Today, my little bowl lickers, we’re going to attack a fallacy about our bodies with all the energy of a kitten tackling a dangling feather. I’ve heard the comments. I know you think I’m full-figured. And I suppose it’s true. But you need to know that part of my pleasing shape comes thanks to Mother Nature, not evenings spent gorging on Twinkies.
My belly does sway from side-to-side when I walk, and less tactful witnesses to it have mocked me for it. “Hey, she dusts the floor when she walks!” Oh, you’re sooooo hilarious. These remarks come out much the same way someone would talk about a chubby human baby, with cuteness and delight. However, my precious readers, I’m not an infant nor am I chubby.
To begin with, I’m low to the ground. My previously mentioned breed – ragamuffin – is not known for its coltish gait. We’re the carpet inspectors of the cat world. We’d love to be lithe but that’s not what the creator of cats had in mind for us. Last time I looked, your toes didn’t have eyes, so we deserve a bit of gratitude for keeping watch on things at ground level.
And second, this dollop of dangling flesh, known as the primordial pouch, has a purpose! It’s only unfortunate that science can’t seem to settle on what that purpose is.
The most likely of all theories, if you ask me, is that it allows us to stretch fur-ther when we are on the move. A tight abdomen wouldn’t give us much, well, give, now, would it? The second is that before our species was domesticated, the furry flap provided protection for out vital organs during a fight.
Although we can now purr, act cute and annoy our way out of most confrontations, nature retains the pouch, apparently for your amusement.
Now that you’re aware, you will notice this pouch on virtually all adult cats. Even the tall and lithe ones have it. It has nothing to do with how many sit-ups we do or whether we’re getting enough fibre. I’ve never been a bikini gal so a one-piece with tummy control suits me just fine.
Cats, like people, come in all shapes and sizes. Some are in perfect health. Some have conditions they must endure. There are those who have a six-pack and others who have a case of 24 that brushes the hardwood. These things do not determine our value. Perhaps nature has given you something such as a webbed toe, a neck waddle, or an earlobe that you could project slides onto. I love you just the same.
So, the next time you see me, or one of my distant cousins, and notice that our undercarriage makes contact with the ground, kindly direct your snappy comments to Mother Nature. You’d appreciate the softness of my pouch if I rolled over and exposed it to you. I dare say, you would not be able to resist a little finger scritching of the fur. My human beans are powerless in its presence. What you might see as a negative, is one of my finest attributes. I do hope you’ll keep this in mind with regards to felines, human beans, and all creatures of the world except filthy dogs and snakes.
With that, I wish you a good weekend, my little ear flickers!
You friend,
Miss Sugar