I Name Thee…

How do we chose our pets names? Is it by their individual personalities? Or do we choose a random adorable sounding word or expression that will add to our affections? Is a common method of choice the old fall back of universally cute names such as fluffy, spot and butch that just seem to ‘fit’ your pets so well? Is there a creative flair when we decide to name our pets with syllabic similarities? This process can be arduous at times, for there are many accounts where the name of the animal, is his name, such as kitty, or sausage (for sausage dogs, ofcourse). And many people seem to find that historical figures seem to embody their animals personalities. There is also the possibility that we humans suffer from wishful thinking, calling our beloved pets Einstein, Hercules and Merlin will not turn them into a genius, a hero, or a magical wise man respectively. I repeat they will not grow into their names, and no matter how often you imagine to find them display characteristics, it is coincidental, not fated.

Moggies Away!

Do you have a little stray running around in your back yard? If you do, then I’m sure you find them wonders to behold. Just like any ‘breed’ in life, it’s often the commoners that provide the backbone of life as we know it. Moggies, as we call them in South Africa, are stray cats that come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. They have a sense of roguishness that compels us helpless humans to fall in love with them. A rough and untamed, or not constructed, spirit that bubbles through these pets personalities is that which attracts us. So the next time you chase away that stray eating your pure-breds food, remind yourself of the horrible plight that these colourful creatures have, the plight of un-appreciation.

Oh the rich and idle!

When cats don’t eat, they sleep, when they don’t sleep, they play. What is it that compels all living beings to play? As humans, we add to that equation, namely, work. But if you think about the motivation for work, it is to facilitate the above basic needs and comforts. Animals don’t need to work, except for ‘hunting’ and pets are even more privileged in the sense that they don’t have to strive for their existence at all!
In the scheme of things, pets could be said to be on top of the hierarchy of civilisations, for they are the rich of society, no longer thinking of survival, but thinking of those deeper questions in life, the questions we, as their servants don’t dare to ponder.

How do animals tell time?

Instinct is such a foreign concept for us because we had suppressed our basic inclinations a long time ago for a lack of need. Thus we wonder at the miraculous ability that our pets have to tell time. They often remind us when its dinner time, breakfast and lunch. On weekends they let us sleep in as they know we will resist all efforts to be awoken. Our animals are amazing creatures; they have an innate ability to sense time and the passing of it. We rely on our watches, electrical equipment that determines our lives and our every moment and movement. We have become so dependant that we no longer trust in our own instinct and innate abilities.
Next time you glance at your watch, your alarm go’s off or your cat reminds you that its feeding time, take a note out of their lives and turn off those controlling machines, and just feel life and the passing of time.

Yummy… Dairy!

Why do cats have such a liking for milk? What is it that makes them smell the dairy wherever your are, and rush to get a small lick?
Could it be that the smell of milk so reminds them of their days as kittens that the security and comfort the smell brings is irresistible to a animal renowned for it aloofness and independence. When one amused reader commented on the fact that each morning, when she has her breakfast, cereal with milk or yogurt, her 14 year old cat hastens, from the front garden, or wherever it is she was sleeping, to sit at the foot of her bed and beg ceaselessly for the leftover milk in the cereal bowl.

Watch this space for some hard facts pertaining to cats and their milk fetish - it is not as healthy as you might think!