Love those pets..and those people
April 8, 2011 (Friday)
Dogs and cats are the most popular pets of Americans. The latest statistics I could find (2004) show that 63% of American households include at least one dog and 34% of them have at least one cat. But there are more cats than dogs in our homes, revealing the fact that cat people are more likely to have more than one pet.
Some people say, “I don’t like cats,” or “I hate cats.” When asked “Why?” they don’t always have an answer, but a big reason may be the independent attitude of most cats. Dogs worship their owners; cats..well, not so much. They become entwined in their relationships with people, though.
I remember one cat we had that missed us a lot when we went on a long vacation. The next door neighbors made sure he was OK and fed him every day, but when we drove into the driveway, he came from around the house and stood at the edge of the driveway “talking to us.” He actually fussed at us for several minutes before abruptly turning around, hiking his tail, and marching back to the other side of the house.
When one takes the time to study the behavior of cats, they become much more interesting. There is a reason for everything they do. Much of their behavior is instinctive, and is rooted in their long ancestry in the wild as well as their domestication in many different ways.
I suppose the principle of learning more about others applies to humans as well as animals. I’m afraid many of us would rather fight than try to find out more about why someone behaves as he does. Have you ever noticed in the New Testament that many of the people who wanted to be around Jesus were the ones shunned by “polite society?” Jesus genuinely cared about people, and they sensed his interest and compassion. The Bible urges us to have “the mind of Christ” (Philippians 2:5). When we think like Jesus, we will care more about cats, dogs and people.