Cats Are Not the Spawn of Satan

Liz purrs:

No one "be hatin' on the bitches". And I mean that literaly. Everyone likes dogs, or at least no one will admit that they do not like dogs for fear of appearing Godless and coldhearted. I like dogs. I like dogs that do not stink, do not shit on the floor, are not trying to hump your leg, and do not bark or growl except at predators. I am not a predator. I like dogs that want very little attention, play for their own amusement- not the amusement of their master- and that do not chase after tires, trying to attack them. In other words, I like dogs that are evolved enough to act like cats.

A few mornings ago I was leaving work around 6:30- night shift is a bugger- and I drove past what I thought was a roofing shingle in the middle of the parkway. Barely making an effort not to plow over the debris, I was very surprised that the shingles had 4 eyes and were, in fact, not home improvement items but instead two very small micro-kittens. I U-turned, chased the kittens (they did not put up much resistance) into a ditch and collected them. They were so amazingly tiny! I called Kim, got the recovery effort going, then went home and went to sleep.

The next night at work I told the story (spiced up to make a sale), told them about the cats already being taken to the vet and wormed and twice bathed, described their beauty in detail, and with 20 men in the room, no one had even the faintest interest in taking one of these cats. I can understand that. What I cannot understand is the HOSTITLITY toward cats. "Who would want a cat?" "WHY did you save them?" "You should have run over them." "I hate cats." It was AWFUL.

Why do people despise cats? What could a cat have ever done to you? You got scratched once? I'll bet your girlfriend has scratched you before! You got bit once? I'll bet you were pulling the cat's tail and deserved it! I don't comprehend this intense desire to elminate cats from the species pool. You never hear of a cat mauling the neighbor's child or killing a jogger. That's always dogs. Cats certainly aren't the more vicious of the two animals. I have had 4 cats in my life and never has one lifted it's leg and peed on me or my furniture. I cannot say the same for the dogs my family has had. So, what is the deal? How did cats get lumped in with snakes and spiders as the offical representatives of Satan on Earth?

I did end up finding a home for both kittens. A man in the class, under his breath, said, "My wife wants a cat." "SOLD!" I exclaimed. Before the end of the night he said he would take them both. I made him promise he was not going to use them as bait or torture them. He promised. These babies are less than 5 weeks old. Right now they are a little needy-they need some compassion and attention. But they will out grow that soon. Then they'll just "be". They will entertain, they will give you attention on a limited basis, they will chase after moths and shoelaces. Perfect! What more can someone want from a pet? Hell, that's exactly what I'm looking for in a boyfriend.