This is a very tongue-in-cheek reaction by me to a successful video on YouTube. The video makes me ask what precisely is it about my cat that I like although that is not the question asked in the video. My answer is not specific. It is the entire cat-bundle that I like.
Incidentally, the stereotypical depictions of cats and dogs in the video are highly exaggerated.
You love cats but if, all of a sudden, your partner (husband, wife etc.) started to behave exactly like a domestic cat, would you:
- relinquish him at the local cat shelter 😉
- take him to a vet
- take him to a cat behaviorist
- accept him as another cat companion of the hairless and large kind
- do something else..
I’ll predict that all the answers are going to indicate that you’d react to him/her in an entirely different way than you do towards a cat. In short you would not accept him/her. Why?
Well, it must mean that we like our cats because of everything about them – behavior, appearance and character. The appearance has to be a large factor because if it was not we’d accept our human partner as a cat and get another cat to keep him company 😉
Or perhaps you’d reject him because the pet food bill would be gargantuan. Or perhaps you’d be too embarrassed to leash train him and take him for a walk 😉 And you wouldn’t be able to find a cat litter tray to fit.
Getting back to the serious side of this concept for a moment, it seems that we would reject our human partner if (s)he behaved like a cat because we have fixed notions as to what a cat looks like. Behavior has to fit the appearance.
There would be practical issues too. If (s)he curled up on the sofa or in front of the fire and slept there all day it would be very inconvenient. Perhaps he’d look out of the window at birds for several hours! That would be a trifle disturbing.
Of course, he would no longer go to work unless he was employed by one of the big pet food companies to promote their products. Perhaps that is the main reason for rejecting him as a cat. It certainly is a good one. But we do accept our cat not working.
Hi Michael, that’s funny! I actually think this would be very attractive. I mean depends what. Staring at birds all day long not so much, but some other qualities like cat’s self-containment with just a little touch of narcissism could work for many.
Sounds like me 😉
My goodness. Sarcasm. from Michael? Good! Let’s all be in rare form tonight! [dog personality starting to show. Apologies again. My bad. We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t enjoy each other’s company…? ]
Oops. [DOG] does that mean the rest of you have social engagements? oh, guess I’ll stay home alone, feeling sorry for myself…
crapping in your moonflowers.