The Many Cats That I Have Known

I am a dog person. I adore them.
I dislike cats.
But I am a cat magnet.
It’s a 24 year love triangle.

Cats stalk me, cats purr against my legs, cats do a “mary had a little lamb” with me. I used to be annoyed. Now I am resigned to it. I perceived these skulking creatures to be evil. Not so much anymore. I mean, you always like those who like you, but you do not always like those you like, right?

There is pitch black, well-mannered cat waiting for me at the end of the corridor every morning when I leave for work. Being polite, I “meow” at it. And it always “meows” back. Always.

This cat got me curious. I mean, just what makes cats attracted to certain people? I posed this question to a bunch of wise people over the course of months. Here is a sample of answers I received –

Friend 1: “You should be honoured. They approach people they trust”
Random Estonian old woman selling amber: “Perhaps the devil in the person….”
Friend 2: “I’ve read somewhere that cats are attracted to autistic and mentally challenged people ….”
Friend 3: “You are a cat yourself. Don’t like people running after you. But don’t want to be unloved either. So, they purr for you …”

Gaah! How can a furry purring animal be in the loop with so much psychoanalytical dope?
And then there was Sally. I met it when when the Hanszen gang went visiting Sara and James in the summer of 2003. They were looking after Sally for their landlady who went off to the Bahamas or the Antartica..you know one of those places, for some summer research.

It jumped right into my lap, parked its fat belly there for an hour and licked its paws in my lap.. It followed me EVERYWHERE. When I went to the restroom, it waited outside the door. I swear on everything I hold dear, I am not exaggerating. One of the guys took a photo of Sally curling up in the curve of my lap. I wish I had a softcopy of that photo. But come up home sometime to look at the pic. The many cats that i have known..