Our two-year-old cat, Cooper, is one of those cats who retrieves things for his people. He is fond of bringing me a sock, a sweatshirt, (clean or dirty...doesn't seem to matter to him) a shoe or a slipper. He also has an affinity for stuffed animals, which exist in great abundance at this daycare home. It is a common occurrence to awake to find that a Beanie Babies gorilla has mysteriously appeared in the middle of the living room floor...Not particularly harmonious with the rest of our decorating scheme!
Lately, he has become obsessed with a little stuffed blue bear wearing a red sweater. It is a decorative bear that is part of my Winter decor. Or, rather, that's what I thought. Apparently, Cooper has an entirely different idea of where the bear belongs...Several times a day, no matter how many times I return the bear to his basket of pine cones, Cooper drags him out! Sometimes he carries the bear to the middle of the living room, sometimes to the bottom of the stairs and sometimes all the way down to the daycare! One night in the dark my foot brushed against something soft in the middle of the upstairs hallway...the blue bear, of course!
Wednesday, January 16. 2008
Pondering Life's Mysteries...
Since I started exercising on the treadmill again last month, he has added my red workout shoes to the items he drags around the house. Being one to try to assign logic - or at least meaning - to our cats' actions, I wondered whether there was any significance to the items he brings. Obviously, I've concluded, when he brings my shoe, he is reminding of my commitment to getting in shape...acting as my own personal trainer!!!
Lately, Cooper has been combining his items...he will bring a paper towel from the wastebasket and a shoe, or a slipper and a sock. It could at least be useful behavior if he would bring two of the same thing, but no, that would make too
much human sense, and not enough kitty sense! His latest combination is the shoe and bear, as shown to the left. Perhaps he's trying to encourage the bear to exercise, too...!
This whole behavior of making little piles with shoes reminds me of something we saw - but didn't understand - in Central Park. There we were, strolling through the park on our first trip to New York together. We wondered how so much park fits into the city...We were amazed, thinking that we could walk for days within the park and never see the same thing twice! I was being a complete shutterbug, as usual, when we happened upon a curious sight that - in retrospect - I'm glad I've only seen once...
Walking along a beautifully naturalized path we saw it off to our left, situated in the middle of an empty field:
a pile of twigs with a pair of shoes sitting on top.
The Shoe Altar is what we called it...
After regarding the Shoe Altar, considering the Shoe Altar, laughing at the Shoe Altar, pondering the Shoe Altar, photographing the Shoe Altar...heck, everything but praying to the Shoe Gods at the Shoe Altar, we resumed our walk, but the Shoe Altar continues to haunt our imagination to this day, five years hence...
Who made the Shoe Altar? Was it made by man or beast? Why a Shoe Altar? Whose shoes are they? What size are the shoes? What is the elusive message of the Shoe Altar? Christ...it's like trying to comprehend Stonehenge - or Twin Peaks!
Although I know who makes our mysterious piles, I am still plagued with questions...Why does he choose the things he chooses? What - if anything - do they mean? Is it a form of communication, and if so, what is he saying? Why does he bring the items to several locations around the house? Why does he sometimes bring only one item, but other times bring two? Why does he sing that cat song when he places the items where he wants them?
Where the hell is my right shoe?
Lately, Cooper has been combining his items...he will bring a paper towel from the wastebasket and a shoe, or a slipper and a sock. It could at least be useful behavior if he would bring two of the same thing, but no, that would make too
much human sense, and not enough kitty sense! His latest combination is the shoe and bear, as shown to the left. Perhaps he's trying to encourage the bear to exercise, too...!This whole behavior of making little piles with shoes reminds me of something we saw - but didn't understand - in Central Park. There we were, strolling through the park on our first trip to New York together. We wondered how so much park fits into the city...We were amazed, thinking that we could walk for days within the park and never see the same thing twice! I was being a complete shutterbug, as usual, when we happened upon a curious sight that - in retrospect - I'm glad I've only seen once...
Walking along a beautifully naturalized path we saw it off to our left, situated in the middle of an empty field:
a pile of twigs with a pair of shoes sitting on top.The Shoe Altar is what we called it...
After regarding the Shoe Altar, considering the Shoe Altar, laughing at the Shoe Altar, pondering the Shoe Altar, photographing the Shoe Altar...heck, everything but praying to the Shoe Gods at the Shoe Altar, we resumed our walk, but the Shoe Altar continues to haunt our imagination to this day, five years hence...
Who made the Shoe Altar? Was it made by man or beast? Why a Shoe Altar? Whose shoes are they? What size are the shoes? What is the elusive message of the Shoe Altar? Christ...it's like trying to comprehend Stonehenge - or Twin Peaks!
Although I know who makes our mysterious piles, I am still plagued with questions...Why does he choose the things he chooses? What - if anything - do they mean? Is it a form of communication, and if so, what is he saying? Why does he bring the items to several locations around the house? Why does he sometimes bring only one item, but other times bring two? Why does he sing that cat song when he places the items where he wants them?
Where the hell is my right shoe?
Or perhaps he's just messing with your mind.
Cooper's welcome to communicate with any spirits he encounters...I will happily delegate that job to him!
Knowing Cooper, though, I think you are exactly on target when you say he's just messing with my mind!
It's nice to meet a fellow cat lover! I hope you enjoyed reading my blog and that you'll visit again soon!
Good luck with your studies...there is nothing more valuable to a pet owner than a good and caring Vet! In fact, I'm going to subscribe to your blog because it looks most informative!
It's always nice to meet another cat lover... those cats can sure be characters, huh?
I hope you'll visit my site often...I write about other things besides cats too, but they are the subject pretty often!
I admire the work you do with homeless pets...you must be a very special person!
I guess there are lots of cat lovers out there. I think it is because of the kind of things that you write about. They are so entertaining. Bob is frustrated with ours. They always hang by me but rearely by him. He says that when I am out of town, he never sees them and as soon as I return, they are right in my face. I think they are great pals.
Cats sure are great pals, but it is true that they don't always give attention when it is wanted. I think that it is to ensure that when they DO grace us with their attention, we really appreciate it!
Great hearing from you again!
Also, I love the philosophy behind your blog and the cat's underbelly. Awesome.
Yeah, I don't think Cooper is very comfortable being photographed with his "treasures!"
I'm so glad that you appreciate what I'm trying to express here on Upside Down Cats. I hope you'll visit and comment often!
I suppose, considering all the trouble cats can get into, this is really a minor inconvenience. It's actually more cute and curious than troublesome. Who needs a tidy house anyway?!
Thanks for visiting my blog and commenting! I hope you'll stop by again!
I like your blog - came here via Entrecard.
I'm so glad you like my blog...makes me feel great to know that!
I hope you'll come back and visit often!