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.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2022

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Lawless Avatar
October 29, 2022 at 8:41 PM
I'm not so sure the cat has ever been truly "domesticated". I believe they are feral at heart and left to their own devices(aka - claws and stealth) will always remain so.
Slaughter Avatar
October 30, 2022 at 9:28 AM
You're probably right, John. Perhaps my Author's note should read...cats may have been domesticating humans since as early as 7,500 B.C.
Bauer Avatar
October 29, 2022 at 1:17 PM
I bet you had as much fun writing this one, Jim, as I (and every other Souper) have (or will have) reading it. The whole first part is amazing and the rest is wonderful as well…
Slaughter Avatar
October 29, 2022 at 2:00 PM
It was, indeed, great fun...and not a little bit challenging, Ilene. So glad you enjoyed it.
Blown Avatar
October 29, 2022 at 11:03 AM
....nice write.....cats are typically smarter than most dogs....but, the look in the eye of a dog or a cat knocks my socks off too often.......stan sand
Slaughter Avatar
October 29, 2022 at 11:07 AM
Thanks, s s. Yes, I don't have either, but if I were a "pet person", I think I'd go with a cat.
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