The Shame Defect

A human trait

orange and white tabby cat sitting on brown wooden table in kitchen room

Today’s draft was inspired by my cat’s repeated attempts to make the dining room table part of her nap rotations.

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThe cat jumps on the dining room table.I lift her down, gentle-firm.She walks directly to her food bowl, takes dainty bites --almost as if she is embarrassed.She is not embarrassed.Humans are (I think) the only animals with the shame defect.It must have slid into the sockets of our hip jointswhen we stretched to stand upright.Now shame is in our bones.The cat does not eat to cover shame.She eats because she smelled the food and wanted it.She moves to follow her desires.