Cat on a Leash

It was a perfect day, a sunny golden day. I felt the gentle sweep of easy breezes, the music of the wind. It was my daily stroll around the neighborhood, my daily clarity. It was there, and then I beheld the cat, the leashed Siamese cat, prowling and smelling. A man clutched this leash, seeming absorbed, seeming preoccupied by cat rubbing and sniffing, cat prowling and surveying land and sky. Never had I witnessed a leashed cat. This was a way we controlled and humanized dogs. Cats were always wilder, less human, and freer. My usual steps brought me nearer to the cat on a leash. The owner had his back to me, he seemed unaware of my approach. But Siamese cat offered me a predatory stare, ready to pounce on my flopping shoelaces. I knew then my shoes were doomed, my laces would soon die. No, I couldn’t stop laughing.