Fatal Attraction

I've always wondered how cats determine whether they like someone or not.I came to believe that a person's smell must be one of the factors that matter. Minou, my Siamese, for example, is going crazy over a certain brand of men's cologne. Even the mailman would get jumped and licked to death if he were to allow it. Visitors have to undergo a thorough investigation, where she will stand on their chests, sniffing them up and down. The butting head routine shows acceptance, and if it happens to be one of her favorite fragrances, she'll start "washing" the shirt, or sweater. Even certain laundry detergents have that effect on her, and never mind the fuzzy tongue. It is often funny to try to explain why she licks someones shirt with a vengeance :) Once that muster is passed, she usually curls up in the new lap, and one better doesn't move, or expect to be growled at. Only once have I experienced that she was ready to attack and would not allow someone to sit down. A neighbor has brought her new friend over for a nice cuppa, and as soon as he walked into the living room, the cat grew twice in size and started spitting and hissing like a, well, a cat possessed. She would not allow him to sit down, and since I always trust my cat's instinct, neither would I. Needless to say, my neighbor was rather upset for a while, but when her friend turned out to be a real scumbag shortly afterwards, she treated Minou to a fine chicken dinner to apologize. We never did find out how he cat knew. How do felines know us so well? How is it that with just one look they can tell who you are, and what you think? Its like they possess the ability to look beyond the skin, right into our souls.... and passing muster, being accepted, being 'one of the chosen' brings us a sense of happiness and accomplishment as not much else can. For a cat's heart cannot be bought with treats, nor can it be broken and forced into slavery. Deep down, we all admire that spirit, and wish for a soul that strong. I was lucky. Even the most vicious cats come to me to be touched, and I was never afraid. One of my greatest dreams is to get close to a 'big' cat. In my arrogance I trust they would purr for me too. Is it my total disbelieve that they could be any different then my life mates? Or is it that I think like a cat more often then I do as a human? One thing I do know, despite the devotion one gets from a dog, the first time a little tiger puts that triangular head into one's hand and purrs, the bond thus created is more powerful then anything imaginable. The pain of bliss in a bursting heart is almost too much. How many times have we slept cramped up and twisted, just so the cat would stay where she was? Would we do that for any other creature? I doubt it. Be touched with a soft paw of compassion and understanding, and your life changes forever. And once one started filling the house with the little gods, stopping is almost impossible. There is one hell I believe in. A house without cats.

Read on or return to main page