While I’ve never thought of our cat as philosophic, that implication is beginning to grow on me. In times past I blamed her behavior on faulty wiring; lately it’s beginning to dawn on me I may have been hasty.
For example, take her food bowl. With the food bowl thing, Minnie had to have thought hard on how to make half-empty a positive. For is it not true optimists see the glass half-full, pessimists, half-empty? Not so Minnie. If life is half-empty that means she can be optimistic she will see it soon completely full.
The first indication of a soon-full bowl is Minnie sitting staring at it. It’s really much better for all concerned to fill the bowl immediately upon noting this posture. But we are often slow learners at our house.
Because we insist, she will take us to the next argument. Stare at bowl; stare at idiot who hasn’t made the connection yet. Alternate the pattern. And the ensuing like unto it; stare at bowl, stare at idiot, squeak like a rusty hinge.
I pause here a moment and reflect. It was the squeaking part that made me first suspect Minnie was turning ruminant. Yowling - anyone could put up with for a while. We expect cats to yowl, that is where the word caterwaul came from. But squeaking. Squeaking is Chinese water torture of the ear.
However, it is amazing what one can become accustomed to. And so, on the heels of point three, four follows swiftly. Note the above heels, for the word will take on new meaning in this step of Minnie’s polemic. As will ankle, lower leg, and bare toes if available.
This point normally is made while the casualty walks to and fro in their kitchen, ignoring the staring and squeaking. And it usually decides the matter. In fact, I’m thinking that much of Minnie’s new bent for philosophy seized a firmer grip while she was preparing this detail. Cows may contemplate while chewing; but I sense cats do it best, when they sharpen.
As I said earlier, take the food bowl. And fill it.
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