One of My Muses
I try to play with my cat Gracie everyday because I know that living in a small hotel room is not exactly ideal for kitty cats. Yesterday, as I was testing different strategies to engage her, I found her little, round, fuzzy ball and that is what she wanted to play with. However, I hesitate to use it in play as I do not want to lose the one link to her kittenhood. From all the toys she has, it is the only one of its kind and the oldest. I did not get it for her, it was passed on to me by a previous owner.
See, Gracie’s past is checkered. I do not know her exact origins. The previous owner, who used to live in the countryside, said that Gracie was caught wandering around and attached herself to her. I ended up with Gracie sort of the same way, she attached herself to me when I lived with the previous owner’s mother at one time.
Knowing that Gracie had so much space at one time I always feel some guilt. Finding the ball yesterday made me wonder how cats think about their childhoods and if they miss it, or if they never think of themselves as getting older.
Then today I saw a post on Facebook, by my friend Magena who asked a question about what childhood activities we liked which subsequently led to a discussion on childhood. I thought that was interesting as it coincided with my event from yesterday. Sure, Facebook can be a time waster, but I often find inspiration there by some people’s ponderings.
As humans, many of us long for the innocence of childhood while others want to forget it because of personal issues. I wonder how it is for animals and how does time pass for them? See, my friend Janet once made a statement that we could learn from cats who run around excitedly after they used the litter box. Can you imagine if we could live in the moment like that? What would happen if we all exited public bathrooms in the same manner?
Also, does Gracie see her ball as special or is it just me who is paranoid about losing it, and why does it matter so much to me?
4 comments:
I don't think it's just you who is sentimental about Gracie's special toy Alex. Believe it or not, Chanel has a red, white and blue mouse that she got from the shelter when I adopted her. That mouse is 11 years old and it's as special to me as it is to her. She will share other toys with the other cats, but never HER mouse.
Try not to worry though, should she ever lose it, she still has you, the best toy ever.
Not all childhood memories are wonderful. It is good to have an internal edit button sometimes.
LOL! Janet's observation about our energized kitties after using the litter box made me laugh. My Zorro is especially thrilled after his deposits. My two also had previous lives. We took Zorro from a woman who had a house filled with animals, probably a borderline hoarder. With his laid-back personality, he was lost there and craved one-on-one attention. We walked in the door, put the carrier on the floor, and he walked right in! His message was clear: Get me outta here! :-)
Great post, Alex, an excellent read and food for thought. A mind-link between you and Gracie and a need to share the toy because everyone needs toys to play with? Interesting. My dog has a 'teddy bear' that she carries around and plays with constantly- I can only imagine how it would be a terrible thing for her to lose it. ":)
Post a Comment