A Defence of Cats

 


There is a prejudice towards cats. Whether it is them being ‘familiars’ to witches or causing disruptions in people’s lives, cats have been associated with chaos. They are also seen as scheming creatures that are very cunning. In fact, the term ‘crazy cat lady’ seems to tell that women who love cats must be crazy. There must be something fundamentally wrong with the people who love them.

However, there are cultures which have defended cats fiercely. For instance, there is a Danish saying that he who does not have a cat in his house is a thief. This might sound extreme but they do have a reason behind this. Cats are independent creatures. In fact, they are semi-social animals. They have their moments where they enjoy the company of their owners or other cats but they also require privacy. This means cats will not let you touch them when they don’t want to be touched. Cats are very serious about consent in this sense.

Some people tend to dislike them because they believe cats don’t love their owners. These people are mostly dog owners who are used to being the center of their dog’s universe. Cats do not see their owners that way. They love their owners but are not dependent on them. They are highly independent creatures who are able to function without their owner.

One’s love towards cats is seen as a hallmark of his respect for individuality and consent in the Danish culture. After all, if they hate someone for not being emotionally dependent on them, then they are a red flag.

I personally think it is stupid when people expect cats to be like dogs. They are two different species. It is like getting angry at a monkey for not acting like a human being.

Islamic culture and tradition is a strong defender of cats too. There are scriptures which talk about why a cat is a good pet. They respect and value the fact that a cat is clean and cleans up after itself.

But all reasonings aside, cats are just another species who live their lives in this planet. We, the so-called ‘intellectuals’, are the ones who attribute random things to them. Trust me, they do not care enough to ruin your day. Your life was already bad, don’t blame it on cats. You being scolded by your boss wouldn’t fill their stomach.

Cats are beautiful, graceful and adorable. They are fast and their bodies are almost like liquid. Their flexibility is a beauty in and of itself. So, live and love cats.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Author

Image
  Her small head contains an infinity of perfection. The world flies into her head and gets conceived there. She patiently bears it and shapes it thoughtfully and carefully. She nurtures it in her head for several days until the shapeless world acquires shape. Faces receive characters, characters receive names, names get recognition. Recognition breeds familiarity. One night, she silently types the world she had shaped. She pauses and presses backspace. A while later, after ruminating upon her choice of words, she continues. She pauses again. No amount of words could capture the perfection in her head. Words cut off the limbs of her creation to accommodate it. Her perfect creation was born imperfect. She contemplates whether to have it unborn and perfect or born and imperfect. Then she remembers it. Parvati created a perfect boy from the sandal paste of her body. He was born in her head first then was brought to life by her hands which shaped every part of him with great ca...
Read more

Love Yourself

Image
  Aside from the fact that you deserve to be loved as a person, loving yourself is important because it is the path towards completion. The day we start comparing ourselves to others is the day we stunt our growth as a person. It’s when we use the standards set by others to measure our worth life becomes miserable. Loving oneself is not narcissism. In fact, it is the opposite of it. A narcissist would abuse themselves by stubbornly believing that they are always in the right. They are not being honest with their self. It’s far from it, they are running away from themselves. Your faults and mistakes make you who you are and it is most important to admit them and be content with yourself. Loving yourself means you love yourself enough to put effort on yourself. What do we do when we love someone? We stay by their side and help them no matter how hard it is to do so. Why can’t we do the same to ourselves? We need to train ourselves and be disciplined in such a way that neither success...
Read more

Throughout Heaven and Earth, I Alone Am the Honoured One: Understanding the Nuance Behind Gojo Satoru’s Oft-quoted Statement

Image
  Gojo Satoru is arguably one of the most popular characters in the anime Jujutsu Kaisen. He is, in fact, more popular than the protagonist of the anime. On the surface, Gojo Satoru might seem as a character who is written to be a fan favourite. He is charismatic, powerful, attractive and rebellious. These are all the qualities fans tend to look for in a ‘hero’ But this is not true. Gojo’s character is much more than that. When we consider his actions with the context of his past, then one thing is obvious: Gojo is Buddha. To understand this statement, we need to understand Mahayana Buddhism; the branch of Buddhism that is practiced in China, Japan and Korea. What does Mahayana Buddhism advocates for? Mahayana Buddhism teaches the concept called ‘Anatta’ which means ‘non-self’ ‘Non-self’ or rather 'non-perception of self', as the name suggests, rejects the perception of a Self. In religions like Hinduism or Christianity, the temporal nature of the body and the permanence ...
Read more