By Jan Vicente B. Pekas
Dogs may be considered to be man’s best friend, but they aren’t the only lovable pets who live in our houses. There are other creatures covered in fur, only smaller in size. They don’t bark nor wiggle their tails, instead they scratch your arms and legs. Being playful is how they might justify such an act, nevertheless, the pain received is real enough. Old scars in such places almost indicate cats in a person’s house. Old battle scars from the time spent bonding with them. Although being “playful” would be a better word to describe such owners.
Cats would be what most people describe the opposite existence to dogs. The latter hardly tries to hide their emotions. Even a glance, twenty paces away would indicate whether you would run or kneel down to pet them. Compared to us, they seemingly don’t mind seeing our faces every day, as I had noticed back during lockdown. Joy almost always drive these dogs into our arms.
Compared to their so-called opposites, cats meanwhile always show a cold, indifferent attitude to the people who feed them. Perhaps, that makes their showing of affection all the more special. For they almost always look at you with a sharp, cold and icy glare, or a closed one.
As owners of these feline creatures, their actions checked almost all the stereotypes. From their cold attitude to the scars they give us, the patterns all correspond. At least, until one kitten was welcomed to the house. A small, sickly male was received because of various circumstances, and because of his appearance, he was then named “Mutit”. His impact to the family was seen almost instantly. Not long until he recovered, scratches could already be seen in our arms and legs. Both old and new, the scars appeared and would seemingly appear again. His idea of fun time was never understood.
Expecting to be burdened with scars for years to come, the sudden 180 turn of his attitude was shocking. Playtime with him never left us with a bloodied arm anymore. This sudden change would all the more reinforce our surprise at his behavior. After all, even from childhood, his clingy attitude never disappeared. Insisting on sleeping beside a person, “Mutit” remained to be a fuzzy little kid. Always craving for affection as a dog would, though he had his own way of getting some. While one would expect a cold glare coming from a cat, his gaze was one of innocence and wonder. Opposite of most of his kin’s.
“Mutit” defied most of our expectations. While previous experiences had shown us what to expect, he showed otherwise. After all, he had trouble even jumping to a chair. Falling short most of the time and panicking over going down a few inches when he was very young.
The cat was not restricted by stereotypes, and so should we. Our diversity reinforces our uniqueness. Each person a special one in his own right. There would be no need to be shackled by baseless stereotypes. After all, we are never stagnant. Always learning, always changing. Some becoming different every time.**
