What Do Cats Think?

 

 

            I often wonder, when the cats watch me make light happen with a flick of my hand, what they think has just happened.

            Do they just accept it?  Humans have the power of light in their hands? In that case, we also have the power to make water appear. We bring forth food. We must possess great power in their minds surely.

            We disappear. We re-appear.

            We pay a great deal of attention to things that must look like nothing more than moving lights on a flat surface.

            Since Suzy is sitting here on the right side armrest of my chair, maybe I should ask her.

            “So, Suzy, would you like to comment? What do you think about lights appearing when I flip a switch?”

            “Oh,” says Suzy. “Are those connected? I  hadn’t noticed. Light comes and goes. I think you must be kidding me!”

            “Well, no. I wasn’t joking,” says I. “Do you not look for causation in life, dear?”

            She pauses a moment to consider, “I look for hazards. I try to stay way out of harm’s way! Life is so shifty-weird, anything could happen. Though, I must admit that so far, nothing really bad has happened. But it could!”

            “OK, sweetie, one more question,” I say.

            Rusty little meow from Suzy. I take that for assent.

            “What do you think I am doing when I push these buttons, and the lights change on the big flat surface I’m looking at?”

            “Oh! You’re playing! I know how to play too! You push the buttons, and it makes a nifty sound, and then the lights change. Sometimes, I like to watch the colored lights, just like you do!” says the kitty girl.

            “My best game is the hunting. But, mostly there isn’t anything to hunt,” she sighs.

            “Well,” I say, patting her little head, “I think your way of looking at things works pretty well. You are philosophical about that which you don’t understand, but you are also aware of your surroundings, which is a good thing. And you love to play. Play is a pretty good stand in for the hunt, huh honey?”

            She looks at me like, “why do you talk so much?”

            Then we just purr together for a while. It’s what she likes best.