It is nice to see in this Q & A that pictures of cats define modern life on this planet, which is how I interpret the words.
Of course it’s tongue-in-cheek but pictures of cats do tell us a lot about ourselves. In fact, I was talking to a friend of mine the other day at the gym and I said that when we discuss cat behaviour we actually discuss ourselves and how we relate to our cats. He didn’t believe me and told me I was speaking a lot of gibberish but it’s true.
Our relationship with cats would provide an alien with quite a lot of information about modern life on earth. When people think of pictures of cats they smile. They think of an amusing image so they equate domestic cats with being amused. That’s a good thing but there is a lot of serious stuff to consider in our relationship with domestic cats. Placing too much emphasis on being amused by them tends to divert our attention away from welfare issues which must always come first.
Prioritising funny cat pictures over serious discussions on cat welfare seems to be the norm nowadays. I am not sure I agree with it.
You’re right, it’s important to not let things get out of hand, in respect to our cats. Cats! They don’t stalk in groups. They’re just cool. That’s what they are. They don’t THINK like pack animals. Sometimes, if feral or big, they do partner. That’s it. That’s as far as it goes.
Thank You, Michael, for what you do. The New Yorker needs you in their pages. Let them know, please. They might already know. Again, thanks for everything that you do.