– Let me get this straight: you bought an Advent calendar for your cat?
– You say that as if there is something odd about it. Lots of people buy Advent calendars for their pets. Well, for their cats and dogs, at any rate. I can't say I've ever seen any for a goldfish or a gerbil, but, who knows, perhaps they sell them.
– And does the cat have any concept of the meaning of Advent, or Christmas, or anything for that matter?
– Well, that's a difficult question. I think sometimes we underestimate how much animals actually do understand. Clearly, the cat has never shown much interest in organised religion, but then neither do many people, so I'm not sure what that proves. And on the other hand, she certainly looks forward to the daily opening of another window on the Advent calendar, and indeed some days tries to open it herself.
– Only because she has learned that it contains treats.
– Well, that's a very mercenary interpretation. Perhaps she genuinely enjoys the sense of anticipation, the discovery of something new behind each window.
– Do they all contain the same treats?
– Yes, but she doesn't know that.
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