Animals are a
vital part of human existence. We would starve without them, for one
thing. This significance is expressed in
our vocabulary. Children learn animal
names very early, even today when the animals around us are not very
threatening. Accordingly, animal homes
are also part of human lexicon.
First, animals
live in our house or immediately around it.
However, if a married man goes to a cat house, a brothel, he
might end up in the dog house, i.e. sleeping alone on the sofa. The
reason for this behavior in the first place is they many men find marriage a gilded
cage, very nice on the outside but quite restrictive in practice.
Second, farm
animals have their place of residence, close to our heart. A pig’s sty
is a messy place as are the rooms of many people. Others feel cooped up in their room,
like the chickens. If you are part of a stable,
you have value but not exclusive. Still, that is better than being put out
to pasture, no longer needed due to age.
On the wild side,
old wooden ships had crow’s nests high on the main beam to serve as
lookout points. If you have a nest egg, you were financially protected
for the future. Of course, you had to
avoid entering a lion’s den, which is filled with dangerous people. All
in all, nothing is safer than being in your own lair, without the foxes
of course.
Your home may be
your castle, but your pet’s home definitely isn’t.
