If the Buddhists are right about reincarnation, then we all live many lifetimes on our way (one hopes) to spiritual perfection. Some of those lifetimes are human, some animal, and some even insect. If I get a choice in this process, I want to come back next time as a cat. Of course, I want to be a cat that lives with people who call themselves “pet parents” (so long as they don’t dress me in undignified costumes). Being a cat otherwise probably would be interesting, but I might as well be comfortable, if I have any say in the matter.
This lifetime as a cat that I’m fantasizing, would be a sort of “r and r,” rest and relaxation, from being a human living in the world created by human rules, assumptions, opinions, and beliefs. Mark Twain once pointed out that cats are completely indifferent to the principled and moral constraints of human civilization. Humans may think it’s terrible when cats have loud amorous encounters in the alley, but cats aren’t troubled by human opinions. That’s why I want to be a cat, not so much to be pampered as to have a cat attitude—cattitude, if you will. What I’m really looking forward to are the behaviors and attitudes toward life a cat enjoys or gets away with just because she is a cat.
As a cat I could exercise my curiosity without seeming intrusively nosey. “That cat is always following me!” Of course, the “always” probably refers to trips to the kitchen or the bathroom. Following a person with opposable thumbs into a kitchen with a cabinet full of food seems obvious. The bathroom is less obvious, but, as a cat, I’m sure I would discover the appeal.
In spite of their size, cats think they own whatever their paws can reach, which is pretty much everything, including a human’s dinner. Unlike dogs, however, cats rarely beg. They expect you to surrender some of your dinner peacefully. And if you don’t? Well, expect the unexpected.
However, as a cat, I can be a finicky eater, putting my nose in the air if I don’t like what I’m being served. “Poor kitty.” My pet parent would rummage in the fridge for something tastier or perhaps even serve me something from his own dinner instead. Human beings might indulge their children that way, or they might decide the child needs to learn a lesson about frugality and being satisfied with what one is served. Some cats seem to be willing to starve rather than lower their standards. Consider how much care a pet parent might put into finding the cat food that meets my tastes. That person might get exasperated, but she can’t treat me like a human adult or child who should “know” such demands are unreasonable. I’m just a cat.
As a cat, my finicky behavior can extend to other situations. For example, I won’t have to socialize if I don’t want to. I can retire to the cozy dark under the bed and not have to make polite conversation with people I don’t particularly want to be around. Being a cat would be an introvert’s dream! If kitty doesn’t want to come out and greet guests, well, she’s just being a cat. And I wouldn’t be worried about what anyone else thinks of my appearance. Yes, cats groom themselves frequently, but it seems to be more for their own comfort than for the approval of anyone else.
Not that cats don’t want attention. Why else do they sit on the newspaper or book you’re reading or stretch themselves across the keyboard you’re typing on? Cats want attention but pretend not to. In their view, they’re thoughtfully giving you a break by sitting on your paperwork. This interruption from a cat is considered charming. In a human being it would be infuriating or disturbingly neurotic.
Being a cat, I would be expected to sleep 16 or more hours a day. My only movements for hours on end might be to follow a spot of sunlight from one side of the room to the other. A human who did that would be criticized or despaired of as having no work ethic, no sense of purpose in life. Whereas sleeping 16 hours a day is part of the known purpose of a cat’s life.
Speaking of purpose, as a cat, I could practice “pure” science, that is, scientific pursuit just for the knowledge it provides. Human beings rarely get to do that. They have to be seeking something useful, like developing a product or solving some sort of problem. However, cats can test thrust and gravity for the sheer pleasure of observing what happens when they knock pen caps and other objects off desks and counters.
For all that cats seem to be self-focused, they also seem free of the socio-cultural complexity that binds human beings. As the poet Wordsworth said about the materialistic part of that complexity, “The world is too much with us; late and soon,/Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers.” Cats don’t spend, they are spent on, even when indifferent. A cat may seem demanding but he or she can be happily satisfied with a cardboard box to play in. A cat values the basics, like food, comfort, affection, and a little entertainment. Cats are literally and metaphorically light on their feet. Gravity seems to pull down on humans harder.
Yes, I could look forward to being a cat—except for that part about horking up hairballs.