Shallow Sage

A re-post for this Friday the 13th

Anonymous asked: Hello. I’ve recently been cat-sitting for my brother. While I’ve always regarded the cat as a jerk and held it in quite low esteem, Lately I’ve had to intentionally incite the cat to anger in order to punish it, and thus get it to leave me alone. Is there any way I can effectively deal with it, while retaining my sense of moral superiority over the cat?

Cats were domesticated by the ancient Egyptians, who we can thank for their morally superior attitude. Herodotus tells of an Egyptian crowd so enraged by a Roman chariot running over a cat, that they attacked and killed the driver. Incidents like this likely contributed to its lofty self-image.

You are not alone in your dislike of the feline. For example, the skillful lawmaker Pope Gregory IX also held cats in low esteem. During his papacy he declared that the cat was both a symbol and a form of the devil, setting off a cat-killing frenzy.

Relief of Pope Gregory IX, US Congress

On the other hand, we remember him today for the Inquisition, attempts to enslave Jews, and for being called the Antichrist by contemporaries. Also, his extermination of cats is credited for an explosion in the rat population that hastened the spread of the Black Death, killing half the population of Europe.

We see different lessons in other societies. Similar stories are told of the Chinese Emperor Shih Huang Ti and the prophet Muhammad, who, upon finding a cat sleeping on his robe, went on and did not wake it, demonstrating sympathy even for annoying creatures. In ancient Indian writings, Hindus were expected to care for at least one cat in their lifetime; perhaps this taught patience.

It is said that cats are excellent judges of character. Consider this carefully, for it may lead you to the root of your difficulties; your struggles with this cat can teach you patience and understanding.

—Shallow Sage

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