Felidae - Special U.S. Edition

the events of this story can't be all that bad. Thus the story of Claudandus, the murderer, ends with both tears and laughter, depending on how you look at it. As for me, I'm entirely capable of adopting both perspectives. Understandably Claudandus wasn't. He regarded the world as a fearful place. He had never been happy, and would never have been able to be happy. He hated the human race. He hated the entire world. He said that none of us had any idea of what the world was really like. No, it isn't really that bad. But sometimes you have to keep a watchful eye on the world just the same. Now and then, it does tend to get a little crazy.

Maybe I'm just naïve and see the catastrophic conditions around me through rose-colored glasses because I did not have the nasty experiences Claudandus had with human beings. Despite the darkness surrounding him, the darkness that penetrated his soul, the murderer did see into the real nature of things. Much of what he said was pretty damned close to the truth. What he lacked was hope and faith in the light, and where would we be, we fragile creatures of a fragile world, without faith and hope?

And so we should hope—but also be on the lookout. We should remember the cruel murderer who wanted to return evil with evil. Or, as the satanic Preterius recognized in one of his saner moments: "It seems to me that he's lost his innocence." Yes, that's what must have happened. Claudandus's problem was that he lost his innocence. Just like human beings.

We, however, want to believe in innocence. Particularly human beings should never forget that their ancestors were animals, that they are, in fact, still animals, and that consequently a tiny bit of innocence still dwells within them. Claudandus said: "Animals are good humans and humans bad animals." Whether good or evil, we are all animals in the end, and so should relate to one another in loving friendship.

And so farewell from your humble and devoted Francis, and cordial greetings to all the wiseasses of the world. Go on solving riddles, even if the solutions aren't worth the trouble. And don't give up believing in a world in which animals and human beings live together in harmony, all kinds, even more sublime and intelligent species than the latter—for example, Felidae.

Want to read the sequel?

FELIDAE ON THE ROAD

And my non fiction book

Cat Sense

at your Kindle Store

NOTES

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1. Unlike human beings, but like certain other animal species such as deer and horses, cats are endowed with a third chemical sense that lies between smell and taste. This sense perceives certain stimuli (molecules that can be smelled) by means of a characteristic receptor, called "Jacobson's organ" after its discoverer. The tiny organ is located in a small passage that leads away from the palate, and looks roughly like a cigar-formed sack. In using it, the animal "licks" the requisite substances out of the air and presses them with his tongue against the palate so that they stimulate the receptor. During this procedure, the cat adopts a characteristic facial expression called "flehmen" (a word for which there is no English equivalent), which may seem rather silly to human beings. Tomcats are often seen "flehming" when they chance upon the irresistible scent of urine of a female cat in heat.

2. Supposedly originating from the state of Maine, the large, muscular Maine Coon with its long, bushy tail is one of the oldest breeds of cats in the United States. Its appearance, particularly its typical coloring of dark, raccoonlike tabby markings (spotted pattern), gives rise again and again to the scientifically absurd conjecture that the Maine Coon owes its existence to the mating of domesticated cats with the raccoon. As many breeders believe, it is more likely that the Maine Coon, a race that is now over a hundred years old, was created in the crossing of short-haired domesticated cats with Angoras, introduced earlier by English sailors.

The animal, which is extremely robust, has a thick, frost-resistant, flowing coat that is somewhat shorter at the shoulders. It has made itself useful by warding off vermin in New England farms, and has contributed to preventing mice from decimating the duck population. The Maine Coon, which has a voluminous ruff, a long, quadratic skull, and an unusual weight for a domesticated cat (males weigh up to fifteen pounds), is very much a "late developer": many members of the species are fully grown only after four years. It is often said of them that they are perfect house cats. Contributing to this reputation are their droll temperament, their numerous amusing traits, and their fur, which is easy to care for. Maine Coons have widely varying coat colorings and patterns since many Maine Coons have numerous coloring genes. It is not infrequently the case that each kitten of a litter has its own shade.

3. Following copulation, female cats behave in a very peculiar and rather grim manner: during ejaculation, they emit a piercing cry, then abruptly, almost explosively, tear themselves away from the male and turn against him in great anger. In the entire kingdom of domesticated animals, they are alone in exhibiting this radical "change of mind" toward their sexual partners. It may, however, be easier to understand this behavior if the unusual shape of the male cat's penis is taken into consideration: its tip is studded with numerous thorns that provide for strong, if painful, stimulation of the female vagina. This is not a sadistic quirk of nature, but has an important and practical biological function. The stimulation of the vagina results in a torrent of neural and hormonal reactions that end (about twenty-four hours after pairing) in the release of eggs (ovulation), thus making fertilization possible. In the course of "postcoital