Animals

Today has been a fun day trying to warm up to the animals in my house: they were adopted during a time when I had no interest in "building relationships" so we never really bonded (particularly the cat, who was raised in a feral environment and had to be weaned by a human). Our dog is the sweetest animal, but a bit too energetic (tends to spill all her food and water when I bring her outside in the morning). As is often the case, animals are very interesting reflections on how humans work, and it's fun to compare cats and dogs, whose minds work very differently. Dogs are pure empathy and love: they're very attuned to others needs (particularly female dogs) and our dog in particular is always eager to love and play. The cat, on the other hand, is highly solitary, very neurotic (paces near a closed patio door, then runs away when you open it), and generally distrustful. Today I'm making efforts to warm up our relationship (opening up the house so she can explore more, including allowing access to the backyard), but this could take awhile...