On the prowl for an attitude adjustment
So what’s the deal with China’s love/hate attitude toward cats?
Two of the best friends I’ve made since moving to Beijing in 2013 are Rocky and Callie, who were abused kittens when they were rescued off the street nearly five years ago. Both required expensive medical care — one for cracked ribs that the vet determined were likely the result of being hurled against a wall, and the other for a paw that was deliberately crushed by a stomp.
Chinese guests in my home either love or hate the cats — there seems to be no middle ground — and those in the latter camp often show palpable fear of my four-legged pals. Go figure.
On the other hand (paw?), a recent story by China Daily reporter Ren Xiaojin introduced readers to Soobin, the snowy white, blueeyed star of Cat’s Kitchen, an online cooking show produced by Shanghai Canbox Media Co.
Soobin — whose name means “crispy cookie” in English — has 4.19 million obsessive followers on Sina Weibo, and his charismatic presence has swelled the show’s Weibo account to 11.4 million followers.
And last month there was an uplifting feature in the beijinger magazine entitled ‘Helping out our furry friends.’ It profiled volunteer groups like Girls4Paws, A Voice for Animals and CatKind — all of which are dedicated to rescuing strays and finding homes for them.
Still, there are too many disturbing reports like that of a man in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu province, who was recently arrested for trapping more than 500 felines that he planned to sell to restaurants.
According to Chinese news site 163.com, the man lured the cats into traps by using sparrows as bait, and they were then crammed into two tiny huts to await their fate. The man told police his customers would pay around 30 yuan ($4.50) per animal.
In some regions of China, cats are preferred pets because they’re thought to be imbued with the power to “see the unseen,” so owning one will help ward off ghosts or wandering spirits. Likewise, the idea of zhao cai mao (cats that bring fortune) is embodied by the ubiquitous statues that adorn the front desk of many restaurants and shops.
So why do these fascinating creatures, whose ancestors migrated to Asia after the Egyptians exported them to Greece more than 3,000 years ago, elicit such polarized reactions here?
Perhaps there’s no way to explain the Jekyll and Hyde attitude, but China — and the world — would be a better place if more people heeded the words of Mahatma Ghandi: “The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”