A Cat and a Dog
(Published on Mensahe, official publication of Mensa Philippines, January-February 2009 issue, and uploaded in Mensa International's official website)
“I am beautiful, am I not?” said the cat as she elegantly pranced as if she was at a runway.
“Indeed you are,” the dog replied.
“For sure, my gracefulness and charms are what makes my human love me so dearly,” remarked the feline rather immodestly.
“Yes, that is so,” answered the dog.
“And oh, how my human loves me!” stated the cat. “He tends to my every need and fancy. He is there for my meals and when I am sick. He is there to caress me when I feel the need to be touched. His lap is such a nice place to nap on.”
“He treats you very well,” the dog stated.
“As he should!” the cat remarked. “Do you not know that we cats can be very picky creatures? Why, if a human does not tend to us and neglects us, we can so easily move to another house to be tended of by another human! And how can these humans resist our charms and beauty? Indeed, if our human wants me to stay, he must cater to my every whim and fancy.”
“Ah,” the dog said, “that is our difference. Your kind would leave our human should he fail to cater to you. I, on the other hand, will not.”
“We dogs stay with our human even during the times he neglects us. And that will happen for sure. Humans are such frivolous creatures. They like to engage themselves in what they call matters of consequence. And during these times they have no time to play with us. At times, he does not even tend to my most basic of needs. But I understand; humans can also be very forgetful.”
“You understand?” the cat queried.
“Yes, because I love him. I suffer when he neglects me, but when he remembers me, it makes my sufferings for him worthwhile. And so I stay.”
“But does that not make you susceptible to abuse?” the cat inquired.
“Indeed, I have known other dogs whose humans abuse them. If that was the case with our human, that would be a totally different matter, but our human has never abused me.”
“See that Frisbee over there?” the dog continued, “That is of such importance to me.”
“Ugh!” the cat replied. “That dull old Frisbee?”
“To you it is but a dull old Frisbee, but to me, it brings joy beyond what you may see. It is the Frisbee my human always brings when we go out to the park. It is the exact same park we go to, and it is the exact same game which we play, but that does not matter. It matters not what activity we do, but rather which persons we are with. That is what makes the time special.”
“You are glad that you can use your charms to never be alone. Indeed, it is very easy to find someone else and replace our human. And I myself am aware that I could easily do the same. But to me, that does not matter. What matters to me is that at the end of it all, I will be the one standing beside my human. Because I love him. And it is my love, faithfulness, and commitment that has made him love me more. You, on the other hand are not willing to sacrifice your security for him. Because you love yourself, more than you love him. You are charming, but you are selfish.”
The cat walked away, graceful as she always had. But the dog was unsure as to whether the cat was walking away with shame, or was she still saying proudly, “no, I am right.”
-A. L. E.-
“I am beautiful, am I not?” said the cat as she elegantly pranced as if she was at a runway.
“Indeed you are,” the dog replied.
“For sure, my gracefulness and charms are what makes my human love me so dearly,” remarked the feline rather immodestly.
“Yes, that is so,” answered the dog.
“And oh, how my human loves me!” stated the cat. “He tends to my every need and fancy. He is there for my meals and when I am sick. He is there to caress me when I feel the need to be touched. His lap is such a nice place to nap on.”
“He treats you very well,” the dog stated.
“As he should!” the cat remarked. “Do you not know that we cats can be very picky creatures? Why, if a human does not tend to us and neglects us, we can so easily move to another house to be tended of by another human! And how can these humans resist our charms and beauty? Indeed, if our human wants me to stay, he must cater to my every whim and fancy.”
“Ah,” the dog said, “that is our difference. Your kind would leave our human should he fail to cater to you. I, on the other hand, will not.”
“We dogs stay with our human even during the times he neglects us. And that will happen for sure. Humans are such frivolous creatures. They like to engage themselves in what they call matters of consequence. And during these times they have no time to play with us. At times, he does not even tend to my most basic of needs. But I understand; humans can also be very forgetful.”
“You understand?” the cat queried.
“Yes, because I love him. I suffer when he neglects me, but when he remembers me, it makes my sufferings for him worthwhile. And so I stay.”
“But does that not make you susceptible to abuse?” the cat inquired.
“Indeed, I have known other dogs whose humans abuse them. If that was the case with our human, that would be a totally different matter, but our human has never abused me.”
“See that Frisbee over there?” the dog continued, “That is of such importance to me.”
“Ugh!” the cat replied. “That dull old Frisbee?”
“To you it is but a dull old Frisbee, but to me, it brings joy beyond what you may see. It is the Frisbee my human always brings when we go out to the park. It is the exact same park we go to, and it is the exact same game which we play, but that does not matter. It matters not what activity we do, but rather which persons we are with. That is what makes the time special.”
“You are glad that you can use your charms to never be alone. Indeed, it is very easy to find someone else and replace our human. And I myself am aware that I could easily do the same. But to me, that does not matter. What matters to me is that at the end of it all, I will be the one standing beside my human. Because I love him. And it is my love, faithfulness, and commitment that has made him love me more. You, on the other hand are not willing to sacrifice your security for him. Because you love yourself, more than you love him. You are charming, but you are selfish.”
The cat walked away, graceful as she always had. But the dog was unsure as to whether the cat was walking away with shame, or was she still saying proudly, “no, I am right.”
-A. L. E.-
