Facebook Comment Stirs Controversy

I've written about politics, breast cancer, interpersonal conflict, obnoxious loudmouth media personalities, death, the relative merits of different regions of the country ... but nothing is as controversial as a statement I made on Facebook last week: that my Charles is the cutest kitty ever.

Turns out, lots of other people think their cat is the cutest ever. I was even chastised for not considering my other cats, present and past, in the comparison.

Ok, first of all, cut me some slack for hyperbole. There was never really a contest on which cat was the cutest. I’m not surprised that everyone thinks even their own butt-ugly cats are cute.

But when Charles jumped up on our visitor’s suitcase like he owned it, I knew, at that moment, that he was the cutest.

Charles is my performer. Of all the cats for which I've been guardian, Charles is the one that everyone sees. All the others fly into the closet or dive under the bed when a visitor arrives. Charles is the only one, who upon hearing a knock, runs toward the door instead of away. He gleefully accompanies guests into the bathroom and will often climb onto the shoulders of any human who happens to be sitting down in there.

Charles also chases the vacuum. I have to be careful about professional cleaners and repair people in my condo because he'll get right in their faces – and their tools. For example, Charles thoroughly enjoyed playing with the wires and equipment the cable guy brought with him when installing my new DVR.

Don't get me wrong - I love all my kitties. They all have moments where I swear each is the cutest ever.

Lily, my other current feline companion, is a lover. She sleeps with me, watches TV with me, and basically demands that I sit down and pet her when I'm not doing something more important. And there's never anything more important.

Lily actually sits on my wrists when I type on the computer. I’d be irritated, but when she does it, I swear she is the cutest cat in the whole world. So I have learned to work my fingers without moving my arms, thus accomplishing the computer task and also acknowledging Lily as the center of attention, a.k.a., the world.

Only a couple of humans know how sweet Lily is, however. She doesn't like to pose for pictures, and certainly doesn't come out for company. She is a more private persona where Charles is "out there," WAY out.

That's why you see his picture so much more than Lily's on Facebook. If she'd pose, she'd get her picture taken too. She just doesn't care.

I think people go way overboard about their pets. Does a dog really need a sweater in the fall? Would Facebook or YouTube even exist if it weren't for animals?

I'll patiently look at the pictures of my FB friends’ average dogs and cats (sometimes, I’ll even look at pictures of human children, but I only have so much time). To you, I'm sure, your kid or critter seems totally cute.

I'm just stating a fact when I say that Charles really is.