the CAT as metaphor

My sister-in-law is a cat lover, and one of the things she liked about cats was that when she went on holiday, she felt it was entirely acceptable to have the cats confined in a small pen, such as catteries provide, for several weeks. Cats, she said, are perfectly happy, because they like to sleep all the time.


Of course, there are big cats, too, like lions and such, but if you have watched the 'lions of the serengeti' (and if you are British, and if you watch TV on Sundays, you can hardly have missed them), you will know how much lions like to lie around.


This sort of behaviour is VERY FELINE, so, cats are a good metaphor for the desire to spend a lot of time sleeping, or basically lieing around doing nothing. A 'domestic cat' might suggest a reluctance to do domestic chores!


However, there are other attributes that cats have. (as I write, I am very aware that running through my head is the contrast of the behaviour of dogs, and, the world does tend to be split between those who prefer cats and those who prefer dogs!) And, of course, there are big distinctions between domestic cats, say, and lions, and then there are cheetahs which are different again.


So, the other main attribute I associate with cats is their INDEPENDENCE. While dogs are attached to people and other dogs, cats are attached to PLACE.


Then, one other thing comes to mind, and that is that 'catty', when used to describe a person, generally means they have 'a sharp tongue', and they use their tongue like a cat uses its claws.