Much ado about cats

Cats. I never realized how important they are. I suppose they have their place in the world, but I confess, I never developed a meaningful relationship with a single one. I had a grandmother who adored cats, and they had great affection for her. When we would visit, my father would strongly advise caution, because it was clear that when you went to her house you were entering “cat-controlled”territory. Cat sentries would be posted everywhere and would be suspiciously peering at you from various dark corners and scrutinizing your every move from crowded bookshelves and mounds of giant sofa pillows. Grandmother Phillips, at that time, spent most of her days in just three or four rooms of the house, and that’s just the way the cats liked it. They had the area all locked down. To make matters worse, there were three big oak rocking chairs in the house, so if you carelessly rocked in the wrong chair at the wrong time, you could easily upset the peace and order of Cat World. It was a treacherous landscape for any intruder especially a boy of eight or nine. A few days ago, Vice-Presidential candidate, J.D. Vance, also felt the treacherous power of the kitty curse, and I imagine he has been feeling a little uneasy ever since about cats, sort of like I still do at times. In case you missed it, a little over three years ago Senator Vance made an off the cuff remark about why there were so many “childless cat ladies” in high-level government positions now. Not smart, but Vance has a habit of saying what he thinks. Not like some other national candidates who seem to have version 1,2,3, or 4 of statements they made in the past. Anyhow, last week, a mysteriously unnamed source revived the comment and put it in the cat bowl for ABC, NPR, USA Today, The View, the New York Times and all the rest of the usual suspects to lap up and spin. Well, shock and horror swept over the land worse than when Sylvester ate Tweety Bird. Senator Vance may very well be having some of the same uncomfortableness that I experienced whenever I had to endure the icy marble-eyed stares and disdainful disposition of those dictatorial felines. I think Senator Vance is genuine and unvarnished in what he thinks and what he says, and I don’t think he hates cats or women who happen to be single, but he needs to tread carefully when crossing swords with the cat cosmos, cat owners and especially the legion of left-leaning mainstream media who are just waiting to pounce with their scratchy little paws on anyone who complains and does not eat the catnip that has been prepared for them.

Looking back, I guess my grandmother was a true cat lady, but she raised my father, loved her family and devoted her life to making a home for them all. Naturally, as time moved on, her life changed. Family members passed on or moved away and caring for her cats helped fill her days. Life is a journey of our own choosing, and no two paths are exactly the same. That is how it should be, but in a time when we see the troubling effects of radical change and sliding standards, it is wise to remember that the freedom to choose how we live is protected by the strength of the traditional values this country has always held. The family unit is an essential component and cornerstone of those values. The individual choices we make whether dealing with marital status, having children, or how we view the institution of family or government most certainly determine the character of our community and our country. I would hope that the role and duty of government will always reflect the essential role of family and will always include doing all that can be done to strengthen and support the traditional values of family life. Our freedom to choose is important, but the concept and role of “family” in all its forms and variations is also vitally important. Anything else that may be attributed to, inferred, or that otherwise may arise from Senator Vance’s “cat comment” is, as the poet said, “much ado about nothing”. I’m not speaking for the candidate for Vice President, but I suspect this summation is pretty close to what he had in mind when he brought the cats and the cat ladies into the conversation three years ago. That’s equal to 45 years in cat years, so its time to give the guy a break. I gotta go feed my big, happy brown lab.

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