As my daughter Hana was getting ready for bed this evening, she checked on her elderly pet rat, Chew.  She found Chew had died–earlier in the evening we presume.  She was very old.  We made a proper fuss over her before wrapping her up for temporary storage in the freezer.  We’ll bury her this weekend.
Yes, she’s a rat.  Smaller than a cat and larger than a cricket.  Taxonomy seems to recapitulate psychology, in the sense that the degrees of human psychology we confer upon other creatures often relates directly to certain warm and fuzzy details of their taxonomy, as well as to how close to our dinner tables they rest without us eating them.  I say, in for an ounce, in for a pound.  It might be only make-believe, but it’s also part of how we learn to deal with other lives.
Yes, its a game.  And if you can’t play this game with your pet, how should I trust you’ll play it with me?

Sept. 26, 2012