Buddhicat

One of the tenets of Buddhism is non-attachment. To me, this means not relying on anyone or -thing to 'make' one happy; it's finding happiness within one's self while still appreciating the people and creatures in one's life.

Another tenet of Buddhism is reincarnation. This one is huge. The short version is that all sentient beings (roughly bugs to humans on the evolutionary scale) have wants and desires that cause us suffering when they're not met (which is a lot of the time). So, those who practice Buddhism meditate, do good deeds, treat others as we'd like to be treated, etc. so that, ideally, we reach enlightenment (freedom from suffering) in our current life. Given how little I've been meditating, my reaching enlightenment seems unlikely, but perhaps the attitude with which I regard the cat will help the process.

Some regard the relationship of cat to human to be that of pet to owner, but I find that set-up to imply attachment of the human to the animal. So I am turning the dynamic 'round. I am regarding Max the Cat as a sentient being who needs care during his current life as a cat until he can be reincarnated on his next spin through the cycle of rebirth.

Between the waking me up in the middle of the night and howling at everyone who walks by the apartment (we live at the front of the building, so that's pretty much everyone) he is pushing the limits of good karma, but I've still got my sights set on his becoming a human next time.