By taroPlight of the Pussycat (a brief allegory)
Kaiju the cat was fully embedded in the wild. Well adorned by nature, Kaiju was an incredible hunter, curious explorer and valiant defender. He survived well and felt he was very fortunate. Then one day, a man noticed Kaiju make easy slaughter of a fat rat. “Hey”said the man. “Could you come with me and rid my house of rats?. They are eating my stockpile of food”. Kaiju’s curiosity was pique by this strange man and the offer of many rats. “Sure” replied the cat. “I will come tomorrow and help you”. “Great!” said the man. After a wave goodbye and with hearts full of optimism, man and cat returned to their respective homes.
The next day it was raining. Kaiju hated the rain. The water would trickle through his bushy domicile and make the fur between his toes wet. Grumbling a little, he began his journey over to the man’s house. Kaiju found the man waiting with the door to his house open. “Welcome!”said the man. As soon as Kaiju stepped paw through the doorway he immediately noticed that the floor was dry. “How nice to live in a dry house” thought Kaiju. The sound of scurrying behind some jars of food shifted his attention. His predatory zeal ignited, the cat became an incredible ball of energy. When it was over, four rats had been eviscerated. Kaiju and the man were covered in a satisfying layer of blood. The man begged Kaiju to return the next day as he was sure there were more rats. Still high from his predatory binge, Kaiju quickly agreed.
The next day it was still raining and Kaiju found himself thinking of the dry house. He turned his attention to his breakfast of rat offal. “Ugh” thought Kaiju to himself. He had been eating nothing but rat for the last three weeks and was growing weary of it. Nonetheless, Kaiju quickly finished his meal and set off for the man’s house. Once again the man was waiting with the door open and once again Kaiju felt his paws on the dry floor. Soon, however, everything blurred as the sound of scurrying rodents activated the magnificent predator. Moments later rat bits were everywhere and cat and man were satisfied. When the man opened the door for Kaiju to leave the cat felt himself hesitate. Thinking of the wetness which awaited him outside he asked the man if he could stay the night. “After all” said the Kaiju “there are more rats to kill and you have a lot of space”. The man was delighted by this proposition but politely said “I am very grateful for your help with the rats but I wonder if you would mind trimming your mane. The hairs are very coarse and I am finding them in the jars of food”. Kaiju thought for a moment. He was quite proud of his mane and it served great purpose in protecting his neck during hunts and battles over territory. But at that moment he was craving dry paws more than anything so he agreed to the man’s request. When night fell Kalju was very tired. He trimmed his mane and found a spot on the floor to curl up and sleep. The dry floor was hard and a little cold. Out of the corner of his eye, Kaiju saw the man lying down in his bed. He imagined the linens were very soft and warm. The cats eyes grew heavy and soon he fell asleep.
The next morning Kaiju was woken by an incredible aroma. The man had prepared an delectable breakfast which included a large amount of lox. “Good morning” said the man. “I hope you slept well”. Kaiju’s body ached a little from the hard floor but he was transfixed by the smell of salmon. The man, noticing the cat was completely preoccupied by the food on the table, decided not to push forward with conversation. Both sat down and stuffed themselves.
The day proved fairly quiet. Kaiju found but one rat. During the violence the rat’s tail had torn free and flung off – sticking to the man’s forehead. This was cause for great laughter. The man was very pleased at yet another dead rat and wished Kaiju to stay longer. Kaiju, fully seduced by both dryness and delicious food, was happy to agree. When night fell the cat ventured back to his spot on the floor. However, as he walked he couldn’t help but stare at the bed full of linens. The man, noticing Kaiju’s gaze, said “you may sleep on the bed if you wish”. The cat’s heart leapt with excitement. He ran across the room and jumped onto the bed. As imagined, the bed was exceeding soft and warm. Just before he settled into this new heaven the man added “before you get comfortable, I must ask that you to trim your nails”. “Those are very good linens and I do not want them to be scratched or torn”. The cat looked down at his enormous paws. His nails were like finely honed daggers and had helped him latch onto many prey. His body, however, ached for the gratifying warmth and softness. He complied with his host and trimmed his nails. As soon as he returned to the bed Kaiju felt his sacrifice was justified. Nestled in warmth and softness the cat was soon fast asleep.
The next few weeks passed gracefully. Only the occasional rat made an appearance in the house. Kaiju, with his trimmed nails, struggled to trap the prey he had been so marvellously designed to capture. He had to use all his weight to pin a rat until he could find a good spot to sink his teeth. The rats died slowly of blood loss but Kaiju remained unconcerned. He was enthralled by his new living conditions. One day, while watching the man emerge from the basement staircase, it struck Kaiju that he had never been to the lowest level of the house. “What could be in the basement?” wondered Kaiju. The man went down twice a day and he was always carrying a white bucket. Kaiju’s curiosity compelled him to investigate. Down the stairs he went. The basement was glowing. A hue of green and blue surrounded the cat as he brought his paws onto the floor. Kaiju’s eyes were as wide as saucers and his jaw had dropped to the floor. The basement was much bigger than anticipated and it was filled with huge aquariums. Inside each aquarium was every manner and colour of fish imaginable. Silver, gold, metallic greens and blues shimmied and flashed in all directions. Kaiju’s brain was swirling. What sensory bliss for a cat! Even though Kaiju could not touch the fish the environment was incredibly seductive. As he stood mesmerized the man suddenly appeared. “Kaiju!” shouted the man. “You are scaring the fish!”. “If you are going to spend time down here with your mouth open like that you are going to have to file your big teeth.” Kaiju did not even hear the man the first time. His mind was stuck in a deep trance. When the man repeated the command, this time standing straight in front of him, the cat slowly nodded in affirmation.
Weeks turned into months. Time passed easily as Kaiju was caught in a daze of comfort, food and distraction. Only one rat appeared in this time. Killing it was quite a battle. With trimmed nails and filed teeth the rat was almost impossible to hold. Kaiju finally killed the vermin by trapping it against the floor with one immense paw and then clubbing it to death with the other. He also sustained his first injury when the rat bit his neck where ordinarily his untamed mane would have protected him. The intensity of the struggle worried the cat so he went to the basement to be pacified. Many more days would pass before another change occurred at the house.
On a warm spring day the man arrived at the house carrying a big box. Kaiju, noticing the novelty, sat up from his usual mid-day nap. “What could this be?” thought Kaiju. He ran over to the man as soon as the box was placed on the floor. The box was quite tall so Kaiju raised himself up on his hind legs and stretched as long as he could to have a peek inside. Nestled tightly together at the bottom was five kittens! Kaiju was beside himself, he could not even speak. He had not seen another cat in a very long time.
Over the next few months the kittens began to grow. They were full of energy and boundless enthusiasm. Kaiju revelled in the companionship and could not imagine himself any happier. It was on a warm, spring day that the man approached Kaiju and said grimly “the kittens will have to live somewhere else now”. Kaiju’s heart sank. “Why!?” stammered the cat. The man muttered something about “uncivilized behaviour”. Kaiju blurted “they will behave themselves. I promise”. The man narrowed his eyes and pointed a finger straight at the cat “you too will start engaging in uncivilized behaviour!” Kaiju was devastated. He pleaded with the man “there must be some way we can keep the kittens. Some way to assure you that I will behave”. “There is only one way” said the man after some contemplation. “you will have to undergo a special procedure”. The notion of a compromise overwhelmed Kaiju with relief.
He was ready to do anything to keep the kittens.
The feeling of being picked up roused Kaiju from sleep. Before he could react, he was shoved into a cage. Kaiju began to panic. He had never been so confined before. He spoke to the man but there was no response. The day began to blur: there was a trip to a building. They spent time in a room with other cats and animals – all confined to small cages. Kaiju was agitated and began to meow. “Sit still and be quiet!” commanded the man. Soon the two were brought to a room and the cage was placed on a steel table. There a woman, who introduced herself as Doctor Breaker, pinned Kaiju to the bottom of the cage. He struggled and fought but without teeth or claws it was futile. Kaiju felt a sharp pinch.…
Kaiju woke up back at the house. He felt disorientated and his mind was foggy. Slowly things began to clear and Kaiju felt very afraid. What had happened? What was changed? He felt incredible pain around his lower abdomen.The feeling of fear intensified. He began searching for a way to calm himself. Kaiju went to the basement but the aquariums could not sufficiently distract him. He then went to the kittens but they could not console him. Kaiju found a dark corner of the house and curled up. Everything seemed magnified and distorted. Kaiju remained huddled in the corner for several hours. Then the worst possible thing happened… A big, fat rat appeared. What was once a golden opportunity now provoked panic. The neutered cat hid his eyes and trembled uncontrollably. For hours the brazen rat feasted on jars of food until, mercifully, it disappeared.
Over the next few weeks the rat problem grew. A population of big, bold rats infested the house. The food was disappearing quickly. Kaiju, no longer able to fulfill his role in the house, lost all his self-esteem and became despondent. He was stuck in his dark corner, unable to move. The man, oblivious to his role in this destiny, resented the cat. The growing kittens were of no use either. Sky, Moon, Snow, Forest and Apple were tailored for domestic life. Stripped of their natural tools and behaviours, they cold not kill a fly – rats were far too ambitious! When the food was gone the rats started to chew holes in the structure of the house. Rain seeped in and everyone got wet.