Cat Wisdom

by Linda Hagen

I accidently eavesdropped on a discussion the other day, between my dog and my cat. They were lazing about on the big front porch in the sun, and didn't know I was listening from just around the corner.  I've been favored before on rare occasions, to hear such conversations amongst my animal friends. I've always felt privileged to share in their secrets and am always stunned by their perspective and wisdom.


But of course, they never talk to each other if they even suspect a human is listening.

Their discussion centered around one of Anya the dog's habitual behaviors that Spot the cat, found most annoying. Anya had the compulsive habit of guarding her food bowl, which was kept on the porch. No matter if it was empty or full, she would stand over the bowl and stretch out her neck and head as if to cover it. Her eyes narrowed into little slits and she gave warning looks to anyone nearby, sometimes even curling her lips displaying threatening teeth.

Spot the cat spoke with a calm authority befitting his elder status. "I wonder," he said, "if you even realize how extreme this behavior has become. You seem, dear Anya, to be absolutely dedicated to this agenda of yours which I find so odd since there is no truth in it."

"No truth!" snorted Anya, propping herself up on one elbow, "Are you kidding! Just last night, the coyote tried to come up onto the porch again. And this time, he was after your food.  It's just a good thing for you that I have this extreme agenda, as you put it."

Spot the cat sighed and twitched his tail, "Relax my friend. Try to hear what I'm saying. You have superior senses of hearing, and smell and sight. And in my opinion, you can run faster than any dog that I've ever shared this porch with, and believe me, there have been more than a few.  Don't forget how old I am. It's been many years since that day the Master brought me here."

"All of these qualities you have", continued Spot, "are what our Master calls "gifts". Your gifts are of great benefit to all who live here. You are the one most suited to warn us that the enemy is near and to chase him away. Of course you should guard your food bowl from our enemies, but that's not what I'm talking about."

"Well what then?" asked Anya, a concerned wrinkle forming on her forehead.

"I'm asking, why do you guard your food bowl from me? I don't even like your food. Have you ever seen me eat your food? I actually find it revolting. And yesterday, remember when I walked past your bowl towards the steps to go down for my evening walkabout? You rushed over and planted your big foot right in the middle of my back and mashed me to the floor. This was most unpleasant, I can tell you. It makes my tail thrash about just thinking of it."

Anya sat up now, "I'm sorry if I was playing too rough.  Really. I'm sorry"

"See that's just it. You can call it playing, but it's not really. There's something in you that just has to guard that bowl. You watch it all the time. You're obsessed with it.

Anya, panting a little now, said, "Spot, do you really think it's so bad? That's what all dogs do, don't they?"

"No, Anya, they don't. Before the Master brought you here, there were three dogs on this porch. One of them was a Beagle. I can tell you that no dog loved his food more than that Beagle.

But even he shared his food with the others. He invited me to the bowl many times, though of course I wouldn't think of actually eating it. It seemed to be a pleasurable thing for him, to share."

"That's amazing" said Anya, a whole new spectrum of thoughts making their way into her mind.  "I've never seen such a thing. All I ever knew before the Master brought me here was to go out scavenging night after night and then fight with the others for every little scrap of food.  See here, I have a scar on top of my head to prove it".

Spot jumped up on the porch railing to get a better look. "Tragic, indeed", he said. "I can understand why you had to guard your food before, but let me ask you this. Where does your food come from now? Have you ever been hungry since you've lived here? Does anyone here fight you for your food?

"Here's how bad it is, Anya. I've personally witnessed you guarding the food bowl area even when the bowl isn't there! The Master, in trying to help you, put the bowl away when those visitors came up onto the porch last month. Did you wonder why? No! You just insisted on guarding the bowl even when it wasn't there! Why do you think that lately, when visitors come, the Master puts you in the garage? Do you ever think about these things?"

"Spot, truth be told, I feel pretty anxious when anyone approaches my food bowl. Perhaps it's because of my former life. I don't know. I just feel better when I'm standing there over my bowl threatening everyone. Like I have to keep some sort of some control I guess.  But, like you say, no one here on the porch even wants my food. And that Beagle you talked about even enjoyed sharing his food. I've never heard of that before. I guess my ways don't make much sense."

"Dear Anya, my friend," said Spot. "That's not the worst of it. There's more. When the Master comes onto the porch to be with us or even to put food into your bowl, I have seen you put your head over that bowl and...

"No stop, cried Anya. I don't do that!  I would never threaten... not the Master!"

Spot narrowed his cat eyes into little slits. "But you think about it, don't you?  I can see it in your eyes."

Anya hung her head and her tail in shame "I don't know what to say", she mumbled. No one has ever talked to me about this before. I really appreciate you speaking to me, Spot."  I have a lot to think I about. I didn't realize..."

Spot yawned and stretched, "What are friends for? Well I'm going down for my walkabout now.  I'll see you in awhile."  With that, Spot jumped down off the railing onto the porch floor and walked towards the steps, right past Anya's food bowl.

Growing more anxious with each passing second. she watched him pass the food bowl and then down the steps and into the woods. And then, when she could stand it no more, poor  Anya bounded over to the food bowl and stood over it, guarding with curling lips and threatening teeth.