Alison Suen & linguini
My partner and I adopted linguini in Houston, Texas. We didn’t see her at first when we were at the adoption site. We were playing with a friendly orange tabby. Then all of a sudden a menacing cat jumped down and started hissing, scaring away all the other cats. The woman at the adoption site tried to reassure us—“She hates cats, loves people.” Despite having some serious reservations about her judgment, I started petting this tortoiseshell. She put her paws on my lap—and that pretty much made the decision for us. We learned that she was adopted previously, but the family lost their home shortly after the adoption, and they returned her to the shelter. Knowing how much linguini loves company, it always makes me a little sad thinking about her time at the shelter. It must have been insufferable to be surrounded by cats she hated.
linguini was born without a tail because she is a Manx cat. I got so used to her tailless look that when I see a cat with a tail nowadays, I do a double take. Manx cats are generally affectionate and talkative, and linguini is pretty typical of her breed. If she feels neglected, she’d definitely register her discontent. I usually have my pet cam on when I am at my teaching job. Most days she just sleeps when I am away. One time I had to stay for an event and it got pretty late. When I checked the camera, I expected her to be sleeping. But she was sitting and waiting by the door, and looking at the entrance longingly. It really broke my heart and I just had to rush home to see her right away. When I got home, I started petting her. She was alternating between wailing and purring. She had to tell me how unacceptable it was that I broke a curfew that I didn’t know I had, but she was also enjoying the petting. It was a very conflicted moment for her.
“She was initially motivated by treats when she learned the tricks, but now she would also do tricks for praise. She enjoys validation and having a sense of accomplishment—just like many of us.”
We’ve taught linguini to do some tricks. She knows “sit,” “shake,” and “high-five.” And if she really wants to impress, she would do “roll” for us as well. She was initially motivated by treats when she learned the tricks, but now she would also do tricks for praise. She enjoys validation and having a sense of accomplishment—just like many of us.
The training actually became quite helpful later on. She was diagnosed with diabetes and chronic kidney disease in 2020. For diabetes, she needs an insulin injection twice a day, 12 hours apart. I usually take a blood sample to test her blood glucose level right before the injection. The training came in handy because she is pretty disciplined. She is used to performing for a treat/validation. She knows that the injection routine comes with a high-value treat, so she wakes me up every morning around her injection time, and her eyes light up whenever I show her the needle. I am very grateful that she has made an unpleasant task easy for us.
After she was diagnosed with diabetes, I started planning my social life around her injection schedule. Fortunately, most of my friends are cat people and they are all very accommodating. They are happy to either do takeout at my place or have dinner at odd hours so I can be home on time for her injection. Her age and illnesses also affect how much time my partner and I get to spend together. When linguini was younger, she could tolerate a plane ride pretty well, and I’d take her to Houston (where my partner works) for summer and winter breaks. But now it’s just too stressful for her to travel. And with her somewhat demanding injection schedule, it’s also become harder to leave her to a sitter. Again, it’s fortunate that my partner and I are on the same page when it comes to prioritizing linguini. It is not at all an overstatement to say that many lives revolve around linguini.
linguini is essential to my intellectual life. I can trace her paw prints in almost all of my philosophical writings. For example, my book, Why it’s ok to be a slacker, was inspired by linguini. (A textbook slacker, linguini does not care about making herself useful.) This summer I am writing a chapter on the trope of the “Crazy Cat Lady” for an anthology. (And this is how I came across the GATC website.) I am not a particularly motivated writer. I don’t really want to write unless I can somehow work linguini in my writing. I enjoy talking about her and seeing her name in print. So, I am quite indebted to linguini for my thinking and writing.
Alison Suen is a college professor teaching feminist philosophy and animal ethics. Her most recent book, Why it’s ok to be a slacker, was inspired by her cat, linguini. Her previous book, The Speaking Animal, was inspired by her chatty cat too.