This is my cat, Wilhelmina Crabbycakes. She is an indoor cat who longs to go outside and chase the lizards. Unfortunately, we live on a canyon teeming with coyotes and hawks and other predators. To keep her safe, we keep her indoors. Most of the time she’s content with that, but some days it’s really hard for her.
As we approach 70 days of sheltering in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, I feel more and more like my Wilhelmina on her windowsill. Forced to be an indoor cat while the sun is shining, the grass is high, there are lizards to chase, the outdoors is calling. Some days are easier, and other days are really hard for me. Some days, despite knowing the risks – and being part of a high-risk household – my heart cries out to go to the store, go to the beach, go ANYWHERE to feel like my normal self.
I think this is at the heart of the indoor cat: she may live indoors, but her normal self is an outdoor creature. Even if one has lived indoors all her life, there are aspects of her cat self that will always be outdoors: hunting, hiding, stalking, preying. Even with the most gilded of cages, that seed of self never goes away.
When this lockdown is over, I’m going to take Wilhelmina out into the front yard on a leash and a harness while I have my mask and my gloves. Embrace the outdoors, embrace the self…and do so with safety first.
