[Blog] Cats

It’s a fun exercise, occasionally, to imagine what our lives would look like to someone or something that didn’t have the lifelong context that we do to make certain things seem normal.

Take cats, for example. We have invited these small, fuzzy creatures into our homes, where we love them and care for them and they repay us (hopefully) by loving us in return in their own small, fuzzy way. Usually by way of lots of purring, headbutts, and falling asleep on your legs in ridiculous positions.

Or pouncing on your ankles when you’re least expecting it. It’s a toss-up.

Now imagine you’re from some distant planet or an alternate reality where it is not common practice to share your home with miniature predators who can boast that five out of their six ends are pointy. It might seem… questionable. Now imagine learning that not only do we allow them into our homes, we allow them onto our beds. While we’re sleeping and vulnerable. And, in fact, that some of us actively encourage them to do so. And that, far from trying to discourage their vicious prey drives, we simulate small creatures for them to attack by way of toys and laser pointers.

So many questions. So very many questions.

Of course, from our perspective, it makes perfect sense. Sure, cuddling with cats might come with its own risks, but most of the cats I hang out with are pretty good at not causing intentional harm. And the purring is pretty cute. And the security of knowing that they’ll at least try to kill any spiders they notice in the house is… well, maybe it’s just the thought that counts.

All this to say, cats might not be someone’s first choice to include when trying to worldbuild their own setting for some new writing project. There’s no way one of the most common pets would be something so potentially dangerous, you might say.

And yet.