Cats keep you on your toes!

I saw a delightful blog entry from http://betweennapsontheporch.net the other day regarding the blogger's wonderful cat Mr. Maxx. I emailed back about the cats that have shared my life over the span of about thirty years. I have loved them all, each with their individual personality traits, behaviors good and bad. Cats are really quite wonderful, and very affectionate in their own endearing way.

But it was not always so! Since ancient times, cats were always  regarded as mysterious, strange or dangerous. Superstition about them doesn't help, especially when they are black in color. Frankly, all my cats have been black, and I feel especially lucky to have enjoyed their company.

In the 18th Century, they were not regarded very well at all. Dogs had a proper place in man's life, especially the darling lap dog, or the elegant hunting dog who worked in tandem with his owner. There are many paintings featuring "The Hunt", or dogs seated respectfully with their human family. But though I searched high and low, I did not find too many paintings with cats included in the domestic scene. This one at left from the mid-1700's shows a scrawny cat, not very lovable.

I did find one appalling print by Hogarth (at left) that depicts cats being used and abused in a most ugly way. They were tied together and thrown into a fighting match to see which would survive. Hogarth made the drawing as a reminder of the cruelty inflicted on animals.

Cats are usually depicted as a menace. See the painting below. The cat is ready to pounce, and disrupt the scene. They were good for chasing down mice and rats in town, and on shipboard, but dogs gain the favor when it comes to domesticated furry friends.

In the Orient, though, cats are regarded a bit differently, as our many things when looking on from the Asian perspective. The Japanese poet Issa (1763-1827) documented cats in the following haikus:

On the cat's grave
in First Month
....dried sardines

Wild cat--
after making love
he's the town pet


ten kittens
ten different
colors

Notice that Issa looks at them as they are, nothing more. All three of my cats have been quite different. But, it's a matter of perspective! The Ying and the Yang. My first, Lucy Long, was mean to everyone, but not to me and my daughter. My second, Opal Putin, was a delight to everyone, but her long hair left tufts everywhere. My current cat, Blackie Norton, causes no trouble at all, but she prefers to live outside my door. She rarely comes in. But, I like to let them be as they are.

Cats keep you on your toes! If you want to read a delightful account of them, try Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, by T.S. Eliot. It's a joyful read, especially for cat lovers who will understand all.