American cats have it pretty good
By: Km Bishop
Tags: Cats, International, Travel, Africa, Cows

But African cattle live the good life

This is seriously my cat’s life. It is pretty freaking great. (photo by the author)

Sometimes I look at my cats and think what lucky SOBs they are. They live here, in Virginia, in a huge house with a family that takes care of their every need. They can go in and outside, catch bugs and lizards, stare out the window at the birds, yet never have to worry where their next meal is coming from. They get medical care, groomed, pet sitters when we are out of town, couches to lounge on and an eleven-year-old girl who adores them.

Most cats in much of Africa do not have it so good. While some people do have pet cats, most cats I see in Africa are strays. They hunt for mice, steal scraps when possible, sleep in the alleys. They do not get medical care and usually have noticeable health issues- patches of fur gone, infections, a missing eye or ear. These are scrappy cats who likely live just long enough to have one litter, and just one or two of those kittens live long enough to have one litter. They are more likely to be shooed away than cuddled, and would likely try to scratch your eye out if you did succeed in cuddling them.

At the same time, I look at the cattle in Africa and think what lucky SOBs they are. They live in Africa, in a huge open pasture with a family who takes care of their every need. They can go in and out of their corral, eat grass, stare at the open sky and never have to worry where their next meal is coming from. They get medical care, groomed, herd-boys to watch them, soft patches of dirt to lay in and eleven-year-old boys who adore them.

Very loved cows in South Africa (photo by the author).

The cattle in much of America do not have it so good. While people do have cows they love, in general we don’t honor our cattle. Cattle are a commodity. They are kept in feedlots where they are overfed, and under-exercised and sleep standing up. They get unnecessary medical care like unneeded antibiotics because of the cramped conditions. Their babies are taken away so we can continue to pump milk out of them. They are forced to be slothful and likely live just long enough to have one calf, then they are put down for slaughter to be turned into hamburgers my kids eat only half of then determine they are ‘full’. Most have no eleven-year old who loves them.

What one person deems as important another one might not, or might not in the same way. Sure, we have animal activists who try to push for better conditions for our cattle, but we will never have the same culture of cattle as they do in much of Africa. How an animal or an item is determined to have high status in a place is a matter of both culture and economy. While cattle have it pretty good in Africa, unlike American cats they are not pets. They are wealth. They are livelihoods. They are the bank account of those who own them. Their importance is economic, symbolic, and social. No one in America is seen as more important because of the number of cats they have, in fact it is an inverse curve I would argue. In large parts of Africa when a man gets married he has to pay a bridewealth to the bride’s family. Cattle are often the currency used to pay for the bridewealth. Even in urban areas where people don’t have cattle, prices are often set in cattle, then pay in cash equivalent. Cats, on the other hand, to Americans are an economic burden that we are willing to take on just to have a cute creature occasionally rub against our legs. There is no trading in cats (although based on what I see on the internet with cat videos I am surprised this isn’t yet a thing). As I sit here watching my fluff ball cat sleep comfortably on my chair, I think about how different her life would be if she were born elsewhere. How different all of our lives would be if you were born elsewhere. Call it luck, good, bad or just dumb luck, but this little furry cat curled at my feet has no idea how good she has it.