I have two beautiful Abyssinian-mix cats, Mr. Lucky and Gigi. If you happen to wander by and admire my felines, I’ll gladly gush about them. However, today I’m wondering if domestication has gone too far? Or not far enough?
Consider the fact that my cats NEVER “do their business” outside in the dirt. Nope, no matter how long they have been outside. In fact this past weekend, they were waiting, little furry legs crossed, at the door when I came home from a day long workshop, and they nearly tripped me up on my own dash for the bathroom. Further, like spouses and children, a closed door to the bathroom is merely a temporary obstacle. Being the smart Abby-mixes they are, they’ve learned how to pull the door lever. If they can do that, then why can’t they learn to use the toilet and flush?
Another case in point, my two cats have the hunting thing down, but there’s a problem. Lucky brings his “toy” to me (usually some unfortunate lizard and, yes, occasionally a hummingbird), drops it at my feet, lifts those big green eyes, and begs, “Make it play with me!” Look beyond the “ewww” factor: his “toys” are not a meal. Some link is missing in this cat!
Paradoxically, his biological brother lives with my parents in a rural community. Buddy is an efficient and thoughtful hunter. Plus he gets it! He knows why he hunts. When he brings his prize home, he announces his delivery on his way to the bathroom. After you have suitably praised his prowess, he moves on to the clean up process with a flick of tail that says, “no need to set out the canned stuff tonight, I’ve got it covered.” The only problem Buddy seems to have is that his eyes are too big for his stomach. My dad once caught him stalking a deer.
Now Gigi doesn’t mind horning in on Lucky’s game, but she not much of a hunter of “live” things. I’ve learned to make sure all ball-point pens, twisty-ties, rubber-bands and shoe laces are out of sight. She cannot resist them. While finding the lost pens and not tripping over a suddenly fur-encased ankle is annoying, I worry most about her swallowing the twisty-ties and rubber-bands. So I’m a little obsessive about keeping those things in a drawer…at least so far she hasn’t managed to figure out how to open those!
Consider the fact that my cats NEVER “do their business” outside in the dirt. Nope, no matter how long they have been outside. In fact this past weekend, they were waiting, little furry legs crossed, at the door when I came home from a day long workshop, and they nearly tripped me up on my own dash for the bathroom. Further, like spouses and children, a closed door to the bathroom is merely a temporary obstacle. Being the smart Abby-mixes they are, they’ve learned how to pull the door lever. If they can do that, then why can’t they learn to use the toilet and flush?
Another case in point, my two cats have the hunting thing down, but there’s a problem. Lucky brings his “toy” to me (usually some unfortunate lizard and, yes, occasionally a hummingbird), drops it at my feet, lifts those big green eyes, and begs, “Make it play with me!” Look beyond the “ewww” factor: his “toys” are not a meal. Some link is missing in this cat!
Paradoxically, his biological brother lives with my parents in a rural community. Buddy is an efficient and thoughtful hunter. Plus he gets it! He knows why he hunts. When he brings his prize home, he announces his delivery on his way to the bathroom. After you have suitably praised his prowess, he moves on to the clean up process with a flick of tail that says, “no need to set out the canned stuff tonight, I’ve got it covered.” The only problem Buddy seems to have is that his eyes are too big for his stomach. My dad once caught him stalking a deer.
Now Gigi doesn’t mind horning in on Lucky’s game, but she not much of a hunter of “live” things. I’ve learned to make sure all ball-point pens, twisty-ties, rubber-bands and shoe laces are out of sight. She cannot resist them. While finding the lost pens and not tripping over a suddenly fur-encased ankle is annoying, I worry most about her swallowing the twisty-ties and rubber-bands. So I’m a little obsessive about keeping those things in a drawer…at least so far she hasn’t managed to figure out how to open those!
