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2010年6月9日 星期三
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The View from Shatin:Cats and Slaves


http://paper.wenweipo.com   [2010-06-09]     我要評論

Fai

 I have two cats. To protect their privacy, they shall remain nameless. They would not be happy if it was ever found out that I wrote about them. Who would be, really, to have their lazy ways discussed in public?

 Never in the long history of the relationship between humans and domestic animals have the latter been allowed to do so little in return to the special care they receive from the former. At one point, dogs were kept, among other things, to herd cattle and to safeguard properties. Oxen and cows had to till (v.耕種) the land. Horses were used for transport, roosters for keeping time, and geese for raising alarm at the approach of intruders. If an animal failed to perform any task for its human master, it would be slaughtered for its meat, while its hair, skin, bones, teeth and other body parts turned to tools. That's how animals used to earn their rightful place under the same roof as humans. Even the ancestors of our feline (adj.貓科的) companions were useful to us once for keeping our environment rodent free.

 Now, look at my two cats, which, let it be stated again, will remain nameless. They behave like princes, waiting and demanding to be served. Yet, they are completely useless. Their signature pose is to lounge(v.懶洋洋地躺着). If they are not lounging on the floor, they are lounging in bed, on the sofa, or in the bathtub (n.浴缸) . With their heads down, they give no signs of life except for an occasional twitch of the tail. Sometimes, they curl up in a ball, and it is impossible to tell which end is the head and which the tail. A lady would blush at the sight.

 When their mood so moves them, they chase each other around the house, tearing around corners at such speed that they sometimes lose control and crash into each other. Just as often, they jump up on the table and kitchen counter, especially when they expect to find food there. They also spend an inordinate (adj.無節制的) amount of time sharpening their claws on the furniture. For what purpose, it is anybody's guess (天曉得). They never catch anything. I once put a live crab on the floor, hoping to revive their hunting instinct, but they only recoiled (v.退縮) to the corner of the kitchen.

 Soon enough, they turn to their toilette, which consists of going to the litter box (貓廁所) and giving their fur a thorough cleaning. The former concludes with the ritual (n.習慣) of vigorously kicking the sand to cover their waste, which, I readily admit, is a good habit. Unfortunately, the sand often ends up outside of the box and get scattered over the floor. The job of cleaning up naturally falls on me. I will not dwell on their practice of hair licking. Suffice it to say that their hair sometimes gets stuck to my clothes. Colleagues of mine have come up to me to remove cat's hair from my collar, saying with a trace of a snicker(n.竊笑), "This is not yours, is it?"

 One would think cat owners should be wise to their own disadvantageous position vis-a-vis (和……相對) to their cats. But no, they continue to allow themselves to be emotionally manipulated on the simple ground that their cats look cute. I have a friend who is sensible and even-headed in every other way. In her dealings with people, she can see through their flaws and follies right away. When it comes to cats, however, she is as mushy (adj.軟弱的) as melted marshmallow. As if it was not plain enough already for all to see, she declares proudly to the world that she serves her cats like a slave. At moments like this, the best course of action is to assume a look of interest on one's face and confess similar fondness for cats. I take all this to heart, and up to this point, manage to maintain a cordial (adj.友好的) relationship with her.

 To protect her privacy and my own safety, this friend, too, will remain nameless. ■bcmsp@yahoo.com

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