What of the Human?
The question of hybridization is an intriguing yet complicated one. Though I have, admittedly, had the question of what animal I would be if I were to be one, the real-life implications of transferring said traits to my human body give me pause. There are numerous reasons for this hesitation including the fact that many animals though cute in nature have morally questionable behaviors. Another part of the reason is that many animals are treated poorly in general by humans and if I have to be a hybrid with anything/anyone I would want to be treated the same if not better than if I was purely human. Nevertheless, for the purposes of this post, if I had to pick an animal to become it would be a cat.
What of the Cat?
Though I do not personally own a cat, I do have a fondness for them. Cats often have a bad reputation as being mean, untrustworthy, and bad omens (for Black cats especially). Because of these negative stereotypes, I would not want to have any of the negatively connotated traits that cats are associated with but rather would want their mental abilities. Cats are extremely intelligent and unlike domesticated dogs, can survive by themselves in the world. Their survival skills are admirable, especially in a world where most humans do not even share the same level of survival skill. These are not the only cognitive attributes that I would like to inherit however, I would also like to have the discernment of a cat. Cats are notoriously known for only being kind to people who have “good vibes” and are extremely picky about who they decide to cuddle up and show affection to. This expands further than a basic like or dislike for specific personalities as it has also been discovered that cats may have the ability to sense death. Though it has not been fully scientifically proven yet, some cases such as the case of Oscar the cat may suggest otherwise. Oscar the cat was able to predict fifty deaths correctly, an occurrence that many believe may be linked to cat’s incredible sense of smell (Szawarski, 2016; Ho, 2023). It is for these reasons that I think being a cat would be most beneficial for hybrid-buddying.
What of the Connection?
Though I will be an animal, I do not believe that being a cat will not ask me to limit any of my humanity. A lot of people do see cats as less-than-human because of their nonchalant and stoic nature, but I think that cats are able to feel and understand emotions differently because of their keen sense of smell and discernment. I do acknowledge, however that my choice in animal is tamer. Unfortunately, some people would use their access to these features for harm rather than good, picking animals that would allow them to harm others purposefully. Like most things, I can see this affecting Black and Brown communities the most as being able to do something like this is expensive. Because the wealthy would mainly have access to this technology, I can only assume that they would use it to make them wealthier, perpetuate more harm, and have benefits only for themselves.
No AI was used to make this post. All words, thoughts, and ideas are my own unless quoted as otherwise.
References
Cats.com, & Ho, B. (2022, November 8). Can Cats Sense Death? Cats.com. https://cats.com/can-cats-sense-death
Szawarski, P. (2016). Classic cases revisited: Oscar the cat and predicting death. Journal of the Intensive Care Society, 17(4), 341–345. https://doi.org/10.1177/1751143716646123