March 3 is one of those whimsical holidays that celebrates pure imagination. It is National If Pets Had Thumbs Day — a date dedicated to pondering what our furry companions might accomplish with opposable thumbs.
I know what you’re thinking. What would Mimi, your famously temperamental Chihuahua, do if she suddenly had thumbs? What havoc would she unleash on your house? And more importantly, what contributions could she possibly make to society?
I do not have an official house cat. What I have is an NMC Cat — a stray I befriended and now feed daily. In return, he occupies my chair for most of the day, serving as the feline version of companionship.
This brown tabby once belonged to a neighbor. Even without thumbs, Brownie (my NMC Cat) managed to create enough havoc in that household to be disowned. One can only imagine what structural damage he could engineer with actual gripping ability.
Pets possess a kind of native intelligence. So if they had thumbs, here’s what Brownie and the rest of his imagined constituency might do.
Vote.
My friend Rosse G says voting requires intelligence and solid information about public servants — the foundation of conscience-driven choice.
Our pets, highly observant creatures that they are, roam freely and witness human behavior up close. They see who genuinely serves with sincerity and who serves only themselves. If granted thumbs, they could register with Comelec — perhaps even online — and become voting denizens of their respective barangays.
One suspects they would choose leaders with true hearts for service, not self-service.
Other things.
After exercising their civic duty, the rest of their thumb-powered potential would still shine: shopping, cooking, posting vlogs, painting masterpieces — and, of course, efficiently opening more cans of food.
Brownie agrees. He winks at me before returning to sleep, likely dreaming of all the things he could accomplish with thumb power.