Good News, Bad News

The NRA - not that NRA, but the National Rats Association (European Chapter) - just released a statement following the findings by researchers that the plague, known as the Black Death, that ravaged Europe in the 14th century, may not have been spread by rats as commonly believed since and through the centuries until just recently. About 25 million people in Europe succumbed to the disease. Below is a clip from the news three days ago:

"Computer modelling carried out by a research team from the universities of Oslo and Ferrara suggests the first outbreak may not have been down to the rats, but instead can be “largely ascribed to human fleas and body lice”.

The report further emphasized to its rodent-members that they should from now on unburden the guilt heaped upon them by humans for all this time. If anything, only a fraction of the disease should be blamed on them. Human to human contact was the main reason as to how the disease was spread, unlike, say, how malaria is dispersed by mosquitoes.  Besides, it was bacteria that infected the fleas that caused the disease. In a way, the NRA secretariat further explained, the rats were themselves victims of the infestation. The association will launch a public relations campaign to publicize these scientific findings. There is talk of reparations but that demand will be taken up later in the upcoming gathering of the Congress for Fair Treatment of Rodents. The numbers are there - there are more rodents than there are people in the entire planet several times over. They are mammals that include squirrels, mice, voles, guinea pigs, lemmings, prairie dogs, and the giant 100 pound capybara from South America. So, there is wide support for the movement, specially that many of the rodents themselves had been victims of extreme prejudice. By the way, least known but a significant fact, it was the Beaver Equal Action Treatment Association (BEAT for short) that triggered the movement to protect them against mass killing for their pelt that almost extinguished the species.  Their organization became the model for the NRA (again, not that NRA).

The cat population is happy now but there was a time when they were much maligned as well. For centuries the cats were worshiped by the Egyptians; some Pharaohs even had their favorite felines embalmed with them. But then sometime in the 1200's, Pope Gregory IX declared cats as part of pagan symbols and even went on to label them as Satan's animals, particularly the black ones. People in Europe started getting rid of them - a euphemism for mass killings. It was then following that period when the plague began in Europe. It had since been believed that the decimation of the cat population gave rise to the rat population explosion. As an unintended consequence the killing of the cats gave way to rapid rise in rat population that caused the spread of the plague, so went the narrative, but now proven to be false.

The good news is that the rats are exonerated, a religious misinterpretation killed the cats but the bad news is that human unsanitary habits are now to blame for the Black Death. Of course, there was one other human mischief, even criminal fraud, that gave us the expression, "The cat is out of the bag". It was common then to sell piglets in the marketplace.  Often, they were carried in sacks made of thick fabric. In countless transactions, sacks of piglets were sold wholesale (multiple quantities of sacks were bought and sold by merchants). Unscrupulous sellers would put cats in some of those bags. The fraud was revealed only when the cat is taken out of the bag - then the secret is out.

From that, humans, as often the case, are bearers of bad news; or rather they were the "causa primaria". Fortunately for history, there were more "bonum causas" than "causas malorum". Humanity had come up with  more good causes than bad ones.  Otherwise, we may not have the civilization we know today.

Now, we've more than made up for repatriation for the cats. Today, they may already have surpassed the number of dogs in human care (as pets) worldwide. Good news for them but bad for dogs, if only for one reason. Cats not only live longer by perhaps as much as three times than dogs, cats do not have to show any outward loyalty or such nonsense (according to the cats) as public display of devotion or adoration that dogs show to their masters. Or, at least cats don't show them if they were pleased. If anything, they may even feign contempt, as if they are the boss in the household. You see, they get away with not having to do any chore or display tail wagging, tongue-out-hyperventilating joy when the master comes home. Rats or mice go running back and forth in front of them without even a cursory form of harassment. That is beneath them.  Meanwhile, when let out, it is a form of entertainment or a sporting event to go after the backyard birds. They are the number one killer of birds in the U.S. That is the bad news. And the dogs can only look on - disgusted but filled with inutility and an emotional breakdown, even envy, that the cat can spend 20 hours sleeping but when disturbed they can swipe with either front paw, equipped with razor sharp claws, to discourage any canine attempt at friendship or even just by merely closing the distance between them for  curiosity sake.  Good news.  Bad news.

I'm not quite sure where I was going with this. The plague was not spread by rats, cats are at the top of the heap. Now, there is the question that is part myth or truth that are ascribed to one or two Asian countries about their dietary customs. We know for a fact a once a year sort of festival in China that involve dogs. A former president has confirmed partaking in one dietary practice in Indonesia. Some Asian nations do have it in some of their remote areas. Bad news but fortunately the rest of the world adore their cats and dogs. That is the good news.

What about the rats.  They have a long way to go. Guinea pigs are pets but they are also the poster child for animal experimentation that gave us the expression in their honor. Pet shops sell snakes to snake lovers. Along with that mice and rats are sold as well. Rats as a dietary object of the palate is limited but there are dedicated enthusiasts and connoisseurs. That is the bad news for rats.  But then, what about cattle, hogs and poultry? Edibility, from their point of view, is their worst asset. 

The biggest good news for rats is that they are masters of survival. They've crossed oceans via ships as if they know there is so much to explore out there. They are masters of adaptation in that their diet matches those of the species that are at the top of the food chain - us, humans. They eat what we eat.  They live where we live. Their biggest advantage: they are at breeding age by their fifth month after birth and females can have litters twice a year, a litter can be six to ten, depending on food availability. So, we can't be that sorry for them. The NRA (the rodent one) does not have a paw to stand on with their reparation claim. They have our respect - that's good news - but they can never be delightful - that's bad.