Today I have been working on a piece (possibly a column) called "This I Believe" like that old NPR gag. I started off by saying, "I believe all depressed people should own a dog."
But now I'm wondering if the Cat People out there will arm themselves with pitchforks and come a-lookin' for me if I don't mention--you know--cats. Because I like cats, too, although I guess if I could only choose a cat or a dog I would probably choose a parrot.
Because I'm contrary.
Anyway, I think the purr of a cat curling up next to you is one of life's best sounds. One of my cats--the really stupid one and I don't say that judgmentally--is presiding over my keyboard now. Purring. And making me happy.
Which do you prefer? And why?
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4 comments:
Tom told me today that if you die, your dog will sit and mourn you, while your cat will eat you. But he's not a cat person.
I think, honestly, that a cat or a dog can be wonderful. Currently, I am a dog person. But I can imagine a cat in my life again at some point. I like the idea of a cat presiding while I write. Have you read Philip Levine's poem about the cat that would bat at the return bar on his typewriter when he reached what the cat thought should be the end of the line? He called his lines written under these conditions "the short cat line."
I had a cat in high school named Nappy. When I was having an insomnia night, I would walk around the block and he would follow at my heel. If I stopped, he stopped. We had dogs, too, but I left them in the kennel. I think Nappy was my gift until I learned to better manage myself. I cried with Nappy. I laughed with the dogs. I'll take both.
Cat person, hands down. Dogs need too much. Cats can get along by themselves if needed. I find that wonderful, especially with my 5 children at home.
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