Life in the Animal Realm

Tashi here.

I am actually the second one of Mom'nTom's cats to express myself on the computer.  Sherlock did so a great deal many years ago, luckily it was before the internet so he couldn't bother too many people. He wrote whole books - he was a male, what can I say?  Sheba, then, she was too old to give a rat's ass (as we cats say) about Art.  But I am young and vigorous and playful. There's no telling what I'll do.

I am moved to write by the drastic situation I was able to solve just an hour ago with the very few tools I have. Mom was in the kitchen making a cup of decaf - that's one of the odd things humans do - they like a bitter stimulant because it is a stimulant; then they take the stimulant out of it and drink it.  She puts cream in hers - I do understand that. Cream is pleasant, but from what I can see, and I have a very good view down here of her bottom, she doesn't really need it.  Anyway.

I saw my opportunity.  If I try to talk to her about food matters in any other room of the house, not a chance. But we were in the kitchen.  So I wound around her legs in figure 8's, which they like, as long as they're standing still, and meowed.  Repetitively.  Monotonously.  I do not have a loud voice, for I am extremely elegant and ladylike (see photo), but it is a voice. At the same time I looked up at her, sending brain waves for all I'm worth.

It isn't easy to penetrate their brains, though sometimes when they're half-asleep, I've heard stories. But I was giving it everything, short of nipping at her. She over-reacts to that.  Voice, eyes, winding around ankles. And somehow she looked at my food tray.  And gasped.  I love it when they do that.  OMG, how could we treat the poor cat so bad?

Poor cat is right. Here in the animal realm one has far fewer choices than they do, though they waste most of theirs, if you ask me. You can hear a bit about it if you click on the animal part of the big Tibetan picture that's down on the right of the blog.  We are to the left, about 9:00.  And I must say, all he's got right is the part about limited options.  For the rest of it, yes, some animals are stuporous and dull to the world, I guess - they let people ride them.  They let people eat them.  And what dogs will do for affection, I can't even stand to say.

"Oh, poor Tashi," she exclaims. "You're out of dry food!"  I had a little soup left, I don't like my canned food that much, it's the dry that's important, so I can snack any old time.  Look harder, I said.  "Ah," she drew in a breath. "And look at your water! Poor kitty."

Oh, it's poor kitty and la la la.  When they notice.

Anyway, I got a nice fillup with the dry food, which costs about as much per pound as an English roast, it is special for my sensitive GI track.  And my water bowl, which is glass, so she can always see that it's clean, got rinsed and refilled.  The few drops I had left in case of emergency were thrown out.  That's how they are, always throwing things out. Of course, I didn't eat or drink then, but just walked away with my tail high in a question mark, as if I didn't care a bit. 

It is my personal opinion - which is about all I have to go on, for I don't really care to read, I am just a year-old kitten, and they never say anything interesting on the news - in my opinion, the whole Six Realms Buddhist thing is a metaphor. It's about being an animal-like human.  Dog-like, that is.  That kind of human, eating any damn thing they toss at you, always wanting affection, doing stupid tricks for pay.  Not cat-like. Anyone would want to be like a cat. Actually, we should be in a realm of our own.