Cats and boxes

It's common knowledge that cats love catnip. It's like narcotics for them. However, there's something they want even more than that ... boxes! Yup, cat's adore boxes. Big, small, perfectly-sized, or hardly fitting, they want them all. There are many videos showing this bewildering behavior, and it's completely adorable (check out Maru the cat on YouTube). I can't understand why they do it, despite having clearly better options right in front of them.

I fit. Wanna make an issue out of it?

Sometimes I think animals do these things just to endear themselves to us. Dogs tilt their heads in such whimsical ways it's hard not to laugh. Birds imitate our speech, throwing it back at us during the most inappropriate times imaginable. I'm sure even the exotic type pets have their joys--though I can't imagine a snake ever being funny. And fish are ... just fish.

Human beings create incredibly powerful connections with pets. They become our companions, guardians, and cuddly pillows. Have you seen little kids with a new pet? If your heart doesn't fill with sweet emotion, then you aren't paying attention. Adults enjoy pets just as much, if not more, and the connections are life altering. But, despite all my considerations, I still can't figure out why cats will purposely stuff themselves into boxes far too small for their bodies.

- M

Every creature has a purpose ...

One thing I trust and believe, is that every animal on this great planet has a purpose for being. I may not like the purpose, but I still there is one. For instance, spiders are not exactly beloved creatures, yet without them we would be swiftly inundated with literally tons of bugs. Gophers are a nightmare for cattle and gardeners, yet they till the soil and distribute earth extremely efficiently. I hate mosquitoes, and yet they are great food for fish and amphibians. Some creatures may require a bit of study to find their reason for existing, but I'm convinced they all have one.


Don't you yearn to give this spider a hug?
image source

It's good to know we have a purpose in life. We human beings are self-aware and generally create our own purposes, for good or ill, so we tend not to think about it much. I doubt birds consider their purpose at all--seems like all they want to do is dive bomb my car and leave their gifts on my windshield. It must be nice not to need to worry about what you should be doing and if you're doing it well.

Funny how simple and easy it is to complicate everything we do. Birds and bumblebees are beautiful, plentiful, and maintain their composure through it all. Maybe it's enough just to know our purpose exists and not to worry to much about it? If you doubt it, just watch children at play. There, you see such innocence and delight that your heart will be lifted and all doubt of human existence will fade away. Children are blessings and signs of greatness to come. Everything has a purpose.

- M

Beautifully dangerous animals.

There are a lot of stunningly gorgeous animals in the world, some yet to be discovered I'm sure. When I was a kid, I loved sharks and dinosaurs. I learned all I could about them. That led to a lifelong desire to understand nature. Did you know there are gorgeous frogs--poison dart frogs--with incredible colorations, and are so deadly that you can kill yourself by simply picking one up. A tiny octopus--the delightful blue-ringed octopus--can kill an adult human with a bite so fine you may not even notice. And, the platypus (my favorite creature of all time) hunts with it's eyes closed, can sense the muscle nerves twitching in shrimp, and has poison claws.

A common theme throughout nature is how bright coloring and vivid patterns are signals of a deadly kind. For we humans, it's hardly a sign of anything--aside from style and enjoyment. Interesting, right? I could only imagine how drab our world would become, if bright colored clothing was a sign of danger. We'd end up with gray and black everywhere. Yuck.

However, there are other creatures of profound beauty and mostly harmless, like peacocks, seashells, starfish, unicorns and rainbows. Once you understand the threat, you can easily enjoy the beauty. Yes, even sharks and dinosaurs. Wild animals are not to be toyed with, but there's nothing wrong with watching and savoring. Go out and enjoy nature!

- M

Childhood pets

When I was a young boy, my father felt it was a good idea to have a family dog. He'd had one in his youth and found a similar one, which he then brought home. Chum was an interesting dog to say the least. She didn't care for a bath at all (I have great memories of my father closing the bathroom and entering into mortal combat to give that dog a bath), didn't seem to care much for my brother or I, and made out with the dog from down the alley. However, during an insurance salesman's sales pitch, Chum gave birth to a litter (that's another great memory of this poor guy trying to sell insurance while a dog is howling and giving birth... ha!).


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So, Snoopy was born into our house. The mysteries of birth were somewhat revealed to me, and my brother and I were privileged to have the pick of the litter. We picked the only brown and white one--the other's were black and white--and Snoopy turned our hearts to mush. They say a boy and his dog share a very special connection. That's absolutely true. Snoopy will always be the pet I think of when someone talks about animals. That dog was smart, cute, happy, and completely adorable. I'll never forget her (yeah, we named a girl dog, Snoopy).

Pets serve a really important function for children, as pets are completely reliant on their owners for their care. Kids need something to care for, to nurture, and protect. There's a special love kids and pets share, which will never be touched by any human being. It's a magical thing, really. I'm in awe of the connection my kids have with our two cats. Amazing. Personally, I'll never forget Snoopy as long as I live.

- M

Animals are faithful companions but also undeniable heroes.

News stories often contain stories portraying heroic animals, mostly dogs but I've also seen cats, parrots, horses, pigs, and I wouldn't put it past a goldfish or two. Normally these stories detail fires gone bad, where the pet rescued their owners, or some other dire circumstance. But, heroism isn't restricted to tragedy. I've worked in a medical setting where pets are brought in as comfort for the patients. It's incredible to see the impact of a purring cat on someone's lap, or a gentle dog sitting beside someone. Animals can be heroes simply by being around! Incredible.



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And then there are animals who bend belief to the snapping point. Dogs and cats who travel hundreds of miles to find their owners, cherished pets who remain at their dying owner's sides until help arrives. I once read a news story about a cat who dialed 911 and meowed to the operator, who somehow got an ambulance out and saved the life of the woman inside the house. It's spooky and heartwarming.

There are many reasons why people form such miraculous connections with animals, and I think the main one is because animals don't judge us. Sure, animals don't talk, but they certainly understand us. Besides, we rapidly learn to rely on each other. Our pets become part of the family, and we mourn their loss. In light of this, why is it any surprise when animals become heroes and rescue us? It seems only natural when there's such strong connections between us. That, in itself, is miraculous.

- M

Pets know when you hurt

Have you ever seen a family pet curl up with someone who isn't feeling well, apparently knowing the person is hurting? I never believed it myself, at least until we got a cat. This cat knows! I swear. Before I had my knees replaced, she would curl up beside me while I struggled with the pain. It happened often enough that I couldn't ignore the connection. Now, the cat is sitting at my shoulder, purring contentedly, just to give me company. It's uncanny.


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My question doesn't really need an answer, but it's this, "Why do pets form such deep relationships with us?" I'm sure there's many reasons, and probably quite a few books written about the subject. To me, pets connect with us in a way no human can. There's a bond which goes beyond life itself. It's so special that I would wish all children could have pets, but I know sometimes it's just not practical or possible. A pet gives children something smaller than themselves to take care of, and the bonds between them develop almost instantly--it's a privilege to witness the process.

Being on the receiving end of that love and attention is comforting and disturbing. How can such grand emotion cross between such completely different beings? Yet, it does. Our pets become as much a part of our hearts as any other segment of our own bodies. So, yes, pets do know we hurt. How could they not? They're a part of us.

- M

Robotic animals are awesome!

Years ago there was an MIT robotics lab that was making robotic insects. They were modelling their artificial intelligence routines on the basis of how they figured bugs do things. For instance, the individual legs all had their own tiny brains which basically were programmed to make the leg stand up. When the whole thing turned on, the legs stumbled briefly and then all stood up together. It's a marvelous idea, though I haven't seen it recently and so I wonder what ever became of it?

Now, there are robotic fish, sharks, worms, snakes, hummingbirds, bats, and I just saw an article about a bumblebee drone. Scientists find incredible inspiration by copying the animal world. I'm still waiting for my jetpack though--everything I read when I was young promised me jetpacks and flying cars by now! This makes me wonder why they haven't copied plants and rocks yet. There must be something useful in mountains and forests.

Cozmo

Efforts to create a synthetic pet are still pretty wacko though. I think we've all seen the Furby abominations, or the creepy toy dinosaurs that try to talk. There's just something deeply unsettling about a communicating machine trying to be cute and adorable. I don't mind robots, but those toys just make my skin crawl. There is a new bot called "Cozmo" that behaves very similarly to the fun robot "Wall-E" of the movie, and it's cute and fun and really expensive for what it is. Ah well. I do hope one day to have a little robot pet that doesn't wet the bed or chew my shoes.

- M

Massive animals are fun

As a boy, I loved dinosaurs--as most boys tend to. What's not to love? Huge creatures. Terribly scary. Ancient. Extinct. Plus, all we have is bones (and a few rock impressions of bodies) to tell us what these things looked like. So, it gave me free reign to create dinosaurs my own way. I made them gigantic. The only trouble was, it's difficult to really imagine the scale of such animals. Sure, it's simple to think of a great building and picture that. But, when was the last time you saw a building walk?

 

A couple of recent movies depicted enormous creatures--Godzilla and Pacific Rim. But, it's like looking at pictures in a book. There's so little sense of true scale. A favorite game of mine (EVE Online) has ships so huge they'd make the Death Star look puny. In the game, players progress from tiny vessels with a single occupant into ships with millions. Yet, regardless of the increasing scale, the size visually is the same (a game design decision, otherwise how could you possibly see what's going on if the ship is your entire world?). This is one area that 3-D visualization is well suited to illustrate. Without a sense of depth, it's just an image.

Kong: Skull Island
an upcoming movie about a really big ape

There are times when the scale really comes into focus. There's a game, Shadow of the Colossus, where you fight monsters so huge that you climb on them (and the final boss is practically city-sized). Maybe it's because you interact closely with these colossi, but the scale feels incredibly real. When the magic of perspective is fully revealed, it grants breathtaking vision. And, when you witness giant monsters wandering around, there's a special joy that isn't matched by anything smaller.

 

- M

Animals in stories

Ever since "Watership Down" changed the way we see rabbits, and "Old Yeller" and "Cujo" made us doubt our family pets, animals have been important aspects of stories. Okay, I'm joking. Animals have been part of stories since human beings have been capable of talking. We love funny pets, curious creatures, and all sorts of animals. Some of the most popular YouTube videos are cat and dog videos. Yup, we love animals.

 

From an author's standpoint, having animals in stories allows for some really neat interplay and character development. We can determine a lot about a character simply by how they react to animals. Treat a stray cat nicely, and we know immediately that this person is trustworthy (not necessarily correct, but it leads us to the conclusion). Have a villain toss a bagged dog into a stream and it's either a horrid person or a very different culture than the one we grew up in (either way, it's doubtful the audience will trust the character).

 

Animals also reflect the people they are around, many times acquiring the personalities and mannerisms of their owners. Because of this trait, we can get funny little glimpses of hidden flaws and counter play between the animals and people. They also are capable of getting away with behaviors that a regular character simply couldn't accomplish. Animals are too cute to be ashamed. Unless it's a skunk, and those things shouldn't exist at all--(only kidding, I'm sure they have a good purpose).

 

- M