-"Do you like cats?"
-"Eww. I hate cats! I throw rocks at them."
-"Why do you throw rocks at cats?!"
-"Because...they are mean to me!"
-"Well why do you think they are mean to you?"
-"Because... I throw rocks at them!"
The conversation above is a paraphrase I had with a student, while I was a substitute teacher for a brief time. Unfortunately this conversation isnt just about this misguided student that abuses animals. This conversation could serve as a microcosm for a dog lovers reasoning for their hatred towards cats. For some reason there are dog lovers out there (quite a few) who just cant stand a cats existence. You'll hear phrases like, "The only good cat is a dead cat!" or "if I see a cat on the road I will purposely try to run it over!" It's like whenever the word cat is mentioned, the person just snaps for 3 seconds, having to vent out their pent up aggression towards these animals.
Whats going on here?
 |
Here is my beef with some of these dog lovers. I'm cool with the fact that they love their dogs, and they are passionate about them. I understand that, and appreciate it. I am an animal lover myself, and I like most dogs. I would describe myself as a "cat person", but one would see me loving on dogs as well. I like animals. These dog lovers that I'm talking about loves dogs, but HATES cats. They hate the fact that cats are:
1) Not like dogs
2) Independent
3) low maintenence
4) have hair, that could cause allergies (by no fault of their own)
I just don't understand why dog lovers cant be like, "oh well I'm more of a dog person myself, but its cool that you like cats. I can see why you would like them." Instead they have to say, "eww cats! *uncontrollably vomits* boy if I had a firecracker, the first thing I would shoot it at is a cat! No offense Eric, I know you like cats." If they can just have an appreciation for the cat. Appreciate that cats are completely different from dogs. Just like girls are completely different from guys. And lizards are completely different from spiders. What if a spider or lizard runs up to you at the door to greet you? That would scare the crap out of you. But if these dog-lovers make the claim that they dont like cats because they dont have the same characteristics and attributes as dogs (aka. greeting you when you get home by jumping up on you and licking you) isnt that like saying "I HATE blue jays. They dont greet me when I go to the backyard, and they don't allow me to pet them when I give them bread!!!" I'm going to throw rocks at them!"
I can go on and on about my love for cats. Butterscotch and Simon both have been great pets. When Butterscotch passed away it was really tough on our family because he was part of the family. When I was on the job hunt, Simon kept me company, while everyone else was out of the house. It's complete nonsense when those dog-lovers make the argument that cats don't show affection. Just the other night I came home late, and guess who came to greet me? Simon. Maybe not by jumping up on me, licking my face and wagging his tail. But he nudged up against my legs with a loud purr, plopping down on the floor, and giving me "lovey" eyes. As I keep petting him, the purring gets louder and louder. Isn't that affection? Isn't it affection when both of our cats have always been in the same room we have been, when there are 3 stories of rooms they could explore or hide away in? Isn't it affection when Simon jumps on our laps for comfort and relaxation rather than the big empty chair?
Thanks for listening to this rant. I hope that we all can just have an appreciation for all animals. God made them and crafted them completely different from each other. He did not make mistakes during this process.
Happy Easter, and God Bless!
Eric
