sunlit kitty 太陽に照らされた猫 (Gujohachiman, Japan)

Posted by timothy sullivan (Tokyo, Japan) on 20 February 2009 in Animal & Insect.

The story behind this image is kind of funny, I think. Whilst I was traipsing along the some of the quiet side streets of Gujohachiman and admiring the distinctly older-style homes there, I happened upon this capricious feline--who decided to walk alongside me. Normally, the cats I have met tend to kind of tacitly beckon you over to them, then they will rise, walk over, and start purring around your feet, begging to be pet. This guy, however, had been sitting next to a telephone pole as I passed by. He looked at me, rose to his feet, and started walking by my side for quite a ways. Whenever I stopped, he stopped; and whenever I looked down at him, he responded with an upward gaze--with fey eyes that seemed somehow filled with an intuitive understanding of who I was.
And as onward the two of us walked, each enjoying the other's presence, I had that uncanny thought I sometimes feel when an animal seems to understand me so well: perhaps there is something to be said for reincarnation. If the soul is energy, and as neither created nor destroyed can energy be, can that same energy truly flow into other beings and impart a certain sense of déjà vu?

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Comments (3)

Laurie from New Jersey, United States

What a great story. There was a cat like that where I worked many years ago. It hung around me whenever I was outside the office, even tried to follow me inside and would often jump into my car when I opened the door. It turned out the cat which was still quite young, was a stray. It kept losing weight and got dirtier and dirtier as the weeks went by. I decided to take the cat home with me and see what I could do for her. I took her to the vet and other than being undernourished she was very healthy. She lived with me for nearly 20 years. But...once she got used to living with us, after about 6 months she lost her friendly charm and was actually quite ornery in nature. When she wanted attention you'd better give it to her and when she had enough, rather than just walk off, she would give you a hiss and a swat. I'd never had a cat quite like that. It became a love/hate relationship.

This is a great shot and it looks like an intense kitty with lots of cattitude.

20 Feb 2009 2:46pm

@Laurie: Thanks for your comment, Laurie! For me, cats seem to be rather temperamental creatures, capricious and self-centered in many ways. Though they certainly appear to enjoy having someone watch over and care for them, I find that many felines enjoy that sort of partial-independence, and that "cattitude", mixed with that species' grace in movement and other personality charms, was for me in many ways charming. Unfortunately, when I was younger, I was allergic to cats; though I had wished for a kitty around the house, given that they'd make my eyes water and my lungs feel stuffy, there wasn't much I could do. I suppose that I ended up leaning more toward Labrador personalities as a result--that is, until Sadie came into my life. (Sadie was the Labrador who would act like a cat solely for me--as if completely aware of my desire to have a cat. She'd nuzzle against my feet and go around and between my legs as I stood--which made for quite a funny thing when she reached her full size!)