At first Man and Dog had been
Symbiotic Species – two Species living together in cooperation for their mutual
benefit – Dogs, because they were so well adapted for locating food-game at
close proximity and being able to bring it down, and Man, because he was able
to stand up on his hinder legs and look over the tall grasses and spot
food-game at long distances. Their
Partnership gave them Hunting Abilities that combined the best of both worlds.
But, at the onset of
Civilization, where Mankind would have to live on Surplus Grains – foodstuffs
stored away for Tomorrow, well, Dogs could do nothing. Rats and Mice, too small for dogs to care
about, would get into the food stores and barns and eat away all they could
find. Civilization based upon Surplus
Stores seemed impossible. Then, two
things happened. First, somebody had
the good sense to invent the Wheel… not just the wheel we use for wagons and
such, but perhaps even more importantly, the Industrial Wheel, in this case the
Wheel used for Spinning Clay Pots. With
the Clay Spinning Wheel, Storage Pots could be somewhat Mass Produced, and
inside of Play Pots, grains and surplus food-stuffs could be kept safe from
rodent predation. But while the long-term
Storage of Grains was thus made secure, Civilization still had the problem of
protecting the Grain while it would still be in the Field, and while being
gathered at Harvest, and then again when it would reach the Kitchens and Bakeries
for end use. And the rodents would not just bring with them
their seemingly bottomless little appetites, but also Dirt and Disease. Civilization was still vulnerable. But Rescue was at hand – enter what became
our new little friends, the Cats. If
Humans would only be cordial and welcoming to Cats, that is, pose no threat to
them, then the Cats could come out of the Forests and Jungles and into the
Fields and Barns, and then even into the Kitchens, and then confront and
defeat, and have for dinner, those little maraudering rodents that had been such
a problem. Anyway, to help advance this
end, in early striving Civilizations, the local Priesthoods and Shamans gave to
Cats something of a Divine Status, especially in Egypt. Cats therefore, nearly everywhere, got a
boost up on Humanity’s Totem Poles and were given various new degrees of Protection. Like Dogs before them, they acquired a
special status – they became recognized as, well, ‘Pets’.
Now, dogs were brought into
Symbiotic Relationship with Man perhaps more than 10 Thousand years ago, and,
incidentally, may have actually contributed to our Language Skills. Consider that no other Primate (monkey or
ape) finds it necessary to speak to one another, but Man, who found it
necessary to give commands and direction to Dogs, DID have to learn how to
stretch out the Voice Box to elaborate a whole inventory of Sounds connected to
expressing Conceptual Meaning through phonics.
There is no denying it – Dog was obviously ‘Man’s Best Friend’. But Cats and Civilization came later, perhaps
5 to 7 thousand years ago, and so the Symbiotic Process with Cats has lagged a
bit behind that of Dogs. We can see some
of the differences, for instance, Cats are not quite so willing to obey
commands… at least not so promptly, and there are even some breeds of Dog that
have evolved a kind of a ‘smile’, that serves, no doubt, to make them more
‘agreeable’ to Human Beings. Cats
still have their unexpressive ‘poker’ faces.
But they purr for us, and quickly learn to recognize words, and vocalize
back to us when we speak to them. Cats
are indeed coming along. But who really
was expecting THIS… The Hero Cat!?
This whole Tara the Hero Cat
Thing is certainly a huge Evolutionary Milestone Event – that a Cat went beyond
its original contract of simply eliminating pests and being a Pet Companion, to
actually committing itself to a dangerous Fight to Protect its Human
Patrons. Yes, it must have certainly
happened before, but what is different now, is that it was captured on camera
and went on line, became ‘viral’, and then hit the Television News Rotations,
which sent people back on line to add to the ‘viral spread’. Now I’ve heard that Magazines and Big
Corporations are jumping in to get a ‘piece’ of Tara, so to speak. That Cat has become Famous. Everyone I have spoken to on the street
knows about and has ‘checked out’ the story of Tara the Hero Cat who saved
little boy from Dog. With all the
trouble in the World right now, it is really, for the moment, the biggest story
out there. It hit a very powerful Cultural
Nerve… and Globally… All of Humanity seems to be cheering for Tara.
So what will be the
repercussions? Cats, who many had
formerly seen as merely overly proud and opportunistic partners in their
relationship with Humanity, and as mere ‘pussies’ when compared to the more
macho-seeming Dogs, well, all that has changed overnight. Cats have now faced off Dogs and come out
victorious. And Dogs, who had once been
thought to be ‘friendly’, well, obviously their Breed Lines have been corrupted
by the interventions of Human Gamblers who had bred dogs to bring out traits for
Crazy and Unconditional Violence – so that their Dogs could thoughtlessly and
automatically attack and kill Bears and fight and kill Each Other, just so
their owners could win wagers. Oh, and
the modern idea of Police Attack Dogs…
was it ever a very smart idea to breed dogs that would excel at attacking Human
Beings? For such small advantages, we
turn our Best Friend into a Feared Enemy.
So it has come to this end, that now the World sees, sadly, that No Dog…
or well, No Dog without a solid Pedigree for Peacefulness, can fully be trusted. And
the World now sees that Cats are now the NEW Protectors of our Families –
selfless and brave little Protectors. And
when they are not ferociously defending us from our enemies, they are
affectionately curled up on our laps, or close by on the arms or backs of our
chairs… loving us, really, before we truly loved them – that is, giving them
the respect that we now know they deserve.
Well, what can be said, now,
but that ‘Cats are the new Dog’. It
took thousands of years, but cats have finally caught up and surpassed that
other, older Pet – the Pet that had been so useful before We became
Civilized. Oh, and, what’s more, cats
are so much cleaner. A dog will pee and
poop on the floor, but cats will naturally ‘go’ in a box of kitty dirt and then
bury its business to minimize the unpleasant hygiene smells.
Anyway, stand back at the Pet
Stores and don’t dawdle in front of the Cat Cages… or you may be trampled in
the stampede to buy up members of Man’s New Best Friend – the intrepid and
fearless Kitty Cat!
