About

Premise
Cat-Tharsis is the story of the trials and tribulations faced by Grendel Armstrong and his fellow graduate students at Pfeiffer College of the Felinities. The English department at Pfeiffer College is a highly politicized environment where most of the females do some form of feminist theory while the males tend to practice some of the more traditional forms of critical theory. A female who does traditional theory is frowned upon - regarded as a traitor by the feminists and an intruder by the traditionalists. Likewise a male who does feminist theory is regarded as an invader and threat by the females and as a traitor whose masculinity is in question by the males. There are some folks, however, both on the faculty and in the graduate school who transgress these norms.

Cat-Physics
The basic physical principles that govern the universe are unchanged, however the theories of physics held by cats are vastly different from our own. They are more metaphysical than physical, and even border on religious belief. It is grounded in the belief that "any phenomenon essential to the universe will cease if not regularly observed." Fortunately, most physical phenomena, like gravity, inertia, and friction can be observed through the simple act of dropping things. This is why, even in our own world, cats are forever pushing things off tables and counters.

A few notes on the world of Cat-Tharsis

• There are multiple sentient forms in the world. Primarily, felines and canines dominate society. Herbivores are not sentient; with constant predatory pressure they have not been able to afford the "luxury" of sentience.

• Pfeiffer College is a feline institution. While it does not discriminate against the canine species, it offers nothing to attract the canine student. A dog would be as inclined to attend Pfeiffer as and Orthodox Jew in our world would be inclined to attend Brigham Young University.
• Interspecies mating does not produce offspring and there is no clinical intervention that can alter that at this point in the world's development. This has had the unfortunate consequence of generating a cottage industry of quacks who offer the impossible to interspecies couples. Because interspecies relationships do not produce offspring, society discourages them. However, such relationships do occur with successful results. If the couple is reconciled to not having children of their own, the relationship has a good chance of success. Gay interspecies couples are more likely to remain together than straight interspecies couples because society assumes that gays will not reproduce anyway, thus familial pressures to have kits or pups are moot. Interspecies households often adopt children, and such children tend to be more accepting and emotionally healthier than children raised in single species homes.

Menu and Diet

• Farmed cattle provide the bulk of protein to both felines and canines. Types of cattle include beef cattle(Bulls/Steers, Cows) as well as sheep and goats. Beef cattle farms are generally owned and operated by canines, since dogs place a stronger emphasis on teamwork than do cats. However, smaller sheep and goat farms may be feline owned and operated.
• Mice are regarded as a treat by felines, a food of desperation by canines. Mice are hunted or "wildcrafted." Industrial mouseries work woods and fields to capture mice for use in feline appetizers and comfort foods. Indeed, one popular dish gives a literal meaning to the name "bubble and squeak." "Mouse Dippers," mice deep fried whole and served with a selection of dips are a popular finger food.
• Grains - Cats will take a small salad of fresh grasses with perhaps one meal a day. A cat's daily requirement of fiber is also met by the stomach contents of the mice in a serving of dippers, though this is a less healthy way of getting it. Dogs regularly include grains in their dishes, canine cuisine comprising lots of meat-cereal blends. Dogs need more fiber than cats.
• Fish is served cooked, raw, and for the more adventurous diner live. Indeed a special celebration might include a trip to a Japanese restaurant which has not only a sushi bar, but a koi pond for fishing as well. Dogs are not fond of fish in general, but if they must partake, they prefer fish cakes to cooked fillets, and will have nothing to do with raw or live fish. Heterogeneous household may have a fish night where the canine members eat croquettes of whatever the felines are eatting raw.
• Chocolate - The lethality of chocolate to dog and cat alike is no doubt responsible for the popularity of at least three murder-mystery series - Death By Chocolate, Dial "C" for Chocolate, and Cocoa and Old Lace.
• Poultry - Most poultry farms are feline owned and operated, and poultry is nearly as significant a source of protein as cattle.
• Pork is not consumed. While not quite sentient, pigs have developed some very basic tool use capabilities and are trained as companion animals for felines and canines with disabilities. They can be a bit high maintenance, so unless there is work for them to do, they are rarely kept as pets. Some of the larger wild cats of the tropics hunt wild boar - a practice which is blamed for the introduction of spongiform encephalitis and immunodeficiency virus into the feline population

Companion Animals

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