If People Were Like Cats

Everyone in my family has cats. We all love dogs too, but we have cats. Cats are easier. Recently, my oldest daughter and I were having a conversation about cats, as we often do. If you are a pet person, you know that your pets are often the topic of conversation. Our pets are considered family members, just like kids. They are cousins, uncles, aunts, brothers, and sisters. You might think
this is odd, but it's who we are and how we were raised.

I was telling my daughter a story about my three cats and how one of them is always spooking the others. I have one, Rocky, who is a "Rag Doll" which means she has long hair and looks a lot like a raccoon. She tends to be a bit flighty and is always looking for trouble. One day she caused a crash in my bedroom while I was in the bathroom getting ready for work. The other two cats were in the hallway looking in my bedroom door with alarm. They had that "you're in big trouble" look on their faces. When I went in my room, I couldn't find anything amiss. I have no idea what the crash was.


I had taken a shower, so I had gotten dressed in the bathroom and brought my nightgown back in the bedroom with me. When I tossed my nightgown on my bed, this spooked Rocky who took off like a shot out of my room, which spooked the other two, and all three scrambled down the stairs like a herd of horses running from a wolf. This kind of thing happens at my house several times a day.

My daughter said, "Wouldn't it be funny if people were like cats and got spooked at every little thing?" The thought of this started us giggling.

I work at a university, so I immediately started to imagine students quietly studying in classrooms until someone dropped a book, and then all kinds of chaos would ensue. Desks toppling, papers flying, students scattering, which would then startle other students and professors in the hallway, who would then scatter and run. If people were like cats, this would only be a momentary outburst, because everyone would quickly realize they were not in danger and stand, panting, looking around at each other accusingly before going back to business as usual.  Imagine this kind of thing happening everywhere! Grocery stores, office buildings, banks, I don't even want to think about driving along the freeway!

By the time my daughter and I were finished imagining various scenarios, we were laughing so hard we were crying. Now, every time my cats spook one another, I giggle a little to myself as I imagine them as people on the job somewhere, getting absolutely nothing done, because if people were like cats, let's face it. We would get a lot more sleep, have a lot more fun, but would accomplish absolutely nothing.