Animal Anecdote
All living Things Deserve Respect
Even cute pets should not be touched without consent
Many years ago, I was hanging out in my front garden with my cat, Snoopy.
Snoopy was a remarkably friendly cat. She would allow friends who came over to pet her once she warmed up to them. Everyone wanted to pet her because she was a beautiful Norwegian Forest Cat with long fur.
So it was no surprise that, as we hung out in the garden, soaking up some sun, a little boy came over wanting to pet my cat.
But he didn’t ask. He just went towards her.
“You’re making her nervous,” I warned him. “You might want to slow down.”
He didn’t listen to me. He marched up to Snoopy and leaned down to pet her. She was having none of that and bolted. She ran underneath my neighbor’s car in the driveway next door.
“You need to leave her alone,” I told the little boy. “You scared her.”
“I just want to pet her,” he whined. He reached under the car.
“Stop that!” I said. “She doesn’t want to be petted!”
He got on his knees and pulled himself under the car. At which point, Snoopy lashed out and nailed him with her claws.
