cats
in high regard for many years, while
the Catholic Church persecuted and
killed cats for over a thousand years.
They felt that because the cat was
used and worshipped in Pagan belief,
which predated Christianity, all
Pagan symbols should be destroyed.
This was one of the variables behind
the perfect storm that became the
Black Plague, which killed hundreds
of thousands in Medieval Europe.
With the cats killed off, the rats carrying the Bubonic Plague ran rampant, spreading filth to every nook
and cranny of the continent. When
so much of the population died off,
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the cats reproduced and started
whittling down the rat brigade.
Cats have so much mythology and
lore attached to them, one marvels at
their lot in the unfolding of human
history. Yet, while their illustrious
past lingers, there is one constant
that keeps them in the human game:
cuteness. It is the undeniable cuteness of kittens that penetrates the
human armor and gets cats a free
pass into our homes and lives. The
need for companionship remains
powerful and unwavering and pets
are often better for people than other
humans, given the evil that men do.
But sadly, for every happy cat with a
nice owner, there are 10 more in the
shelters awaiting the right person.
The heart-tuggers are the older ones,
hanging on for as long as possible,
watching the younger ones go, as
new masters seek those kitties with
more mileage and years to offer. It is
the way of things: a pale reflection
of our own aging lives. Perhaps we
need these creatures as much as they
need us.
Editor’s note: If you would like
a cat, please consider adopting one
from your local animal shelter or
humane society. And remember to
have them spayed or neutered.
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