So far I have been thinking about whom I am going to collaborate with, but so far it is still up in the air. I am first trying to frame the project in a logical manner that is possible and that will yield a useful outcome for thinking about interspecies collaboration. I do not want to do anything that will be invasive to a species in any way, however I do not know if I feel comfortable working with “wild” animals because their location and participation is not necessarily dependable. As far as my connection with “wild” animals is concerned, I know of a squirrel hang out near my house in an empty field that is preserved because (I believe) that it is part of the slough grounds around this area. The squirrels may be a dependable population for collaboration but I only see them every so often. I do not want the thoughts about wild v. domestic that we have been observing in class to affect whom I choose to collaborate with but I suppose that I am most concerned with the reach-ability of the species, in a literal/realistic sense.
This leads me in the direction of collaboration with my cat, Julius. Julius has been living with me since he was just born, around June 2009. However, even though it has been a while since Julius began living with me, he and I still have not necessarily built a close bond because he is more of the solo-type and seems to dislike most of the people living in my household. Generally, Julius’ mood is surly – he is the sort of cat that will get close enough just so that someone’s fingertips may graze his coat, and then continue to ignore and walk past them, as if to taunt. Julius was born from a feral litter of cats at my parents’ ranch in Paso Robles before I brought him here, so I think that obviously the feral nature of his birth may play a part in his obstinance.
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