A national pet organization recently disclosed that for the first
time cats have replaced dogs as America's most numerous pets.
The reasons for this are readily apparent. As family life
declines and living arrangements incline more and more towards
the one or two person home and as people have less leisure
time and less living space the self-sufficiency of cats make
them the more attractive pet.
Whether you love them or hate them anyone who has experience
with cats knows one thing: cats are weird. How many of us have
found our cat in a seemingly impossible place in our home or
apartment. We take the cat down or out of this place and put
him in front of it to see how he gets to this place. The cat then
contemptuously walks away and you just know he's thinking 'Like
I'm going to show this idiot my secrets.'
Cats were worshipped in
ancient Egypt (probably because of the severe rodent problem
in the desert ) as evidenced by the thousands of mummified
cats found buried under the desert and an equal number of
ancient artifacts featuring the feline image ( the Sphinx is the
most notable ). The all-conquering Romans
spread cats throughout the Mediterranean world after Egypt
became a Roman province.
The agility of cats is truly a wonder of nature. Their balance
and their ability for pinpoint leaps and perfect landings would
shame any gold medal olympic gymnast. Even their aloofness
has a certain charm
to it if veiwed in the right way. And with a cat in the house there
is never a mouse or rodent problem.