Crossing the identity boundary
Speckle led the pack in terms of trans-species boundary crossing. I'm not sure that she truly thought she was a dog, it's more that she blazed her own behaviour patterns that were, well, rather more canine than feline in nature. For instance, how common is it for a cat to:
- growl at strange people arriving at our door. Yeah, cats growl at each other and dogs. But people?
- see off invading dogs and cats that dared to step foot on our property. No matter the species or size, she'd take them on. Her slender frame and unique lack of any sort of coordination played against her, so she usually lost and retired injured, chunks of fur and skin left behind on the battlefield but not before the invader gave up. Tenacious, brave and fiercely loyal, she brooked no encroachment or threat to her 'humans' and home.
- have a bottomless pit of affection and continually demand it from people. Anyone in our home had no choice but to pet her and allow her to lie on their laps or sleep on their bed. She was utterly mad for people, couldn't be petted and stroked enough. Aloof? Standoff-ish? Not a chance. She was the cat version of one of those annoying dogs that won't leave you alone.
- completely lack the teeniest ability to climb or jump. Seriously. She was appalling. 9 out of 10 attempts to leap onto the couch ended with her falling back onto the floor. She never got the hang of landing with her front paws, it was always an awkward 'all 4 feet in the air, scootch forward a bit and land' which usually went wrong. The number of times she aimed at the dining table, landed on the cloth and continued sailing across the table to be dumped on the floor on the other side was legendary.
- enthusiasm - Speckle 'spoke' sign language - with her tail. It was always upright, waving back and forth. The tip curled and unfurled with gay abandon, she was always so HAPPY. Like a festival flag or a parade banner, that tail was brilliant. It never once slashed in anger, she was incapable of that but oh my word, in constant motion her tail was a thing of happiness and delight.
- forgiveness. One could be unkind and say due to a shortage of brain cells and limited memory, her infinite and unconditional forgiveness for any ills done her was less a matter of choice but of mental (in)capacity. I choose to believe that her unstinting loyalty and love, given with a full heart and without expectation, endowed her with the ability to forget the rough push off a lap or being shut outside for being a nuisance and to simply, with unbounded glee and happiness, leap upon us and resume delivering her love and affection at the next available opportunity. No grudges held or pouting sulks, just sheer delight at being with her human.
Speckle joyously loved living life every day; she never gave up and possessed a brave heart overstuffed with an abundance of love and absolution. And yes, she was oblivious to the 'box' of her species. She lived her life her way, stepping over unseen boundaries and being true to the spirit she knew she was. These are fine qualities for people, too; Speckle's way of life is something to aspire to. Simple minded it may be, but hell, she filled every cell of her body with happiness and affection.
Overcomplicated and analytical as we humans are and so often eager to take offence and burn bridges, wouldn't it be a happier world if we took life with a healthy sprinkle of Speckle philosophy?
She featured in a few blogs over the years:
