On cats

So I was walking towards the check-out line at Safeway today, when suddenly I slipped and did this awkward spinning thing, complete with flailing arms. As a bit of background, I’m wearing these semi-new shoes, the soles of which are quite slippery. After I regained my balance, I did a nervous-yet-casual 360-degree glance around the room to see if anybody was pointing and laughing. There was a woman standing behind me in the check-out line who clearly saw the whole thing, but she offered no acknowledgment. This struck me as a little unfriendly, since the least she could have done was to offer a little smile that communicated something like “Yeah you looked really dumb just now, but that’s okay, at least you didn’t fall on your ass and hurt yourself.” But instead she just kept her head down.

[It reminded me of how sometimes I see people I once worked with (or even currently work with) on the street or on the bus, and we pretend to not see each other, or if we do make eye contact, we pretend we don’t know each other. I think it’s the fear or abhorrence of small talk that prevents people from acknowledging fellow humans, and I wonder if it is more out of shyness/social anxiety than any sort of real malice or disaffection. Still, it is pretty sad to me. But I digress.]

So as we were standing in line, the woman put her items on the check-out counter: about 14 cans of gourmet cat food. And then I had a judgmental moment of realization: “Ah, so that’s why she didn’t acknowledge me: she’s one of those shy hermits that retreats to her house where she lives alone and speaks to no one but her cats.” This immediately made me feel better, but the very next moment I wondered why I jumped to this conclusion about cat-lovers. Is this a valid assumption to be making — that lovers of cats are naturally unfriendly towards humans and should not be expected to follow standard social norms?

I thought about all the cat-lovers I know. (Real ones, not fake ones like Chris, who used to terrorize our childhood cat, Millie.) All the people I personally know who are really into their cats are also really kind, gentle, warm people. But then I guess there are those I hear about that I don’t personally know, like witches, or Catwoman.

Then I thought, maybe it’s because cats themselves have the reputation of being cold and aloof. But then I thought about the time when I lived in the Mission and my roommate’s cat, Lunch, used to claw and throw her body against my door, trying to get inside my room so that I would pet her. I had to bar the door with my dresser to keep her from getting inside since my door didn’t shut tightly. She was one needy, friendly cat. A little too friendly...

So really there isn’t much of a rational reason for my prejudice against cats and their owners. I myself wish I could have a cat, except that I would want somebody else to take care of it, and I also would want it to outlive me, because I would hate to get attached to a pet, only for it to die several years later. I really don’t understand why people get so attached to their pets. Why not emotionally invest in people? Or at least in inanimate objects that won’t die? For me, I would want a pet so I could enjoy hugging it and petting it, since I like soft, furry, cute things. So why not just get a stuffed animal? Or if you want something that moves and doesn’t just sit there, why not one of those mechanical puppies or kittens that are small and cute and move around?

I hope I am not offending anyone. Perhaps it is just my pessimistic, fatalistic side. Or maybe it’s just a matter of taste. I think I would rather just enjoy the dogs and cats I see at the park. Or in those screensavers or calendars that feature adorable kittens and puppies doing cute things. I can handle that.

On a somewhat unrelated note, if I were to get a pet dog, I would want it to be fluffy and big enough for me to ride. I could go for rides around the lake or visit my local grocery store. Just an idea.

image from cute overload