TV Cat

I don't know why this didn't occur to me before, but here's a little poem that I've always loved about one of the most confused felines in the futuristory of television--Spot, Data's cat on Star Trek: The Next Generation:

An Ode to Spot

Felis Cattus, is your taxonomic nomenclature,
an endothermic quadruped carnivorous by nature?
Your visual, olfactory and auditory senses
contribute to your hunting skills, and natural defenses.

I find myself intrigued by your subvocal oscillations,
a singular development of cat communications
that obviates your basic hedonistic predilection
for a rhythmic stroking of your fur, to demonstrate affection.

A tail is quite essential for your acrobatic talents;
you would not be so agile if you lacked its counterbalance.
And when not being utilized to aide in locomotion,
it often serves to illustrate the state of your emotion.

O Spot, the complex levels of behaviour you display
connote a fairly well-developed cognitive array.
And though you are not sentient, Spot, and do not comprehend,
I nonetheless consider you a true and valued friend.

For those of you who don't know, Spot was a male for most of his life, and then all of a sudden, in the final season of the show, Spot got knocked up. I find it really quite amusing.

And more amusing would have been a regular mix of cats on TV for your viewing pleasure. Ah well. Maybe next year.