Ellery Stimulus

:: From the archives, What I Haven’t Said Out Loud ::

I Love Animals.

This is not much of a confession, except for its degree.

My critical self would classify my love for animals as pathetic.  But my critical self is after all rather harsh.

The point is, I’d watch animal videos all day.  Okay, not all day, because I’m really a workaholic (another confession for another day) and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.  But I might really enjoy thinking about watching animal videos all day.

When Justin and I are out & about, a significant customary stop is at the local PetsMart to see the cats that are up for adoption from area animal shelters.  This is not because we’re looking to adopt one.  This is because we want to see cats.

One of the ways I know Justin must seriously love me is that he emails me pictures of cute animals:  Ducks, baby hippos, rabbits, and especially kittens.

And okay, here’s the thing.  I particularly love cats.  I’m allergic to them, but I adore the aloof air, the playing hard-to-get, the arrogance.  It’s possible that I especially love the lack of neediness.

(Okay it’s not just possible; that’s totally one of their outstanding lovable traits.)  (I love dogs but I always wish they didn’t need me so much.)  I apparently love a small, mostly-self-sufficient furry animal that purrs when it’s happy, that stalks off without warning, and that won’t come when you call it.

When we’re at home for a longer periods of time, we often foster cats for a local animal shelter.  (We’ll bring a cat or kittens into our home and give them food and love until we have to take off again.  It gives them a break from small cages and helps them become socialized.)  Temporary pet-ownership for the working musician… We love it.

I’ve also accumulated a long list of neighborhood animals for which I routinely watch when out for a run: The bunnies in the neighbor’s backyard, the geese and ducks at the ponds, the dogs that are always lying in the front yard of that one house, the cat in the window across the street, and the turtles sunning on the logs…

Sometimes, I watch Animal Planet.

I’m fully aware that this over-love of animals may be the result of traveling too much to have a pet of my own.  One always wants what she can’t have.  The grass is always greener, et cetera.  Whatever.  Send me pictures of your animals, and I’ll be happy.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 25th, 2009 at 8:52 am and is filed under Communication. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.