Sometimes I look at my cat who's striped like a tiger in a
black-and-white movie.
I wonder about how the dynamics of our relationship would change if there was even the slightest change in the genome and he was a Tiger instead of a Tabby.
Suppose, for instance, he was a Siberian Tiger. Tabbies and Siberian Tigers are actually in the same family.
A few genetic tweaks and he could be. Siberian Tigers weigh 300-600 pounds; one even grew to 845 lbs.
First change in relationship dynamic: I'd be terrified of him.
Well, at very least, I wouldn't do half of the things I do now. I sure wouldn't be lying there with him up above me on the couch-back, and spider-walking my fingers up to his paw, then snatching them away suddenly -- over and over -- while he bats away at my hand, a game my 15 yr. old cat has enjoyed since he was a kitten.
If he was a tiger, I doubt I'd shove my face into his and coo and tell him what a little sweetie he is, either. Not if I wanted to keep my face. And I'm not sure I'd want a 500 lb. Siberian Tiger leaping onto my bed in the middle of the night.
If he was a tiger, I'd have a lot more respect for his "person." I'd not be sweeping him up off the floor into a hug when I come in the door, would I?
I'd have to ask first.
Quite respectfully.
Size does matter.
Size determines the power balance. It's why big countries can bully smaller countries. It's why you see older adults do things to little kids -- like pat them on the head, or touch their toys without asking first -- that they'd never do to someone their own size.
Because size changes everything.
I wonder about how the dynamics of our relationship would change if there was even the slightest change in the genome and he was a Tiger instead of a Tabby.
A few genetic tweaks and he could be. Siberian Tigers weigh 300-600 pounds; one even grew to 845 lbs.
First change in relationship dynamic: I'd be terrified of him.
Well, at very least, I wouldn't do half of the things I do now. I sure wouldn't be lying there with him up above me on the couch-back, and spider-walking my fingers up to his paw, then snatching them away suddenly -- over and over -- while he bats away at my hand, a game my 15 yr. old cat has enjoyed since he was a kitten.
If he was a tiger, I doubt I'd shove my face into his and coo and tell him what a little sweetie he is, either. Not if I wanted to keep my face. And I'm not sure I'd want a 500 lb. Siberian Tiger leaping onto my bed in the middle of the night.
 |
| Stripey, a chromosome or two away from Tiger |
If he was a tiger, I'd have a lot more respect for his "person." I'd not be sweeping him up off the floor into a hug when I come in the door, would I?
I'd have to ask first.
Quite respectfully.
Size does matter.
Size determines the power balance. It's why big countries can bully smaller countries. It's why you see older adults do things to little kids -- like pat them on the head, or touch their toys without asking first -- that they'd never do to someone their own size.
Because size changes everything.
 |
| Baby Siberian Tiger about as big as a Tabby cat but not for long |
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