Opaque Lucidity

The Cat Lady

According to the International Herald Tribune, your close relationship to your dog or cat may not be as unhealthy as we've always thought. According to the story, many people consider their pet to be a 'significant other', taking the place of a human partner.

I understand why. When I come home from work, our dog Molly is very happy to see me. I would like to think it's because she loves me, but in reality she wags her tail and pants because she knows she is mere minutes away from a belly rub and a walk around the neighborhood. I believe well-treated animals feel affection for their owners, but I think it is more of a feeling of safety than anything else.

I admit that I like Molly, Kahlua, Tigger, Bud, and Socks (our dog and four cats) more than some of the humans I know. But we are living in a society that is trying to normalize unhealthy relationships with our pets. EVERY single person I have ever known or worked with who lives alone and has more than five animals has some degree of social phobia or a personality disorder. I'll protect the guilty.

The sad fact is that it's easier to love a pet sometimes. They want simple things: food, affection, a warm place to sleep. Humans require more from us: trust, loyalty, honesty, a good work ethic, etc., areas in which we are all deficient at one time or another. It's a slippery slope----once the dog and/or cat in your house becomes more important than your family, you're on your way out of civilization as we know it.