24.11.2013

Links November 2013






US Exeptionalism Flag copy
Maybe some eminent heads of the US political elite have woken up from their geopolitical dreams and are realizing, that their Arab Spring revolutions didn’t turn out as planned and have made matters worse not only for the concerned population but also for the masterminds in the neocolonial nations.
It looked so promising and the underlaying plan seemed to be straight forward, easy and yet brilliant, but the plan had serious flaws which the Yankee minds with their narrow, power- and profit-oriented world view couldn’t see.
US Middle East politics has cost 600,00 Iraqi, 40,00 Libyan, 100,00 Syrian lives, has resulted in unimaginable destruction and suffering throughout the region — and the Yankees, cocooned in their parallel universe still ask: Why do they hate us?
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To sugarcoat the bitter pills of world news the link lists on this blog are always combined with pictures of Mato’s cat family. This time the subject is Rosy, a stout but nevertheless lovely nine year old calico cat. Rosy joined the cat family together with her siblings Paul and Mary as tiny kittens. My then wife had invited me to a friend of hers who showed us a little basket with the three cute kittens and casually asked: “Are you taking them or shall I throw them to death right away?”

This is how the cat population is managed in rural areas. Cats are not neutered or spayed because that is costly, but instead the newborn kittens are thrown against a stone wall till they are dead (or presumed to be dead). Alternatively the kittens are drowned in a bucket of water. I cannot imagine what kind of consciousness a person must have who takes one kitten after another to throw it against a wall or submerge it in a bucket till it stops moving.

Well, other people sign “kill lists,” some people plan and start wars, some make a fortune by producing and trading deadly weapons.

Empathy can be very selective.

Anyway, the response to the question of my wife’s friend was of course yes, and Rosy, Paul, and Mary joined Harry and Lizzy, the initial members of the cat family. Harry was neutered and a huge cat with at least 6 kilo weight, he was easy going and very friendly. He was also an excellent mouse catcher.

It was unavoidable and only natural that Rosy grew up under the guidance of Harry, who was throughout his unfortunately only six year long life the unchallenged patriarch of the family. When Rosy and her siblings joined the family, Harry took care of Rosy and the two developed an unusual close relationship and were always playing and hunting together. Harry had obviously, like so many other males in leading positions, a soft spot for young female subordinates.
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It was a match made in heaven, but it unfortunately ended after five years with the tragic and untimely death of Harry, who in summer 2008 mysteriously and without apparent reason became quiet and withdrawn. He had, as we learned later from the vet, an incurable lever infection, probably contracted in a bloody fight with an intruding straying tomcat.

When Rosy was a few month old, the cats and I developed the routine of gathering in the evening near the entrance door and then walking around the house. Soon we extended the evening walks to wander across the meadows, which surrounded the house, and along the pathways between the nearby fields and meadows. Gradually the walks became longer and longer and we were exploring the wider area with its various fields, meadows, thickets, and hedges.

Harry was the co-leader and co-organizer of these daily walks, but in the last weeks of his life he could not go the whole way, so he just rested after a few hundred meters and waited till we came back and then he joined us again, leading the group home like in the old days. When I realized the severity of Harrys condition, I walked half the way that we normally took and then turned so we would came back exactly to the place where he was waiting for us. Occasionally I also carried him a part of the way, which was quit exhausting because he was still a big and heavy cat despite the fact, that he did not eat much anymore and constantly lost weight.

I can remember when Rosy repeatedly jumped at him during the walks as a clear invitation to play and how deeply disappointed she was when he just shrugged and only continued walking as good as he could.

Harry’s death was a blow to all of us. I lost one of the best friends that I ever had and even as I write this I have to wipe my eyes. Consider me a sentimental geezer or a sissy or whatever, I don’t mind. Harry, together with Lizzy and the other cats were responsible for the happiest years of my life until now and I’m deeply indebted to him. A debt that I pay back to the cats which are still with me.
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Rosy became very melancholic when Harry disappeared. She didn’t know that he died in my arms, euthanized by the vet. She didn’t realize that it was her friend Harry, whom I buried in a corner of the vegetable garden. Maybe she hoped for some time, that he would come back one day and play again with her and they would joyfully jump around and chase each other like in the old times.

It took many years for Rosy to overcome the loss of her best friend. She became a moody middle aged cat lady, a bit distanced, sometimes petulant, seldom cheerful. During the last year though her mood improved significantly, it seems that recent changes in the cat family opened her new and favorable perspectives.
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The changes in her favor are: Ma Xi has left the family and found a new host (I wish him well, he is still my friend and I care about him). Princess Min Ki, leader of the family and Rosy’s long time rival, has mellowed and is not bossy anymore. Min Ki uses her remarkable social skills now more strategically and is “leading from behind.”

Mia, the elegant urban lady from Munich, is shy and quiet, but all at all a pleasant and uncomplicated new family member. Mia btw is Rosy’s niece, though these kind of family relations don’t mean much for cats.

Gandhi Jr., Mias son and Rosy’s grand nephew, is now one year and four month old. He is still growing and he will become a big cat, as big as Harry and maybe even bigger. For a period of time I had the impression the he was getting thinner and thinner and I became worried about his health till I realized, than he was not becoming thinner but only longer.

When Gandhi J. was a small kitten, Rosy first ignored him and later considered him as an annoyance (small cat boys can indeed be an annoyance, as they don’t know yet how to behave properly). But over time Rosy warmed up to him and now, alongside Mia and Princess Min Ki, even participates in his education.

It takes a village to raise a child, and a cat family to raise a young cat boy. Just like every other adolescent who belongs to a social species, Gandhi Jr. has to learn the rules and manners which must be obeyed to keep a society and a family functional and enable a harmonious social climate. And as there are no obedience training facilities or schools for cats, Gandhi’s fellow cats have to teach him. 

As I write down these words I start wondering and pondering about the question: Why are there no obedience training facilities or schools for cats, similar to that which exist for dogs and humans?

Well, cats are special!
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