Ollie's cave

How often does your cat brother illustrate a philosophical allegory? More often than you might think.

Here is Ollie, seated at the window which overlooks the bird feeder. On this frosty day the birds are coming in to eat, a constant and fluttering crowd, squabbling, eating, seed tossing and jockeying for the best seat at the seed table.

But you will notice that Ollie does not look out of the window. He watches shadows instead. Sometimes the shadow of a bird landing on a nearby branch is cast upon the wall and Ollie stands on his hind legs and taps it with his paw. He cries softly and sits back down to watch the shadows again.

Does Ollie know he is watching shadows? How does he feel about Plato's illustration of the philosopher's role in society? Does Ollie have his own reasons for looking at the shadows?

Well, I am just a little red dog but I know a shadow from a bird. And I might not be of a philosophical bent but I think Ollie just spends too much time asleep in warm places. Or maybe he's a complex sort of little white cat and has turned all his world into a game. And I bet Ollie won't tell us what he thinks so I am not going to ask.