Hats Off To Cats

For National Cat Day, October 29, 2022 Egyptians worshipped and revered them; Superstitious people feared them; When wicked witches commandeered them, They rode on brooms and sometimes steered them; In cramped pet shops owners tiered them; Exotic dealers bred and reared them, Sometimes bobbed their tails and eared them Then cool and casually auctioneered them; Poets lauded them and cheered them; Children's writers buccaneered them; Hateful boys have chased and jeered them; Careless motorists have smeared them; Allergics sneezed each time they neared them; Sculptors bronzed them; groomers sheared them, Trimmed their toenails and veneered them; Toy makers stuffed and puppeteered them; Jewelers brooched or lavaliered them; Geneticists have engineered them And for research volunteered them. Though man's endured them and endeared them, He's barely tamed, not domineered them. To humans history has adhered them, But their nine lives have persevered them. And that is why I tip my hat To the legacy of the cat. Even this hard heart's been smitten By a furry ball of kitten. Cats have kept us fascinated Since the first ones were created And perhaps hung out with Adam's other half. They have been both pets and passions, And served as well as fads and fashions, But it really is enough to make one laugh. Men may ply themselves with worldly honors, And of slavish dogs play prideful owners, But to aristocratic cats… They're merely staff. Author's note: Cats may have been domesticated as early as 7,500 BC. They are the second most popular house pet in the U.S., behind…go figure!...freshwater fish.