The best part about my eight-year old dog of indeterminate parentage and silken coat, Philo, is her being the perfect trap for unwary burglars as she lies there, sleeping. In fact, her sleeping form, along with the similarly reposing shapes of my two cats, a ginger and white tom, and a tri-colored calico female, has been the symbol of serenity in my household for the past many years.
How can life be bad, when there is such peace, one thinks as one looks upon Philo, shiny and asleep, or upon my tomcat friend (my daughter calls him the vanilla-with-honey bunny) dreaming delicious dreams with a faint twist of his whiskers?
Such thoughts continue to be with me even after I have had to leave Philo behind as the result of a recent separation, and move into a tiny house with just the two felines for company. What goes into our individual relationships with our pets? I like to think that our connection with animal companions is an expression of an innate human need to connect with the universal life current. With our animal companions we get life’s mystery in a form different from ours, speaking a different language, but nevertheless lovable and accessible.
In fact, cats as pets have retained much of the mystery that makes them even more desirable. For a wonderful description of how the cat made his way into our homes and hearts without losing his independence, see Rudyard Kipling's story 'The Cat That Walked By Himself' .
If you are an incurable cat-lover, like I am, go to the truly definitive site about cats and their peccadilloes.
Accustomed to our pets as stress-busters, who soothe our inflamed emotions and frayed nerves, we may also become aware of another strange fact. The emotions and orientation of pet-owners has something to do with the temperaments of pets. A friend of mine has never had dogs that are friendly or calm. Over more than fifteen years, I have seen her have a succession of pooches, of different breeds, that all have the habit of barking at you and trying to bite your ankles from behind as you are leaving her home! The pet-owner has her own share of disturbed relationships, and is particularly prone to jealousy and envy in all her dealings with people.
Like many other elements in our environment, our pets finally reflect ourselves.
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