samlak
It is so unfortunate that in my country, Nigeria, cats are one of the most assaulted, stigmatized and unfortunate animals. Nigeria's level of religiosity, especially among Southern Christians, and the belief in witchcraft, as well as other superstitious beliefs, have made these cute, adorable and shy animals one of the most hated in the country. At the mention or sighting of a cat, the Christian fundamentalists will shout "blood of Jesus", "you cannot suck my blood", "my enemies have come", etc. The unfortunate cat may end up being killed over nothing. These thoughts can be traced to the influence of dumb and stupid low budget movies such as as Helen Ukpabio's End of the Wicked, the same movie that advocated for the branding of children as witches and which led to an international outrage just a few years ago. In her low quality movie, children transform to cats, owl, snakes, etc, to wreck havoc. Oh, how I pity for my nation and its mostly gullible Christian stock. It is one thing not to be a cat person, as many are in Western countries, but to hate cats because of a belief that they can harm you spiritually... O C'mon!
Here are some highly stupid theories Nigerians have concerning cats:
1. Cats are witches or possessed: if cats can be witches or can be possessed, can't the same argument be made for dogs, goats, sheep, rats, and HUMANS? Why take that of a cat to be peculiar? Secondly, I don't believe in the bullsh*t that cats can be possessed. That's mere African Christian stupidity and ignorance. Cats are adorable creatures and won't harm you. If truly cats can be possessed, then it is those who can possess a cat that should be feared, not the cats themselves. God created this animal and it is not our place to kill them or hate them for being what they are.
2. Cats move only at night: it should be noted that cats are mainly nocturnal. By that, I mean they are more active at nights. So also with owls, and other persecuted animals in Nigeria. Animals usually evolve to be more active at day or night or both due to various factors. We can't persecute them for that.
3. Cats have scary eyes: this argument is usually so dumb that I wonder about the sanity of those who say it. Cat's eyes are beautiful and they usually become round or "snaky" to accommodate extra light and see well. Their eyes also shine at night because that's how they were created and it makes them see much better.
4. Cats are not good pets: this is not true. Cats are adorable pets who worship their owners and love them. They are clean and independent. They are agile and strong. They answer to names and protect you from rodents. In short, cats can compete with dogs anytime, any day.
While there are more points that Nigerians make, these are the ones I feel the need to correct the most. Most of these Nigerian pastors that feed off the ignorance of people have caused so much hatred for these adorable creatures. If you are guilty of cat persecution and you are a Christian, you need to reevaluate your Christianity. I live you all with this:
All things bright and beautiful,
All CREATURES, great and small
All things bright and wonderful,
THE LORD GOD made them ALL!
