Wild Roots

"Wild Roots" 11x17 Pastel Drawing

This week's drawing was inspired by a book I came across at the library called "The Cat Encyclopedia". The book includes a small introduction to the history of cats. I have been hearing a common opinion lately, also expressed briefly in the book, that cats are not truly domesticated. My veterinarian shares this opinion.

The photo I used for this drawing came about because my cat was exploring a small ledge in our basement. She was drawn to its narrow path and its height above the floor. I immediately took some photos thinking this would be her in the wild, scaling trees and keeping an eye on the world below her.

I want to share a statistic from the book that I found interesting. Under the section titled "Cat species around the world" it states, "Wildcats are successful in evolutionary terms in that they were once widespread and found in many different habitats, but most species are now either endangered or threatened. In contrast, there are an estimated 600 million domestic cats worldwide."

I find it ironic that we care more for the smaller version of the wild cats than the wild cats themselves. There must be an instinctual, or perhaps more habitual reason, that humans take compassion for some animals, and not others.

So in the spirit of staying true to our natures, watch your fur baby for signs of  their wild roots and appreciate where they came from. They are survivors, instinctual and probably have a better grasp of the natural world than we do, despite humans imposing domestication.