Did Cats Come from Space? Another Way of Seeing the World That Cats Teach Us

While working in rescue cat activities, I have been working as a company employee in Bangkok for over 10 years.

During the day, I live a life where I am chased by time, fulfill roles within an organization, follow rules, am compared to others, chase sales and profits, and compete for results and evaluations.
It is a so-called material-centered, "three-dimensional" world.

When I finish my day and return home to see the quiet and carefree figures of my cats, I suddenly think.

Could this be a different world?

Free, whimsical, and uningratiating.
They value the individual over the herd and react to presence rather than words.

Such a way of being for cats is so different from the "three-dimensional world" of the day that I feel as if I have wandered into another dimension.

The "Wu Wei" (Non-Action) Way of Being of Cats

I have heard it said before that "cats are creatures that came from space."

The true meaning of that is uncertain.
However, this expression seems to capture the way cats are very well.

Cats do not move by command, nor do they dominate.
They follow the atmosphere and wavelength of a place rather than hierarchical relationships.

Senses over logic. Silence over words.

It is a way of living where they do not see the world as an object to be controlled,
but rather as if they themselves are part of a flow.

This is a way of being close to what is called "Wu Wei" (non-action) in Eastern philosophy.

They do not try to force things to happen.
Yet, what is necessary happens naturally.

Cats seem to embody this not as a philosophy, but as a "way of being."

The Way of Being as a "Being Without a Role"

People try to confirm their own value based on external standards.

Being useful for something.
Being recognized by someone.
Producing results.

In other words, we tend to live based on the premise of "how things must be" rather than "as things are."

Dogs, which live in packs, seem to have qualities closer to human society, such as snuggling up to people and finding joy in being recognized.

But cats are different.

They just sleep, just watch, and snuggle up when they feel like it.

They have no special role.
Yet, they are fulfilled just by existing.

Cats live that way exactly as it is.

The true identity of the 'alien-like people' that cats prefer

By 'alien-like' here, I don't mean people who are strange.

People who value intuition and essence more than existing common sense.
People who live by their own rhythm rather than conforming to those around them.
People who prefer harmony over competition and try to connect through resonance rather than control.

For some reason, I feel that cats tend to gather around such people.

Cats do not react to titles or superficial kindness.

Rather, it seems they are looking at a 'way of being' that cannot be put into words, such as scent, presence, and silence.

In other words, 'alien-like' might also mean
someone who is not bound only by the rules of this society and has let go of the power to try to control the outside world.

Cats react to a 'way of being'

What I feel while doing rescue work is that cats are watching people more than we think.

A cat that runs away when you try to catch it might suddenly approach the moment you let go of your stubbornness and attachment, and think, 'I will leave it up to this cat's will.'

Finding foster homes is the same.
The more strongly I think, 'I want to put this cat up for adoption,' the further away the connection seems to get,
and when I truly accept, 'It's okay if this cat stays just as it is,' I suddenly get an inquiry.

It is an event that cannot be fully explained by logic, but it seems that cats certainly perceive the changes in our state of mind.

Cats react not to words, but to a 'way of being'.

Thinking about it that way, the expression 'cats came from space' also makes sense as a metaphor.

The feeling that cats remind us of

When living with cats, I sometimes suddenly remember feelings that are easy to forget in human society.

That there is no need to rush.
That there is no need to control.
That there is value in simply existing.
And, 'being in this very moment'.

Not anxiety about the future, nor regret for the past, but simply now.

Cats live this way as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Watching the light by the window.
Feeling the scent of the wind.
Surrendering oneself to the silence.

That alone is enough to be fulfilled.

This is a way of being that differs from human society, which is built on competition.

It even appears that cats live quite naturally in the state of mind that humans try to reach through spiritual practice.

Through their very existence, cats may be reminding us, who live in this three-dimensional world, of something important.
something important.

Summary

Cats may truly have come from space, or perhaps they did not.

What is certain is that cats have a 'way of being' that is slightly different from humans.
And that may be a sense that humans have let go of somewhere along the way.

If cats gather around you—

You may be trusting your senses over common sense,
perceiving things that cannot be seen,
and trying to live through resonance rather than control.

You might already possess that slightly 'alien-like' way of being.