Posts tagged cats

The glass was not in the way. The cat moved it anyway, watched it fall, and looked at you as if the experiment had been a success. She is not trying to ruin the table. She is doing what a hunter's paws are for: testing whether a thing moves, and then whether you do.

Most of this is normal. Some of it is boredom with a receipt. Almost none of it is fixed by telling her off after the crash, which she will file under "the crash works."

Cats and dogs are not two settings of the same pet. One was built to live beside a human schedule. The other is happy to share a house and still keep office hours of her own. People get into trouble when they pick the animal who photographed better and then act surprised by the animal they brought home.

This is a practical comparison, written by someone whose casting vote is a Yorkshire Terrier. The bias is declared. The chores are not.

Kneading is the slow, serious paw-press cats do on a blanket, a lap, or a person who was trying to read. Owners call it making biscuits. The cat calls it correct. She is not sharpening knives for sport, and she is not copying a dog who digs the bed, though the family resemblance fools people.

Most kneading is comfort. Some of it hurts. A little of it is a medical clue wearing a cute name.