Friday, June 8, 2012

Emulating the cat

In a post Fondlers Anonymous asked how one explains the submissiveness now and it was going to turn into a loooong answer so it was easier to put it here. It's going to be long because there is no nice pat answer to a question like that. For starters, as one wrote ages ago, submissive is not something one identifies as at all. In fact one small slave is no more submissive than the cat is...

The cat, formally known as Nickydaemous or Ms Minx for short, is a tiny ball of black fur that looks like it could be a wonderful pet. To see it shimmying around on its back inviting you to tickle its tummy you would never know its track record... the pain, the fear, the blood it has drawn. All of it from people who were warned do not touch the cat, do not make any sudden movements... actually avoid eye contact and stand still if it comes towards you, is usually the other bit of advice we give. In every case its victim has ignored these warnings not only because they think we are joking, but because they have this idea of what a domestic cat is...

They forget that a cat is one of the most adaptive predators on the planet. Cats can survive in deserts, snow, on the streets and in any corner of the world. We might like to think of them as companions, cuddly things that purr at us...
When in reality they are keen manipulators of their humans and their environment. They are smart enough to pretend they don't know their own name when it suits them... that tells you how malleable they are...
And one isn't much different... ask any of the exes :)

Now when you want to make a cat do something... let's say simply moving it off the piece of furniture it has decided to grace with its presence... you have a range of choices...
  • You can make a sudden noise
  • You can make a threatening gesture... not recommended with the cat... it will stand its ground and have a go back at you
  • You can use an implement like a water pistol
  • You can coax it with a treat
  • You can pick it up and physically move it 

In all those scenarios you have exerted your will... the cat has moved. Where the mistake lays is in thinking that the cat is submissive to you. It isn't... its acceded to your wishes. That is not the same thing... at all.

At no stage should you mistake winning that round for thinking you have subdued the inner beast... or that it has suddenly become something that it's not. Even if next time it gets off that spot when you walk into the room... that is not a sign of submission merely that the cat just isn't in the mood to play that game again... today
Now it doesn't matter why it has done it... you have got what you want and the cat is happily pretending to not be the predator that it is.
Of course in the case of our cat it is actively plotting its revenge...

In all of this you may be wondering well why do this? Well the thing is without the ability to put one on the floor, you will end up living with someone who will ruin your furniture and not even have the grace look apologetic. Add to that the small and important fact that ultimately one isn't interested in being in charge... well not long term though one will have a run at it... just for practise... unlike Him who loves it and does care :)
Besides, when one rolls over and shimmies along...

4 comments:

Fondles said...

Hmmm.. thanks for writing this... I'll have something to mull over while I sit through church...

T said...

Lol, love this, great way of answering Fondlers. Too funny. We have a cat like that, she used to be nice and sweet and was named Lucy. Now she is probably plotting her revenge on us and is now known as Lucifer.

ancilla_ksst said...

Cats don't do submission at all do they? Unless it is is accepting the submission of those around them who can be commanded to open cans.

Jake said...

I definitely enjoyed the cat metaphor. Though some cats are more like this than others, I've noticed!