Big cats

I'm not an animal person. In African American lit the other week, we were talking (for some reason) about movies where animals die, especially dogs. My class mates agreed that it was far worse to watch an animal die in a movie that to watch a person die. The same holds true for them in news stories. Honestly? I really couldn't care less how many dogs and cats die. I guess I'm a horrible person...

But anyway.

I do like to look at some animals, I just don't want to keep them as pets.
Sea Monsters, for example... But I already wrote that post.
If I had to pick, I am definitely a cat person, rather than a dog person. There is a long standing assumption in my family that if I was a mammal (and not some kind of amphibian or reptile), I would be a cat. But I find house cats mildly annoying, so I insist on being a wild cat.
For a long time, I ended up being a lynx.
Lynx is a cool word.
But they are a rather ridiculous looking creature, when it comes right down to it. They have such odd proportions, stubby tail, double pointed beard-er-I mean mane, and ears with black hair sticking up making them look very pointy.
They have a majesty and grace of their own, I'm sure. All cats do. Those long legs with the snow-boot-like paws are perfectly designed for chasing after small snow Canadian creatures of all kinds.
But he's just not cool enough for me.

I really like all kind of big cats, though I tend to prefer the rain forest and jungle cats. Tigers beat lions any day. Cheetahs are alright, but I kind of like jaguars and panthers better.

But anyway, I'm not a Lynx.

I'm an OcelotIsn't it cute? Not too big, not too small. He is the perfect cat really. Swims, climbs trees, terrorizes rodents on the ground. Not really spotting, more like spotty stripes. Face like a house cat, body like a hunting cat. Really BIG Eyes. Night vision! And their not even very high on the endangered species list. So there is no annoying "save the ocelot" campaign going on. That sort of adds to the persona of stealth that it has going for it. It's not a creature that demands a lot of attention. It just drops out of tree branches onto unsuspecting bunny rabbits.