Cat Think

Just as I started to type this, Harry, the elder cat in the household, asleep on my desk in his fleece donut bed, started to make these noises. As he did, his whiskers twitched slightly, but while his sides continued moving in the rythmic manner of sleep. Is this the result of a dream?

Another of my feline friends, Bonkers, would twitch his legs while sleeping. Was he running wild somewhere in a dream, or tussling with a foe?

The cats spend a large amount of time curled up in the fleece donuts on my desk, or just around in that space, perhaps looking out the window or cleaning themselves.

Since I met Bonkers, the first cat I really knew, I’ve always wondered what they would say to us if they could speak English, or if I could understand cat language.

Their behaviours and actions show them to be independent, playful, and even a sense of humor. They all know certain rooms in the house are off-limits by the closed doors. Jack, nimble and quick, is always aware of those opportunities and is the first to dart in and take this victory lap around the room and then he’ll willingly leave when beckoned.

Like most who live in the urban areas, most of my experience with animals is through these cats. For many others, their closest experience with animals is on their dinner plate, when they eat them. It’s a harsh statement, yes, but isn’t it totally true?

I’ve lately been reading this book by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson called
The Pig Who Sang to the Moon. It’s not about cats or dogs, but about animals who typically lived on Old McDonald’s farm — cows, chickens, sheep, goats, pigs, ducks, geese… Reading this book, chapter by chapter spanning this past week, has given me a deeper understanding and appreciation for the emotions and feelings of animals.

Masson has compiled and shared interesting stories and observations of these animals of they relate to each other, and ultimately to us. I’d definitely put this book on my recommended reading list.