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A time to weep, and a time to laugh (Ecclesiastes 3:4, NASB1995).
When it comes to cats, I’m not sure whether to laugh or weep. Laugh at those who put up with a cat in their house or personally weep because I must put up with a cat in mine.
You might ask, “Pastor Grant, why do you have a cat in your house?” And I would answer, “My wife loves cats!” Do you need any other explanation? I’m a dog lover who has never had a dog, but we’ve had a cat every day that my wife and I have been married – that’s 45 years on July 9th.
Like Ecclesiastes says, “A time to weep, and a time to laugh.”
Typically, I keep my opinions to myself as to whether dog owners or cat owners are more healthy, wealthy, and wise, as this blog illumines highbrow intellectualism while staying above the fray of mundane topics like cats.
Then I read an article this week in Harvard Business Review.
For those who know nothing of Harvard Business Review, known affectionately by its readers as HBR, it is the authority on business, psychology, leadership, and the economy for all those trying to achieve highbrow status.
It originates from Harvard, so bow down and worship!
Back to that article that I read in HBR. It was titled Cat Owners Are More Cautious Consumers Than Dog Owners!
Gasp and then HHHHMMMHHM.
Has the cat owner vs. dog owner debate gone highbrow? And does the research in this article conclude once and forever that dog owners receive greater rewards in heaven?
This article details an experiment sponsored by the University of South Carolina where dog owners and cat owners were given lists of stocks and mutual funds, including details of the inherent risk in these investments, and then asked where they would invest and how much.
The researchers found that dog owners opted for stocks, while cat owners chose less risky investments. They also found that cat owners preferred products that prevent problems, while dog owners wanted products that promised gains.
My OGV (Old Guy Version) conclusion: Dog owners are taking over the world while cat owners are feeding and petting their cats. Dog owners prefer gold, while cat owners satisfy themselves with purrs.
The HBR researcher’s conclusion (more elitist than my OGV conclusion) was …
Consumer behaviors are driven in part by two opposing mindsets: a promotion focus and a prevention focus. The first is characterized by eagerness, risk-seeking, and a priority for maximizing gains, while the second is marked by caution, risk aversion, and a priority on minimizing losses.
Back to some OGV conclusions (which I prefer over the HBR ones) …
- Start-ups should hire dog lovers, and hospitals should hire cat lovers.
- A race car driver should like dogs, and an airline pilot should prefer cats.
- Pastor Grant has a deep inner conflict as a dog lover who has a cat in his house and should never write an Interruption on this topic again.
Let me attempt to conclude this blog with words that are inspirational and scriptural.
I’m stuck, as I can’t find anything in the Bible about domesticated cats, and the Bible verses about dogs are mostly repulsive. As we find in Philippians 3:2, “Beware of the dogs, beware of evil workers,” or in Luke 16:21, “Even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.”
So, let me conclude with a quote from my wife, Barbara …
“When I get to heaven, all my cats will be there to greet me. I will see Goody, Kermit, Millie, and Sasha.”
I noted that our current dumb cat, “Anya,” wasn’t on her list. So, I asked, “How about Anya, your current cat? She’s not on your list.”
Her response was, “Anya is your cat. She has chosen you as her person.”
A time to weep or a time to laugh?