The Cat Show A Fable About a Strange Future Without Cats By Franny Syufy Emily fidgeted as her mother tried to fasten her boots. Where are we going, Mommy? Hold still. Ive got a wonderful surprise for you today. Lets see if you can button your own coat. Hurry up! Well be late for the show. Emily struggled with her buttons. A show? Were going to the movies? Her eyes widened at the prospect. Forbidden movies in the middle of the week! Oh, its much better than movies. Were going to the Natural History Museums new show. Cmon, now! The Airtram wont wait for us. Emilys face fell when she heard museum, but she loved her rare trips on the Airtram. She grabbed her grimy, worn Tigger doll and stuffed it inside her coat. Outside, they only waited a few moments in the lightly falling snow; a whirring signalled the approach of the Airtram, which swooped in and hovered a few feet above the street. Rose held her daughters hand as a small escalator dropped down from the Airtram. They moved in line behind the other waiting passengers, then whooped with laughter as they stepped on the escalator and were transported inside the flying bus. Rose lifted Emily into a window seat and fastened her seatbelt, then settled back for the short trip to the museum, only about 600 miles away. Fifteen minutes later, they stood looking up at the granite building, an enormous edifice with three wings. Rose consulted the directory then grabbed Emilys hand and they raced up the steps. Mommy, wheres the show? What are we going to see? Emily clutched Tigger closely as her feet flew up the stairs. Were going to see cats, Emily. Real cats! Roses teeth chattered with excitement. She so well remembered the same visit she had taken as a child, when the Cat Show had come to the United States. Ooooh, you mean cats like Tigger? Emilys eyes widened at the thought of a bunch of Tiggers on display. Nope. Real cats. Living, breathing, purring cats. Hah! Everybody knows that cats are only in story books. Like unicorns and -- whats purring, Mommy? Roses smile widened. Youll see, Pumpkin. Youll soon see. Inside, Rose prodded Emily ahead of her as they snaked through a hushed group of people, and arrived at a spot on the edge of the crowd. The docent, a gray-haired woman in her 60s, was already talking, as she stood next to a cage covered with a satin cloth. She was describing a time a hundred years before, when cats could be found freely roaming the streets, to the extent that they were deemed a universal problem, one that had been caused by the very people who professed to love them. When questioned about this dichotomy, she explained, You see, people commonly kept cats at home as pets. A soft murmur waved through the crowd at the concept. Small kittens, the guide continued, were very cute and cuddly, and many people allowed their cats to breed, just to enjoy those few months of watching the babies. But unfortunately, those babies grew to be gangly, awkward, hungry cats, and their owners soon tired of them. They thought for some reason that cats could fend for themselves, and for that reason, often decided it was kinder to turn them loose in a park or near a restaurant, where other people would feed and care for them. Unfortunately, these cats were not neutered, and soon bred rapidly. The offspring often died, from starvation, getting hit by cars, eaten by other animals or other crueler deaths, but those who survived also bred, until huge feral cat colonies were formed. Therein lay the problem. The crowd pressed forward as the docents hand hovered over the satin cloth, then breathed a collective sigh as she whisked the rippling fabric off and displayed a cage. Emilys eyes were wide as daisies when she saw a glossy black cat washing the ears of a black and white kitten with her tongue. Emily took a tentative lick at Tiggers battered felt ear, frowned at the taste, then squealed when she saw four more kittens nestled against the queens flank: a grey-striped one, a fuzzy grey one, and two more black kittens, miniature replicas of the mother cat. The guide smiled at Emily, who had pushed forward to the front of the crowd. Would you like to listen to them purr, Honey? Emily nodded and grasped Tigger tighter as Rose gently nudged her over to the cage. Following the docents directions, Emily put her ear close to the cage and heard....PURRING. The most exquisitely blissful sound, sweeter than the sweetest nursery song she had ever heard. The crowd moved closer, but not a sound could be heard except the musical rhythmic sawing of the mother cats purr. The greatest violin virtuosos concerto in history could not have held a crowd mezmerized, the way this purring did. Just when Emily felt like she couldnt hold her excitement in, the docent opened the cage and extracted the black and white kitten, a small ball of damp fluff. Would you like to hold her? Emily nodded and in a small voice murmurred, Yes, please, then swallowed hard as the guide placed the furry warm bundle in her arms. She felt a tingling go through her hands as she realized you could feel the purring as well as hear it. Without prompting, she gently stroked the velvet fur and rubbed her face against the soft, tickly hairs. The docent, whose name tag said Maria, retrieved the kitten and gently placed it against its mothers side, where it quickly fastened on a nipple and stroked little happy kneading steps with its paws and tiny claws. A male voice broke the hushed silence. I dont see why this (nodding toward the cage) posed a problem. Maria smiled wryly as she explained. Well, you see, this one cat could, if allowed to breed indiscrimately, with her female offspring, be responsible for the birth of hundreds of cats within a few short years. Now, if you can imagine hundreds of thousands of other female cats also breeding freely, and likewise their offspring, you can get a small idea of the nature of the problem. Well, the same grey-haired man replied, Obviously someone figured out a solution, otherwise how come this cat and her kittens are the only living felines, just a hundred years later? Maria sighed and rolled her eyes upward. She always hated this part of the exhibit. Actually, there were a number of really concerned people working on a solution, when it was taken out of their hands. A concept called Trap, Neuter and Release, also called TNR, spread quickly throughout the world, on what was once called the Internet. Other variations of this program were called Trap, Test, Vaccinate, Alter, Release, and Maintain. Hundreds of volunteers fed their local feral colonies. They found that spaying or neutering the cats and releasing them back into the colonies was the best solution to population control. You see, if a whole colony was exterminated, as had previously been the policy in many areas, a whole new colony moved in. If a colony was allowed to remain intact (except for its genitals), other feral cats were hesitant about joining. It was only control in a local area, sure, but it was working in small areas all over the country, and its proponents were enthusiastically working toward the expansion of TNR. Other groups tried to persuade pet owners to spay and neuter their pets in order to cut down on the overpopulation problem and the increasing number of animals killed in shelters each year. In 1997, it was estimated that over 5 million animals were being killed annually. Unfortunately, a large group of people who claimed these colonies were dangerous to the health of people, or otherwise dangerous to wildlife, prevailed on the Government, so the lawmakers passed laws preventing the feeding or rescuing of feral cats. Huge protests were held, and a number of the caretakers were sent to prison. Volunteer posses were organized and licensed by the government, and bounties were paid for delivering dead cats to the Collection Bureau. Cat breeders were also outlawed--a large group of these people received lengthy jail sentences for defying the laws. Im sure youre all familiar with The Cat Riots of 2020, which youve read about in history books. Cat owners soon learned to keep their own cats locked indoors to keep them safe from the bounty hunters. Marias shoulders drooped, as she summed up, And of course, the Mandatory Neuter Act of 2018 was passed by Congress, which proclaimed an immediate death sentence on un-neutered owned cats, and 10 years prison for their owners. Brenda, here, Maria nodded toward the cage, makes her home with an anonymous benefactor, a member of a family who has kept cats alive since those former black days. This person is part of an underground network of cat lovers with a similar desire - that one day the government will once again legalize cats as pets. Brenda has had her litter, and will now be spayed. Since her mate has died of old age, this time two of the kittens will be kept intact, a male and a female. The rest will be neutered, and will be shown in expositions such as this one. At an appropriate time, the unaltered kittens will be bred and the same thing will happen with their offspring. Its a small start, but eventually we hope that some responsible people will be allowed to keep cats as pets again. We can only hope and pray. The crowd drifted away as Maria solemnly arranged the satin over the cage. Emilys gaze was fixed on the cage, and she was very quiet as Rose buttoned up her coat again and brushed her hair back from her face. Finally, as they trudged down the steps outside, gasping as an icy wind blew snow crystals against their cheeks, Emily spoke in a tiny voice, Mommy? Rose squatted on the brick stairs and looked into Emilys stricken face. Yes, Pumpkin? Emily raised her eyes. Do you think well ever have a real cat? One that purrs? Maybe a black and white one, like that kitten? Rose swiped at her eyes with a woolen-gloved fist. We can only hope and pray, Sugar. Now lets go home.
Posted on: Wed, 04 Dec 2013 19:46:48 +0000
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