The Cat

In the world of pet animals, and in the world of human personalities, I believe we two different species exists; the cat and the dog.

I've always chosen the dog when it comes to my preferring pet. But speaking of the human personalities, I will always be a cat.

I've never really liked cats. They've always seemed too unpredictable to me. But at the same time, I can relate to it, more than any other species of the animal kingdom. A dog is faithful, loyal, searching for love and care unconditionally - the man's best friend.

The cat is snooping around, showing it's interest in humans when it wants petting and attention, but hides, when it wants the opposite. What is the cat really thinking? Nobody really knows. It's, as a character, strangely spontaneous, incomprehensible reserved and indistinguishable of behaviour.

Now, it all sounds like bad odds for the cat, compared to the dog, but I believe it shows something incredibly admiring; independence.

The search for independence, has been a fight for race, gender, sexuality and minorities for many years. The cat, on the other hand, has never found the independence as problem, even though we have been pretty busy defining them;

In the ancient Egypt, they saw the cat as a higher spirit that needed godly worshipping.

In many old religions they believed the cat was exalted souls, companions or guides for humans - all-knowing, but unable to speak, why it can not affect our actions.

In Japan, a cat is a symbol of luck, but in many other cultures, the superstition appears to be an association between the cats and being struck by bad luck - the witches helper.

In many other countries the common myth is, that cats have nine lives, due to its speed, ability to get out of dangerous situations and their ability to survive falls from great heights. Take that last one as a metaphor as well.

A thousand explanations to a cats behaviour, but still an undefined mystery. That's what a cat is. It doesn't let anyone define it - a strength and a weakness. It loves being around people, showing love and company; but at it's own terms, and no one else's.

"A cat has absolute emotional honesty: human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not." - Ernest Hemingway

You might say the cat stands for the intuitive nature of us when we follow our curiosity, our moments of just wanting to be alone for a bit, our acts of egoism and selfishness, and the more vulnerable moments of life where confidence tells us, we have eight more lifes to live.

A dog is a beautiful species that can be counted on, loved and cherished. But so is the cat. I guess it just gets misunderstood sometimes, when we want it to be like the dog, and it's not.