I struggle with the general movements towards thinking the animal, I find it somewhat overly confident or audacious, what even is the meaning of this endeavour? Is it meant to challenge the anthropocentric assumptions of humans, to acknowledge human intelligence does not transcend the world and so now we can account for animal intelligence? Contending that our ability to conceive the intelligence of animals is preceded by an intelligence immanent to both because our previous means of categorising animals was predicated on separable distinctions of them? But who is to say our need to think ourselves in the world is still necessitated by thinking the difference in animal intelligence without living alongside them. Majority of the metropolitan creatures we cohabitate and cope with are tied to our deductions. I’d argue this form of intelligence maybe the only thing we can’t share with animals. We are with animals if being with them discloses the weakness within our means to think them to justify our being with them.
The love for animals does not derive from a natural affinity, both humans and animals adapt themselves in the face of new environments and each other. Both human and animal must lose each other if they are ever to meet, where human no longer resembles human and animal no longer resembles animal in the presence of one another. Here I attempt to write how I relate to my cat as I noticed he influences me as much as anything else does.
My cat comes to me for reasons beyond, entering my room carelessly, knowing this place as well as I do. I couldn’t have predicted his choice as much of my own that brings me to my room, it waits as much for both of us. He nests beside me, sometimes eliciting a strong affective response where Im forced to clench my teeth from his adorability. I don’t need to pat or snuggle him intensely, witnessing is enough. I do not decide to feel this way, he decides for me. I believe he is somewhat unaware of my feelings towards him, at times I desire to pet him but resist such urges because he’s asleep and I don’t want to disturb him. Could this be my own indifference to him as he comes to me for company and petting like most domestic animals? I cannot deny he wants to join me because sometimes I wish he didn’t come into my room. He frustrates me because he didn’t know I don’t want him here. Or when he persistently licks himself, making irritating sounds that cause me to believe it is even bad for his sake. He is at least indifferent to these wishes of mine, not to be alone but to not have to be under the obligation of his company. However, the same is true from the pleasure I derive from his company for this is not attributable to me. I don’t know when he will come and if I did, would I just send him away because that’s when he upsets me the most? His own wishes to be next to me condition an experience I cannot instigate alone. He simultaneously inhibits both desires to send him away or excessively pet him because I want him to stay as he came.
ARGO 