Buddha cat

My sister's cat came for Christmas-- first time I'd met the creature. He is great with the two children (ages 3 and 7), who like to drag him around like a stuffed animal, occasionally squeezing the breath out of him in delighted exuberance. These things do not bother him.

He lives in a different time dimension, moving with the slow deliberation of a cat three times his age. He never runs, is slow to rouse, and is content to watch most activities with an impassive gaze.

I am ashamed to admit that I ridiculed this cat at first. I thought him dumb as an ox, which is no compliment to a cat.

He may indeed not have much intelligence, but that's no insult. My brother-in-law pointed out instead that Cooper is at ease with himself and the Universe, the epitome of patience and calm. And he's right. They should have named the cat Siddhartha.