A purrfect day to vote: Taking part in the democratic process of Israel with my cat - comment

The stakes were high, the treats were packed, and off my spouse and I went to vote, with Medici in his adorable kitty backpack that always makes him look like an astronaut. 

It’s that time again, when Israelis across the country flock to voting booths to make their voices heard.

And once again, I decided to take my cat, Medici – full name, HaRav Medici di Cuddlebutt Reich – along for the journey.

For those of you not in the know, in the last municipal elections, Medici and I went to cast a ballot. While Medici is a strong supporter of the Sephardi haredi party Shas, and I decidedly am not, the point back then wasn’t who he voted for. Everyone was simply charmed by his mere presence in line, meowing away and looking around with his adorable kitty eyes. 

But this isn’t municipal elections. This is the big one. The Knesset. The general election. Everything is on the line. This can make or break the country’s future for the next several years – or months, if no coalition is formed.

This wasn’t time for pussyfooting around. This wasn’t time for jokes. This wasn’t time for holding back. We were going to come in full force, ready to make the hard decisions over who to vote for. 

Medici shares his experience and wisdom as a voting member of the Israeli public

The stakes were high, the treats were packed, and off my spouse and I went, with Medici in his adorable kitty backpack that always makes him look like an astronaut. 

Once we arrived at our polling station, we faced our first obstacle. By some cruel twist of fate, my spouse and I were not voting in the same booth. So with the two of us separated (literally right across the room, just different lines but for different rooms), we bemoaned this horrific turn of events as we sat alone.

Or rather, that is what would have happened… had I not brought my cat.

Instantly, people noticed Medici’s cries for democracy (“meow” is obviously short for “de-meow-crat-ya”) and swarmed around me, in awe at the wisdom held in his wide eyes; wisdom many may have questioned if they knew who he supported, but I digress.

The last time we took him to vote, Medici’s presence inspired some undecided voters. “If the cat can vote, so can I,” some said at the time.

This time, however, Medici focused not on inspiring undecided voters – voter turnout seems high at the time of this writing. Rather, he used his experience and wisdom to inspire the next generation.

Children brought by their parents were eager to say hi to the voting feline, and Medici’s meows in response seemed to pass on kernels of advice and valuable education to those around him.

'Meow meow meow meow meow meow'

Obviously, we lacked subtitles, so we cannot be certain as to what Medici’s exact words were. But we can also assume that he was educating them about how the elections worked, which parties had which letters on their ticket, and the importance of democracy.

These sentiments also seemed shared by many of the older Israelis around me, who looked at Medici with wistful smiles as they saw him teach the children about voting – and all without endorsing anyone in particular.

For while Medici may always support Shas in his heart, he would never want his party to win unfairly…. Right?

Certainly. Medici doesn’t steal elections, just food off the table. And, as I finish this article, he has just done so. The future of this country may be just a bit brighter because one cat went to the voting booths. However, because of that same cat, I now need to make myself a different breakfast.