I don’t believe that I am treading on anyone’s toes when suggesting that Thanksgiving could be extended to giving thanks for the joy and companionship that our cats and dogs bring us. I’ll focus on cats but the same goes for dogs.
Thanksgiving is a secular holiday although rooted in religion. It looks like the Harvest Festival of the Anglican Church. We are thankful for the food on our table. In the past it would have been a direct thanks for the success of the harvest which depends to a certain extent on luck; the weather conditions.
Perhaps that is why we give thanks; we have been the recipient of sufficient luck to have a harvest which provides us with enough food to live on for the forthcoming months. We thank our God for that, if we believe in a God. If we don’t, we just feel lucky and are thankful that we are able to provide enough food for our family.
Food brings physical sustenance. Cats bring emotional sustenance. Food keeps us alive. Domestic cat companions provide so many millions of people with much joy and emotional wellbeing. Many millions of people literally depend on their cat to make life bearable and meaningful. This is equal to the provision of food because it is rare nowadays for people in the West to starve because of a lack of food. That aspect of Thanksgiving has gone with the times.
There is a greater need to focus more on the emotional needs of individuals in modern life. It can be very pressured. Emotional needs can be neglected. The lives of many can be devoid of meaningful emotional sustenance. There are many people who relate better to animals than humans. This is where cats come into the lives of people who are more able to relate to and interact with their companion cat.
We owe them thanks. Would it not be so difficult to include cats and dogs into the Thanksgiving celebrations? Let’s say it is food for thought. And lets say that emotional wellbeing and calm is becoming harder to find in an increasingly pressurised world of global uncertainties.
Our cats provide a wonderful level of certainty in our lives. They are utterly reliable. They provide stability for many. Let’s give thanks for them and lets bless all the cats in rescue centres who are yet to find a loving home. May they be lucky and successful at Thanksgiving and over the holiday season.
[Thanksgiving is today 23rd November 2017].
You would do better giving thanks to, and protecting, all the wildlife outside of your door. For without them you wouldn’t even be here and allowed to have bred animals for pets.
Think.
I am more concerned about wildlife and you are you mindless idiot. There are thousands of pages on this website about wildlife conservation. So please don’t preach to me. I think it’s about time you started to think and use what little brain that you have. You are the mindless minion. You are the idiot.
Oh yes, especially at a time when discussions at the table are a cat hair away from becoming loud arguments, cats are the perfect peace-makers and emotional regulators. Just looking at a cat blinking at you is like taking a xanax.