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Dogs, cats and the meaning of life
November 29, 2007
Do you ever wonder what your four-legged friends are thinking and why
they do what they do? If I came upon a genie in a bottle, one of my
wishes would be to ask my pets three questions.
No. 1 would be directed at the dogs: Why do you turn around three times
before finally settling into sleep? Are you tapping into your origins
and establishing territory and your place within the pack circle? Or are
you patting down a genetic memory of tall grass like your wolf
ancestors? Maybe you're just telling me it's time to flip the mattress.
My second question would be addressed to my 7-pound spitfire
tortoiseshell feline, Pepper: Why do you hiss, charge and otherwise
loathe all the other four-legged family members you're forced to live
with? Was it because you were the first to arrive and you don't
understand why your humans felt the need to clutter your territory with
these other furry balls? Or could it be that you're simply displaying a
feline version of the Napoleon complex. Being the smallest in the
household, do you find it necessary to charge and occasionally injure a
60-pound pit bull that makes the mistake of lying down next to you?
For the final question, I'd choose a setting that would make it
conducive for all of us to share our feelings and open up. One by one,
I'd ask each, What do you really do when I'm not home? Do you pine away
awaiting my return? Are you, the dogs, trying to figure out how to pull
the "treats" out of the cat litter box? Are you, the cats, sulking
because your toys aren't strewn across the house like the dog toys,
because the dogs always eat your toys?
Some of my colleagues had their thoughts about what they would like to
know, including "Do you really like me?" and "Do you think I smell
funny?"
I imagine that they would probably respond with a question of their own:
"Why, my human companion, do you find it necessary to attach human
qualities to us? Napoleon complex? Sulking? Anger? Need we remind you
who sets the bar for unconditional love in this universe?"
And my reply? "Touché, my four-legged friends."
- Gloria
Dauphin
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