iCougar at the Zoo

Despite the heat, a Cougar's got to roam. Last week, I went to the zoo (in this economy, the zoo's pretty much my idea of roaming). A thermometer near the chilled arctic bears preserve registered a stultifying 85-degrees in the shade.

On a typical day in July the zoo is pretty much a vast, arid territory surrounded by blazing hot concrete outdoors and acrid indoor areas with examples of wildlife we'd only see in Africa, India, etc. This summer, though, is one for the record books. Long, hot days of 90+ temps and little rain make tempers flare as quickly as BBQ grills on a summer evening in the suburbs.

So, why did I suggest the zoo to Sweet Cub (SC) on a day when sweating was pretty much the only activity man or beast was capable of performing?

Well, you see, I thought it was necessary to see my four-legged counterpart in action. "Let's go to the zoo to visit cougars in their natural habitat," I asked to SC. "I have a better idea," he said. "Let's stay in your comfortably cooled condo and watch lions and tigers and bears on the Nature Channel, instead."

Ugh. After working at a computer all week, the last thing I wanted to do was stay indoors on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. But SC wouldn't budge from his microfiber lair, no matter how much I offered to stroke and groom. So, I did what any self-respecting Cougar would do. I left him in his den and took off for adventure.

When I got to the zoo a posted sign said, Due to the heatwave, animals with available facilities will be housed indoors.

"Well, that's good," I thought. "This way the animals can escape from the heat."

Um, no. Four-legged cougars (and other four-legged species) kept indoors are privy to small cages and a dank, humid, smelly environment. Nothing like the vast plains they're used to outside of captivity, they pace back and forth, their haunches raised in disgust, looking like prisoners too long away from the freedom we all cherish. Captivity. It hit me like an unexpected sucker punch. No Cougar, human or four-legged wants to be held captive. And perhaps that is the essence of Cougardom.

Human Cougars are not against marriage (it certainly has its place for young, traditional people who want to raise a family). But, for the most part, Cougars have paired off, raised their young, and really don't want to be tied by the bonds of marriage anymore. Maybe that's why Cougars "in the wild" are so feared? The fear is they'll pounce on the marriageable young males and ruins the chances for domestic-minded females who are more interested in family life.

Let me reassure all you young females. If a male wants to run off and get married, we human Cougars will pack his lunch, send him off and wish him well.

Thus, I learned something from my trip to the zoo. Human Cougars, just like their four-legged counterparts, have earned their freedom to run off -- to the zoo, with friends, or to Africa --  and leave the Cubs behind to do what Cubs need to do.

WHY IS IT THAT...
I didn't realize before my zoo a-ha, that the best part of being a Cougar is not the idea of tracking young Cubs, but the idea that I'm free to roam, alone or in female packs, as I please? Perhaps I've just been too domesticated by earlier relationship bonds (i.e., marriage), and I'm way out of line about marriage in the 21st century? Do you think that marriage today is more open to personal exploration?

Hoping that all your pursuits expand the wonderment of living -- and always with love,
Marilyn