Christine over at Abbey of the Arts posted the other day about animals, which got me thinking about my three cats.
There’s kind of a batty reputation around middle-aged women who keep cats. As I’m proud to be both a little eccentric and of a certain age, this suits me fine.
Traditional Christian theology has it that animals do not have souls and therefore will not see heaven (whatever we understand that to be). Well I think that would make heaven a much duller environment.
Marge Piercy, whose autobiography Sleeping with Cats I’m currently reading, writes wonderfully about how her whole life has been interwoven with a series of cats. She debunks the idea that animals do not have their own personalities (as those who don’t love animals often believe). She takes very seriously her responsibility in sharing her life with her cats.
Those who scoff and believe cat-lovers are guilty of anthropomophising their behaviour should just open their eyes and observe.
Let me introduce my cat Lucy: she is a small grey cat with startling green eyes. Insecure and needy, she was a rescued cat who came into my life with the others around three years ago. For such a small cat she is enormously passionate in her affection. Her solid, compact body with its glossy grey fur positively shakes with purring. She wants to get as close as possible when I’m at my desk (which makes typing difficult) and likes to wash my face. She occasionally expresses dissatisfaction by taking a flying leap onto my shoulder from behind me, and clings there with all four sets of claws.
She treats the other two cats mostly with some disdain, and is insistent on trying to get the lion’s share of my affection. Her jealousy when I pay attention to the others is clear to see. Sometimes she just stares out of those huge green eyes as if trying to hurl psychic curses. At other times she gets depressed and goes to lie in the corner.
I often feel guilty about her, because her need for affection is huge and often smothering, so I back away from it. And I confess she isn’t my favourite of the three, and she knows it.
She is just one clear example of how animals bring love into our lives and make us the better for it.
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