Furry Antennae for Sunday's Consideration

 

            I’m sure that you’ve noticed that thing where you start thinking about a word, or phrase and the more you think about it, the odder is gets, until it exists in your mind as this strange very specific thing and its very meaning gets very remote from the sound of the thing itself. Perhaps I am the only experiencer of this phenomenon, but I don’t believe so.
            Well, I was thinking about tails recently. The same sort of thing happened. The longer I thought about tails the funnier they got! Why do animals have them, and we do not? It must mean something.
            I mostly see tails on cats these days, of course.
            A tail is an extension of the creatures backbone. They have physical functions, balance when leaping and that sort of thing. Plus some animals have prehensile tails, using them as aids in climbing, or whatever. I think heavy-duty lizards such as alligators use them for a weapon sometimes. Not sure.
            But it seems to me that the tail of a cat is mostly used for expression.
            A switching tail shows irritation sometimes, or maybe readiness to pounce. It’s nervous. Active! Ready!
            A straight up tail while running to the other room or outdoors seems to me to signal insouciance. A good mood to be sure, perhaps looking forward to something pleasant.
            A tail at rest? Wrapped around the body and the front feet. Well, quiet repose is what that signals.
            A fluffed up tail?  Look out! This is an angry or frightened cat!
            I did ask Suzy what she thought of all of that. I had to read it to her because of course she is mostly illiterate.
            “Well, it’s not very fine tuning,” she said. “But it covers the basics. Good enough.”
            “What did I leave out, if you can state it so that people get it?” I asked her.
            “Sometimes our tails are just lying beside us when we are watching something. See like now while you are typing. My tail is just lying beside my feet on the desk top,” said Suzy. And that is true!
            “Sometimes if we trust you and are all restful we will just lay our tails on some part of you, depending on how we are sitting on or near you. That tail says everything is okay!”

            "But what does that vibrating tail thing mean?"

            She gave me a funny look and said, "obviously, that means I am really, really happy to see you!"
            “Thanks Suze,” I said. “That does add some nuance to the picture. I’m sure there is more that is only noticeable to other cats too.”
            “Meow,” she said, still watching me type.
            “Oh, I agree Sweetie, meow! Most definitely. Meow!”
            A sort of furry antenna, is it not so?