The Caturday State of the Union
Zee and Zoey might have their differences, but they know the most important rule of a fight… never go to bed angry with the one you love…
I never considered my cats to be too interested in politics, but after Tuesday’s State of the Union Address, I heard a loud and rambunctious hissy fit in the making. I was already in bed and it was dark so I don’t know who had the difference of opinion, but my gut feeling was it probably had something to do with President Obama talking about income inequality. Zoey must have felt the need to remind Zee that she was the powerhouse of the family and that without her, there would be no Zee & Zoey franchise in the first place. Or they just could have been arguing over a Temptations Treat that was on the floor – it’s really too close to call…
Naturally all of that got me to thinking – I always watch the State of the Union and want to be optimist, but it all just seems so contrived at this point that I don’t even know what end is up anymore. I think my biggest frustration is the divide we have. Is it really necessary to have two political parties that seem to constantly keep one another at bay so that nothing productive ever gets done? Why not just one collective House and Senate that equates to the most qualified people for the job that has nothing to do with party lines. Just run the country and be done with it.
Step one – Rolz and Kizmet reenact what the government would be like if cats ran the White House…
That’s another reason I love cats – if you give them the basic necessities – love, food, and shelter – they are content. The care not one whit if you are single, black, white, gay, rich, poor, married, female, male, employed, or unemployed. They also don’t care if you have a college degree or what you think of abortion, foreign policy, same-sex marriage or immigration. In other words, to them, we are a melting pot of collective individuals that amount to a singular race called human-beings, despite the differences we have. And sure, cats fight and they have differences too. But typically they get over them quickly – a hiss, a swat, and a growl. Then it’s back to napping and the world is restored to its natural order!
Step two… What disagreement? Let’s take a nap and call it a day!
But, the truth is, I can’t make light of it all, nor is it that simple. Cats are affected by the State of the Union just like people are. Very few cats live in the upper class echelon with diamond studded collars and caviar dreams. The majority of cats live on the streets and in shelters in poverty like a great portion of our human population. Many of them used to be cats that had a home but because their owners might have lost a job, or a house, or they can no longer feed themselves, let alone a pet, they have brought them to a shelter or abandoned them on the street as a last resort.
While my cats eat healthy food every single day, not all cats are so blessed and are forced to live on the streets, struggling to keep themselves alive…
And for those in the middle class, that too is no longer what it used to be and most of us are struggling just to pay the basic bills and get through the day. We don’t have savings, we don’t have retirement, and we don’t wake up feeling confident that we have job security. As a result of that, many cats are no longer getting basic preventative health care because people now consider that a “luxury item” and can’t afford it. Often a visit to the vet comes as a result of an emergency when it is too late to help the pet.
This was Kizmet at his first visit to the vet. Thankfully he was saved from living on the streets and has a warm, safe, and loving home…
It’s all interconnected – if we could take better care of ourselves, we could take better care of our cats. In my ideal world we would have a government that is working towards a national welfare plan for the well being of animals just like we are trying to make a national healthcare plan. Naturally my plan would work, however, and not be rife with arguing, discrepancies, falsehoods, and websites that don’t work.
Mine would be a program that instituted mandatory classroom courses on pet responsibility and spay/neuter at staggered grade levels because education is critical to finding a way to reduce cat overpopulation. And it would also be a program to fund affordable spay/neuter clinics and veterinary care across the country. If we did something as simple as taking a measly 50 cents a week out of our paychecks that was diverted to a federal fund, it would amount to millions of dollars to fund these programs with minimal effort.
It is a small step to a big problem, but one of the highlights of my life was the day I got to spend some time with my step-daughter Crystal’s 3rd grade class. I got to talk to them about my book and pet responsibility and it was wonderful to know I was able to share such a positive message about cats with them.
Right now it all sounds like a pipe dream, but I do hope that one day my dreams are actually a reality. Until then, may we continue to learn lessons from our cats and try to become a nation that is less divided so that we can focus on what’s really important, like catnip, sunbeams, naps, and defeating the evil red dot from the laser pen once and for all…
When all else fails, a good cat nap is always the best party line to choose!
Oh, and Happy February – it’s officially spay/neuter month and I will be posting about it here and there in the days to follow!
As usual Deb, your cats are speaking the truth and being adorable at the same time! Your dream is also my dream, starting when they are young is the way to go. Great food for thought.
I agree that education is important. Ma and I go to schools to talk to younger children about pet care, spay and neuter and other topics. Its sad to hear when a child tells us that their parent had to take their pet to the shelter and then ask me if I knew him or her. But I have to say that more children will raise their hands to tell stories about their pet and how much they love them. They often ask questions about the surgery that their pet just had. Why couldn’t they pick them up to carry them around, why did the dog have to be walked on a leash for a week and so on , which tells me that pet had been s/n.
I try to tell people that everyone has a bad month where the days last longer than the paychecks and before surrendering a pet , they need to ask for help from their local shelter. A shelter might be able to supply you with food for a month and that way you don’t have to worry about that cost. The shelter may even have a low cost clinic to get that pet spayed or neutered. I feel there is no reason for a person to have their pets altered so that pet doesn’t add to the family and the more to come out of a paycheck to feed the growing family.
Beautifully written and very wise cats.
Love to all,
Carma Poodale
Cats should rule the world 😀
XOXO
How profound! Deb for President!!
Another great, thoughtful post!
Excellent post and M agrees with you 100%. Our government gets worse every year – maybe if there was one party, something would get done. That will never happen tho because it’s too divided now. Each party hates the other one. They are all too set in the ways to see what is for the good of the country. I could go on and on, but I won’t. Our government is in a mess!
Our government is just as bad, in fact they are worse. What hope is there of the government and the Opposition agreeing when our Coalition government cannot even agree amongst themselves and are always trying to point score against each other.
Hmmmm! I could get political at great length, but suffice to say that cats have it sussed. Very interesting post, Deb x
I think you should run for President. You might be able to get things done. Really enjoyed your post and kitty pictures. Enjoy your weekend.
The mom says the State of the Union is nothing more than a big pep rally. Everybuddy thinking that they’ve done such wonderful stuff and everybuddy clapping. Then the next day they all go on fighting again. And it’s just not the 2 parties against one another, but the in-fighting. It’s almost as bad.
Humans should start being more like us cats.
I love this line! “Why not just one collective House and Senate that equates to the most qualified people for the job that has nothing to do with party lines. Just run the country and be done with it.” That’s how companies are run. Well for the most part. That’s why I think we need more business people NOT lawyers in Congress and as President.
So true! We learn many valuable life lessons from cats and that we should not take everything so seriously.
If only cats ruled the world.
What a wonderful idea, teaching responsibility toward animals in the schools. In an ideal world, this would be taught at home, but it’s the sad truth that this isn’t an ideal world at all.
it wood be way awesum if cats rooled de werld, we all reddy own de internetz, we haz been on broadway,
we wood see two it that ALL kittehs hada safe place to chillax,…. food, water, N loves…but, then dawgs wood
want a peace oh de actshun, then hamsters, aquarium fish, gerbillz….N cod forbid…burdz…de reptile lovers…
ferrets, rabbits…….taran toolaz…..
🙂