Sunday, May 18, 2014

Tara the Hero Cat, An Evolutionary Milestone






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!


  








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