Feline Philosophy: Cats and the Meaning of Life

by John Gray

Looking at her life, Tess would prefer it to be obliterated: It wears me out to think of it, To think of it; I cannot bear my fate as writ, I’d have my life unbe; Would turn my memory to a blot, Make every relic of me rot, My doings be as they were not, And leave no trace of me!

Wittgenstein wrote: If by eternity is understood not endless temporal duration but timelessness, then he lives eternally who lives in the present.

Because they think they can conceive the end of their lives, humans believe they know more of death than do other animals. But what human beings know as their oncoming death is an image generated in their minds by their awareness of passing time. Knowing only their lives as they live them, cats are mortal immortals that think of death only when it is nearly upon them. It is not hard to see how they came to be worshipped.

Embodying a freedom and happiness that humans have never known, cats are strangers in the human world. If they have been seen as ‘unnatural’ creatures it is because they live according to their nature. Since no such life can be found among humans, cats came to be seen as demons or as gods.

In this we are at one with all other creatures. Humans do not rank above other animals, or below them. There is no cosmic scale of value, no great chain of being; no external standard by which the worth of a life can be judged. Humans are humans, cats are cats. The difference is that, while cats have nothing to learn from us, we can learn from them how to lighten the load that comes with being human. One burden we can give up is the idea that there could be a perfect life. It is not that our lives are inevitably imperfect. They are richer than any idea of perfection. The good life is not a life you might have led or may yet lead, but the life you already have. Here, cats can be our teachers, for they do not miss the lives they have not lived.

1 Never try to persuade human beings to be reasonable Trying to persuade human beings to be rational is like trying to teach cats to be vegans. Human beings use reason to bolster whatever they want to believe, seldom to find out if what they believe is true. This may be unfortunate, but there is nothing you or anyone else can do about it. If human unreason frustrates or endangers you, walk away.

3 Do not look for meaning in your suffering If you are unhappy, you may seek comfort in your misery, but you risk making it the meaning of your life. Do not become attached to your suffering, and avoid those who do.

4 It is better to be indifferent to others than to feel you have to love them Few ideals have been more harmful than that of universal love. Better cultivate indifference, which may turn into kindness.

6 Life is not a story If you think of your life as a story, you will be tempted to write it to the end. But you do not know how your life will end, or what will happen before it does. It would be better to throw the script away. The unwritten life is more worth living than any story you can invent.

7 Do not fear the dark, for much that is precious is found in the night You have been taught to think before you act, and often that may be good advice. Acting on how you feel at the moment may be no more than obeying worn-out philosophies you have accepted without thinking. But sometimes it is better to follow an inkling that glimmers in the shadows. You never know where it may lead you.

8 Sleep for the joy of sleeping Sleeping so that you can work harder when you wake up is a miserable way to live. Sleep for pleasure, not profit.

9 Beware anyone who offers to make you happy Those who offer to make you happy do so in order that they themselves may be less unhappy. Your suffering is necessary to them, since without it they would have less reason for living. Mistrust people who say they live for others.

A feline philosopher would not encourage humans to seek wisdom. If you do not take pleasure in life itself, find fulfilment in inconstancy and illusion. Do not struggle against fears of death. Let them die away. If you crave tranquillity you will be forever in turmoil. Instead of turning away from the world, turn back to it and embrace its folly.

Looking at the world without struggling to fit it into our stories is what many traditions call contemplation. When you see things without wanting to change them, they can give you a glimpse of eternity. Each moment is complete, and the shifting scene reveals itself to you as if it were out of time. Eternity is not another order of things but the world seen without anxiety.

The meaning of life is a touch, a scent, which comes by chance and is gone before you know it.