I’ve never understood how we go about ascribing character traits to animals. Every cat I’ve known fits Abstruse Goose’s checklist, but aren’t we both just making stuff up? No dog I ever had could remotely be described as “faithful” or “devoted;” they’re in it for the free lunch, period.
In fact, look at our animal metaphors: if dogs are so loyal, why is a “dog” someone you’d never trust? What does “catty” have to do with cats? and I don’t even want to talk about “catting around.” In what way are sheep “sheepish?” Sheep just stand around grazing and if your back is turned on a male, he’ll smack you one. I can see mice as “mousy,” squirrels as “squirrelly,” and rats do seem like “rats” and so do snakes. But why is a “toad” despicable and a frog just froggy? Why is a lion “lion-hearted” but a tiger is just a tiger? Chickens I’ve know are not “chicken,” just stupid and excitable. This keeps me awake nights. Is it a great national conspiracy? Somebody? Anybody?
Well, the lack of comments suggests that nobody else knows either. I certainly don’t.
Wasps are definitely waspish, though. And bees are busy.
I know, I know. Some attributes do fit the creatures, but it’s ones that don’t that I think are weird. Some things in life just don’t get explained, do they.