I continue the series of readers’ cats that began on International Cat Day in August. If you have a photogenic felid and a good story behind it, send it along, though I can’t guarantee that I’ll use every cat.
Reader Robert presents us with his erudite moggie and a brief note:
Here is my contribution. This is Kira, and I swear by her and my soul this wasn’t staged.
Did one of your readers just claim to have a “soul”?! Quick Jerry, please falsify his claim and quote Dennett, Pinker, et al immediately!
Do cats have one soul for each of their nine lives or are they in possession of only one ninth of a soul at any one time?
This occurs to me because I have come across tales of Christians in ages past who worried that one of a pair of twins might not have a soul, only one having been assigned at conception. Naturally, twins had to be scrutinised carefully to determine which one was ‘of the Devil’.
I haven’t been able to find any citations for this, though.
In order to do that there would have to be some testable predictions associated with the “having a soul” claim.
And quoting authorities is not an integral part of the scientific method.
In Judaism a child was not considered to have a soul until it took it’s first breath.
St. Augustine was of the opinion that the soul did not enter the child until 40 days (for males, females had to wait 90 days) after conception, an idea that he got from earlier Greek philosophers. He was also of the opinion that the souls of unbaptized infants suffer the eternal torments of hell.
In early xtianity a child was not considered to have a soul until it was baptised.
In Islam it happens 42 days after conception, with a tip of the hat to earlier Greek philosophers.
Nono, I think you have misinterpreted Reader Robert’s words. He is referring to Kira’s musings in the picture:
“Now, that soul we tried the other night was all right. But, how in the name of all that is yummy, do I get him to buy my favorite fish this time? I’ll try… now concentrate…
How do I spell it? Tunis? Tunic? Tundra?…
Oh! Tuppence!!!…”
ps: great pic, and Kira definitely deserves a prize for cuteness
Purrr-haps the writer was utilizing the “I never tell a lie” paradox, just in different words?
Hello Jerry,
How does one send pictures to this blog?
I would like also to send a movie of a pet
cat that has some cerebellar hypoplasia, having been carried by a mother with distemper. These kitties are worth keeping, being very sweet, endearing and playful although their walking can be wobbly and jumping somewhat inaccurate. I would like
to urge cat owners to keep them.
Good question, I was also wondering about how to send any good photos of one’s cat(s).
Find Jerry’s eddress by clicking on the “Research Interests” link above.
Thanks 🙂
Jerry, next time you’re in Paris, this sounds like your kind of place!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2431967/Cafe-des-Chats-Cafe-felines-roam-customers-health-benefits-purr-therapy.html
Ha cute! Kira is saying, “ugh, work is hard!”
“Welcome to my pad!”
Paws for thought…
Kira is so pretty. Perhaps she is thinking of writing to Hili. Or maybe just contemplating how much fun it will be to shred the notebook and feel her claws rippling across the wire spiral.
What a darling accidental composition! And cat! 😀
Is a non-photogenic felid even theoretically possible?