31 May 2006

Sino's Long Lost Relative?


We were a little crazy when we saw this cat outside a building in Astoria. I love the friendly ones that actually like the attention. Cats are just as affectionate as dogs when they want to be.

2 comments:

Geo said...

Without being snotty, I must ask what is this American obsession with pets? When I was a boy back in the 50s, there was not one pet on my entire street in the city where I was born and raised, a fairly large city in the now Rust Belt, but then a flourishing part of America. Now, everyone on my street in another city far to the West, has a pet. I, or I should say, my wife has a pet, a long hair chihuahua. We were conned into taking the little tyke in. Now we realize this is like having children in the house to take care of long after one wants to still be responsible for children, when, actually, one wants to have the freedom to pick up and go when one wants to, to be free and unfettered. So I still just don't get why one wants to have a perennial child in one's care??????????????? I only ask this at this blogsite because after 6 months of searching through various sites, I just keep coming across people who are inordinately fond of their pets and who want to show them off as people with children want to show them off. What's the secret of this fetish?

Catherine said...

I agree that people can get carried away with their pets. I visited a shop in the Upper East Side of Manhattan completely devoted to little dogs. The average accessory could have fed an entire family in some countries for months (and possibly some thrifty Americans!)

My family first got a cat a few months after my mom left. After such a traumatic year, a playful, innocent kitten was the best possible salve for our wounded souls. That's probably why I have such a profound attachment to cats (especially orange ones.)

I'm not a dog person, though I like my sisters' dogs. They are more like children to me because they need to be walked regularly and cannot be left alone for long. Cats are less dependent but still affectionate. My current cat is a little more work as she is a longhair, but since I have neither husband nor children, I have time enough to take care of her.

I sympathize with anyone who has an animal in their house that they really don't enjoy being tied down to. I'm not a big chihuahua fan myself, and as an occasion petsitter, I know it's more difficult to just up and take a trip whenever it strikes one's fancy. But we all have baggage.

And everyone likes to show off something. Since pictures of me in a bikini may horrify readers, I prefer to share photos of the furry beasts who add a bit of humor to my life.