Tuesday, May 18, 2010

cat person

I can't believe I used to be a dog person. I recently had the opportunity to dog sit a friend's dog and I once again was reminded about how superior cats are.

Dogs are one dimensional. They are very predictable and seem to have a limited number of behavioral actions from which to choose. Perhaps that is the result of being so people dependent. It seems they can just barely think on their own but are always waiting for the human to do something so then they can react.

Cats on the other hand are multi-dimensional. They are always scheming, always up to something. Whether its ambushing each other or exploring new boxes, their actions are rarely dependent on humans.  Willow crouches in a window hunting birds on roof tops that are half a block away. But that doesn't mean they are not interested in what the humans do. Nahum is always looking to interact.

And just when you think you have his behavior figured out he will completely change it up. Nahum recently opened the cabinet door below the kitchen sink and made himself a napping spot on top of the stack of soft kitchen dishtowels.

My friend Lisa, a dog person with an interest in cats, accuses me of having a Grinch-like heart because my love of cats displaced my love of dogs. She says my heart should have grown to accommodate both a love for dogs and now a love for cats too. Perhaps she is right, but it feels like making the leap from a used Ford Pinto to a new Mustang and then being asked to fully enjoy both. Or maybe a better comparison; discovering Cabot's Seriously Sharp Cheddar cheese after a steady diet of Tillamook cheese and then expecting to be satisfied with the Tillamook again.

Perhaps it is less a matter of expanding one's heart and more a matter of refining one's tastes.

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