neko

cats get a bad rep. think the Siamese cats in Lady & The Tramp, the mice-chasing, spiteful Lucifer (of all names!) in Cinderella, and the whole black cat omen. *edit: the japanese even use the word 'neko' 猫 (cat) in their expression 'neko baba' 猫ばば which means embezzlement, pocketing, stealing!! oh the associations...

my mom has also conditioned me to dislike cats: we've always seen them as cunning, snobby, self-centered, and unsociable - but this is such a human-centric view. dogs on the other hand... well my Koaty loved my family and me so much... so loyal, overwhelmingly affectionate, energetic, intelligent.... well cats are intelligent too i guess but they express it as outwardly. then my mom and i have always joked amongst ourselves that if ever our house were on fire, dogs would probably bark and rouse us from our sleep and drag us by our shirttails to the nearest exit. cats, however, would probably miao quietly and then slink away whispering to themselves, "let's leave quietly". hahahaha.

anyway, to reverse such ill-feelings towards cats, i have been watching these japanese cat videos. they are surprisingly stress-relieving and i seriously think there must be heart/blood-pressure health related benefits to watching these feline cuties interact with each other.

neko no massaji:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgcGu1R2M-s&feature=related

neko cuddling and grooming another one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQTAqMVl1oU&feature=related

calming right? :)