I feel we are crossing some sort of line. Yuppie-hood? Urban trendiness? Lunacy? Today I left a message for a nationally-ballyhoo’d animal behaviorist to make a house call to try to get Zoe and Fat Sam to play nice. It’s one of the charms of living in New York that people like him are our neighbors. This guy lives in Brooklyn, which is what makes this all possible. As any reasonable person might imagine, this is not going to come cheap. Not at all. But we made a commitment when we took in Fat Sam. We love him and we’re going to do everything we can to make it work. I mean, who could give up a 20-pound, 6-toed, 7-clawed cat who high fives? Another NY pet benefit… Damon and I went out to dinner tonight. After we ordered I remembered that we meant to buy a new cat toy, but I knew everything would close before we finished. So I ducked out of the restaurant and was back with bunch of feathers bungeed to a fishing pole before my salad had arrived.
On an unrelated note, I’ve started reading a book called The Scalpel and the Butterfly which is subtitled “the war between animal research and animal protection.” This is an intricately complicated issue for me. I stopped eating meat when I was 18 in protest of animal processing. I felt then, and feel now, that humans are definitely at the top of the food chain. But that the way in which animals are raised, harvested and slaughtered is not defensible. But I am no hero. I try not to buy or use animal products, and fail several times a day. Some of my shoes and bags have leather parts. And I won’t even begin to get into all the other ways animal products sneak in. I do eat dairy, but only free range and organic. Except, of course, when I’m going to Baskin Robbins. So, again, not perfect. But I care. A lot.
When I was a little girl my Mom (probably almost randomly) hung a wooden plaque in my room with a picture of a little girl surrounded by field animals. A prayer was inscribed, “Dear Father, hear and bless thy beasts and singing birds. And guard with tenderness small things that have no words.” As a small kid with a big vocabulary, I was always enormously moved by the idea of creatures so helpless as to be deprived of speech. Talking was (is) my only natural defense as I am not particulary strong or brave or fast. So that’s my pop psychology explanation for why I feel a deep affinity for animals. But that affinity isn’t imagined. Your pets would love me. I can make your dog stop jumping without yelling at her. Your cat will respect and like me.
Anyway, I’ve made my point. And yet. My best friend has MS. I will go to the mat loudly denouncing most forms of animal research. And I’ll start with shameful things like cosmetic testing. But at some point when you get down to those last few cases I start to get very uncomfortable. Because my best friend has MS.
jaysaint 
Posted by friendofjack on May 16, 2006 at 2:40 am
I felt then, and feel now, that humans are definitely at the top of the food chain.
There are a couple of alligators in Florida that appear to think otherwise.
Posted by friendofjack on May 16, 2006 at 2:40 am
I felt then, and feel now, that humans are definitely at the top of the food chain.
There are a couple of alligators in Florida that appear to think otherwise.
Posted by elemess on May 16, 2006 at 1:37 pm
My step-father has a pair of boots I could introduce them to to set them straight.
Posted by elemess on May 16, 2006 at 1:37 pm
My step-father has a pair of boots I could introduce them to to set them straight.
Posted by friendofjack on May 16, 2006 at 2:40 am
I felt then, and feel now, that humans are definitely at the top of the food chain.
There are a couple of alligators in Florida that appear to think otherwise.
Posted by travellight on May 16, 2006 at 2:42 am
I don’t really have a good grip on all the sorts of books you read, yet I am reading one that I am riveted by, and I keep wanting to send it to you. If that would be okay, I mean. I smell like rose dust, so I can’t be all bad.
Posted by travellight on May 16, 2006 at 2:42 am
I don’t really have a good grip on all the sorts of books you read, yet I am reading one that I am riveted by, and I keep wanting to send it to you. If that would be okay, I mean. I smell like rose dust, so I can’t be all bad.
Posted by jaysaint on May 19, 2006 at 11:17 pm
I would love that! I read all sorts of books. There’s no genre I can think of that I find totally unappealing. If there’s a book equivalent of speed metal, then I don’t like that.
I’m glad you like the rose dust. As I get to know your tastes better perhaps I can provide more goodies from time to time. So far no one has put out photo paper or wide-angle lenses, but you never know.
Posted by jaysaint on May 19, 2006 at 11:17 pm
I would love that! I read all sorts of books. There’s no genre I can think of that I find totally unappealing. If there’s a book equivalent of speed metal, then I don’t like that.
I’m glad you like the rose dust. As I get to know your tastes better perhaps I can provide more goodies from time to time. So far no one has put out photo paper or wide-angle lenses, but you never know.
Posted by travellight on May 16, 2006 at 2:42 am
I don’t really have a good grip on all the sorts of books you read, yet I am reading one that I am riveted by, and I keep wanting to send it to you. If that would be okay, I mean. I smell like rose dust, so I can’t be all bad.
Posted by elemess on May 16, 2006 at 1:37 pm
My step-father has a pair of boots I could introduce them to to set them straight.
Posted by jaysaint on May 19, 2006 at 11:17 pm
I would love that! I read all sorts of books. There’s no genre I can think of that I find totally unappealing. If there’s a book equivalent of speed metal, then I don’t like that.
I’m glad you like the rose dust. As I get to know your tastes better perhaps I can provide more goodies from time to time. So far no one has put out photo paper or wide-angle lenses, but you never know.