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Rusty-Spotted Cat

Prionailurus rubiginosus

Status: Near Threatened. Their habitat is being encroached upon and fragmented by expanding development. They are often mistaken for being a baby leopard and killed, or are illegally hunted or captured for wildlife trade.

A Hindu allegory:

When Lord Ganesha (an elephantine god of beginnings) was a mischievous youth, he loved being a prankster and playing in the mountains. One day he saw a cat, and thinking it would be entertaining, he crept up to the cat and pulled its tail. As the cat yowled in pain and leapt in the air, Ganesha further poked and teased the creature until it scampered off into the rocky slopes.

Ganesha realized then that he had hurt the cat, and felt remorse. As he made his way home his mother, Parvati, came to him. He was shocked to find she had scrapes and injuries across her body that mirrored those he had inflicted on the cat. At this, he understood that though his mother was a great protector, creator, and destroyer of life, and though she held and embodied the universe, she was also one with all of the life in the world. When he had hurt the cat, he had hurt her. And so Ganesha learned empathy.

 

References:
Parabola. Volume 24 (1976). United States: Tamarack Press.

HT Correspondent, "Lord Ganesha and the Cat". Hindustan Times, May 18, 2024. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/lord-ganesha-and-the-cat/story-PR05BCqhRmrFw20VxLuhvM.html

Mathur, Priyanshi. "Ganesh Chaturthi 2019: 10 Lesser-Known Short Stories Of Bal Ganesha". India Times, Oct 9, 2019. https://www.indiatimes.com/trending/social-relevance/ganesh-chaturthi-short-stories-374788.html#:~:text=Ganesha%20and%20the%20cat,it%20until%20he%20was%20tired.