"If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat."
~ Mark Twain
As a child, watching NatGeo, I always wished to get home a tiger's cub. My wish was fulfilled many years later, however, with a few modifications; as what came home in place of a tiger's cub was a cat!
People have numerous apprehensions about cats, and so did I. Many think they are selfish, mean, asocial and even evil. Personally, I was just unaccustomed to the animal and did not know how to befriend it. This was my first ever encounter with this mystifying work of nature.
Mother Nature was obviously in the best of moods while creating the cat. She went overboard with her own abilities and created something which was a masterpiece. Tell me which other creature on four legs is as persnickety, as endowed with a sense of fastidious cleanliness, inimitable grace, immaculate dignity, wise discretion, genuine affection, commendable patience and intrepid courage as this little felid! A cat shows you that it is possible to do just about anything and everything with style. It does not reserve its elegance for special occasions. It perpetually basks in it.
A cat cannot be made a slave of the leash. It lives its life on its own terms. And in a matter of time, every cat owner realises that he does not really 'own' the cat but serves it. The cat, I thus believe, is nature's way of saying that it hasn't created everything to serve man. This is true because a cat doesn't see any reason to obey any other animal, even if it stands on two legs!
A cat, by temperament, is an aloof creature. This does not mean that it detests human company. It is only very individualistic in its being and seeks personal time. And no matter how much you may want to be with it, if a cat needs its own space it will take it. Cats usually groom themselves in this 'my time'. It takes a cat more time to groom itself than it would an average woman. Having groomed itself to its heart's content, the cat then admires itself. They can, by the way, look at and recognise themselves in a mirror. I wouldn't believe this if I hadn't seen it in person. A sense of pride and smug accomplishment definitely oozes from them after their self grooming. What is more fascinating than their narcissism is the fact that they can display their sense of satisfaction so well. Watch a cat sun bathe - Helen of Troy wouldn't look half as beautiful as a cat does while sun bathing!
Cats can sleep for a good 16 hours a day. This also is an activity in their 'time with themselves'. They determine their own sleeping pattern and eating habits, which changes almost every 3-4 months. Cats can eat as many as 2-10 meals in a day. They decide the menu and quantity of food they wish to consume. Cats are adept at conveying this, trust me.
Though they live in domestic society, they are never too far from the wild. Cats never give up the inherent felidae instincts. This is apparent in a lot of their daily activities, for instance their fetish for digging the spot where they relieve themselves and filling it up again so as not to leave behind a trace of their presence. Their soft paws make it possible for them to move in an absolutely soundless manner all the time. Cats are blessed with an amazing sense of judgement of distance - another felidae trait - which enables them to carry out impressive acrobatic feats around the house without causing any damage atleast 9/10 times. They measure distances with the help of their whiskers and brows. Even while jumping up and down they will maintain their poise, and will glance at you complacently after a perfect flight or landing.The feral side of a cat is most visible when they are in their hunter-prey mode. A cat will prey upon anything from a moth to a lizard to a rat to a dog! It will play this game with any dangling object or even your legs if you have the restless legs syndrome. In short, a cat is only a tiger that socialises.
A household that consists of a cat soon learns that the cat is an independent member of the family. It has a mind and will of its own. It will, under no circumstances, obey you. You will, on the other hand, be the obsequious attendant at the beck and call of thy royal highness. It is no point making it's bed or for that matter serving food to it at a place you think is appropriate. They decide where they will dine and sleep. And in all possibilities it may be a different spot every time! Don't be surprised if the brat wants to eat on the dining table at the time you have your meals.
A cat can sit still and observe you for hours at a stretch. Its gaze feels like that of a martinet closely watching you with censure because it conveys a lot with its expressions. Cats possess the ability to display over 100 facial expressions, all of which are distinct and recognisable. My favourite expressions are the "I-know-I'm-upto-no-good-and-I'd-like-to-see-you-stop-me" and "you-really-thought-I'd-listen-to-you". You have to see to understand how I could put words into those expressions. A cat needs no words to talk.
They will tear apart your pillows, break your china, spill the milk, prick their claws into the mats, climb upto the pelmet with the help of the curtain, reduce your newspaper to bits before you have even looked at it, sip water from your glass, rip apart your soft toys, wake you up in the middle of the night to be fed, jump atop the refrigerator just out of curiosity, settle in your microwave oven because that looks like unexplored territory, slap the television when they see something moving on the screen, try to dig your bathroom floor, pull the flush non-stop to study the flow of water in the commode, fight with your hair, scratch you, mount you, and snuggle into your bedding every night as per their comfort and convenience. Yet you will only bow down with immeasurable love for your cat and do everything you can to please it.
Despite its autocratic nature, and its instinctive will to rule and dominate, a cat will love you. Not as its master, but it will love you nevertheless. It does not explicitly display emotion or fawn over you like your dog would, but it is probably a more intelligent and understanding animal. It believes in the adage that actions speak louder than words and does express its affection for you in ways it deems subtle and suitable to its royal demeanour. Why else would it sit inside your suitcase and not let you pack for a trip, come racing to the door the minute it hears the knob turn - and then, however, regain its sangfroid once you are in view, sulk and sit on your baggage when you return from a trip, wait on the bed or dresser all the while you bathe, and hate your laptop or phone because you don't play with it while you are working or talking?
A cat may treat you as a means to its comfort and sit in your lap probably because it seems a warmer haven than its bed at the moment, but it certainly makes you a more sensitive person in more than one way and changes you for the better. Humans have never enjoyed being subservient, but being so with a cat makes us happy. You can't help looking at it with the benign fondness of a parent looking at its utterly spoilt child waiting for it to enunciate its next whim. I believe it is impossible to talk about cats without sounding a little insane, but I'd suggest play hide-and-seek with a cat and catch hold of it in its frenzy. Cuddle it and look it in its eyes. In return for that moment of joy you will never want to be sane again!
(My humble attempt at expressing the immense happiness that came into our lives when Leo happened to us!)
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