I could probably easily write about the departures of Tucker Carlson from Fox News and Don Lemon from CNN. However, I don't have cable, and even if I did, I wouldn't watch the cable "news" networks found there. For news, it's always been the newspaper and/or local news stations.
A few weeks ago, I talked about the dangers of social media and why I usually take a break from it on Saturdays. There is one part of social media, though, that I never take a break from: Cats.
You can blame the editorial cartoon I picked for today for the foray back into this beloved subject, and cue the troll who has an issue with me using the phrase "fur-nephew" because he seems to see the taint of bestiality on what is a term of affection for friends' pets. There are lots of skritches, hugs and smooches on soft little heads, but that's it, buddy.
Hey, my mom considered my cat (both mom and cat now dearly departed) her "grand-kitty," the only one of her grandkids with the green eyes she had long wanted in a new generation. Luke was a rescue who was essentially my son, and had many aunts and uncles among my family and friends.
Out in the country where I grew up, most people had at least one pet in addition to any livestock they might have, and many of them were working animals, but that didn't mean they were any less loved. I can't count the people I've known who've cried when a hunting dog or barn cat died. The reason: These animals were and are part of the family.
While I don't have a cat now, I happily consider my friends' pets family, especially sweet flame-point Siamese Charlie, who belongs to my friend Sarah, and rambunctious pup Spike, who belongs to my friend Kathy, and am considered by their moms to be a fairly good auntie.
If I ever actually went to parties more than maybe once or twice a year (the introvert struggle is real, y'all), you'd most likely find me not out among people I might not know, but back in a room with the host's cat. Cats are easier to deal with than people. Plus, it's not weird if you rub a cat's belly. Dangerous sometimes, but not weird.
World Population Review reports that the U.S. leads the world for pet ownership, with the majority being dogs and cats. "Furthermore," the website notes, "the United States does not hold back on its love for its canine and feline counterparts. Pet owners in the United States will get professional photos done, throw birthday parties for them, and even cordon off private living spaces for dogs and cats in their homes."
I can admit only to the third bit: Luke had his own room when we moved across the street, which was where his cat tree, litter box and dry food bowl were. Still, most of the time he slept in my room, usually curled up by my side or draped over my legs (those beds specifically for him didn't get much use). The only photos were ones I took of him, and if I had thrown him a birthday party, he'd probably hide in his room. As he was a rescue, I didn't know his birthday anyway, so just let him share mine (yes, he got presents).
You may think even that is over the top, but you know what? Cats rule, and have for a long time before I Can Has Cheezburger's LOLCats and the multitude of YouTube cat videos came into existence. Cats have shown up for centuries throughout history, art and mythology. They're associated with Egyptian goddesses Isis and Bastet (I have a Bastet figurine in my office from when the pharaohs exhibit visited what's now the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts), Greek goddess Artemis, and Norse goddess Freya, for example, as well as icons of the holy family and the Annunciation.
Cats have gotten a bad rap over the years, from their association with witchcraft to myths that they would steal the breath from babies. But their skills at hunting, as well as their ability to look so adorable and innocent, endeared them to us ... or at least the cat people (proclaimed and not; my cat-intolerant dad was turned around by shop cat Trouble, who adopted him and his garage).
Veterinarian Ruth MacPete wrote in 2014 about the origins of the cats we know and love today, and noted that domestication estimates vary, but a 9,500-year-old grave found in Cyprus with a cat buried next to a human showed them living together at least since then. Archaeological and genetic evidence shows that modern cats' common ancestor is the Near Eastern wildcat, and domestication first occurred in the Middle East.
"It is believed that when mice invaded human habitats to search for food, wildcats were attracted to human settlements to hunt mice," MacPete wrote. "Early farmers recognized the importance of cats to control the rodent population. ... Ultimately, cats either followed their human companions, or were intentionally brought along, as humans migrated across the globe. This makes a lot of sense when you think about how domestic cats today, including 'fancy' purebreds, maintain their hunting skills. In many ways, we didn't domesticate cats, they domesticated us."
Thank God for that. But considering some of the things I've seen in the past decade or so, they have more work to do.
Assistant Editor Brenda Looper is editor of the Voices page. Email her at blooper@adgnewsroom.com. Read her blog at blooper0223.wordpress.com.