My first OP. Please, be gentle. I just had to share.
This weekend Littlest and I spent some time at the Humane Society playing with the cats. We do that every once in a while; it gives the animals some extra loving until they’re placed and it temporarily alleviates Littlest’s desire for more pets. We talked with the Siamese breeds, Littlest rolled kitty toys around for the energetic youngsters, and some meatloaves strolled onto my lap to meatloaf whilst being pet. The roundest cat I’ve seen in years was there. I mentally called him Mr. Belvadere the entire time; he would have been perfect with a bow-tie collar!
A fella came in and asked me bunches of questions since the staff were (perpetually) busy. I can only hope that whatever he put on his application disqualifies him as a future owner. Come, share my sense of foreboding…
Wants-A-Cat: “Do men usually get boy cats or girl cats?”
Me: “I think a lot of folks just accept whichever gender comes with the cat they really like. They all have very different personalities, you know. Since you’ll be caring for them for a lifetime of 15 or 20 years you’ll want a pet you enjoy being with.”
WAC: “15 years?? But can’t I just give it away?”
Me: “Um. Are you sure you want a cat?”
WAC: “Oh yes. I have three roommates, so I do not want a dog that takes up too much space and is noisy. And cats go in a litter box, right? Do you have to train them to do that? I don’t want to clean up any messes.”
Me: “Uh… are you SURE you want a cat? Maybe a rodent or lizard, something that hangs out in a cage or aquarium? It’d be easier to care for and any messes would be contained.”
WAC: “No, no! I do not want a rat, ew!”
Me: “Have you made sure your roommates aren’t allergic to cats?”
WAC: “Allergic? People are allergic? I guess I should check on that.”
He wanders off looking at the various cats, corners a staff member and asks her stuff. She tries to show him how to pick up and hold a cat (something he’s very obviously never done before), then she gets called away. Guess who he looks to for help? I demonstrate, using three or four different cats of various sizes. Then he tries.
WAC: “Ow. It is hurting me!”
Me: “You’re not supporting the hind feet, so it’s digging in with the front claws. Put your hand under his feet…”
WAC: [as he drops the cat] “Touch where he puts his feet in litter?? Is that sanitary?”
Me: “I recommend washing your hands frequently.” big smile “Are you suuuuuure you want a cat?”
WAC: [tries another cat] “Ow. The sound, what is that?”
Me: “You may want to let that one go. Quickly. That sound is a cat’s way of saying ‘I’m about to tear you to shreds.’”
WAC: “They are violent?”
It went on, but those were the moments that made me want to stamp a huge red “NO PETS” notice on his forehead.
Doesn’t want to clean up any messes? Sounds like this guy’s never lived with any kind of pet.
You should keep some sea monkey kits around for people like this: “Here, why don’t you start with these and maybe work your way up to the vertebrates.”:smack:
Zsofia, knowing how to pick up a cat is a skill to be learned for sure! But dropping said cat like a three-day-old fish over the thought of touching its feet… not encouraging.
I have a guess that WAC has never lived without parents before. This is a university town, and the new semester just started. All new “adults” learn surprising things when they’re finally on their own. He just has more to learn than most!
And yeah, the thought did cross my mind that I should ask about a spay-or-neuter voucher for him while I was there.
Wow, your humane society seems pretty together. My wife took the kids to a local humane society, and they only had one person working there, who she said looked like he was about 11. They wanted to look at and pet some animals, and the kid didn’t even look up from his Gameboy and pointed towards the door where they keep them. If she had wanted to, my wife could have walked out of there with a number of animals, or set them all loose, or killed a few for fun, if she was so inclined, and nobody would have been the wiser.
I think the Neville kitties might sometimes wish I felt that way. I love to touch their cute little paw pads, more than they like having their pads touched.
I don’t care where they’ve been – cat feet are cute! (There’s a cat in my neighborhood who likes to drop by to paw at the glass by the front door while meowing.)
He talked about not wanting to clean up messes and you didn’t mention hairballs? Or disemboweled mice? Or clawed furniture?
Oh, man. I could have gone on for an hour about that horking sound they make and how irritating it is to hear in the middle of the night. Or how lovely it is to discover pedally that you slept through the sound.
My sweet Ruli, may she rest in catnip, once got out and horked in the kitchen when she came back. Apparently she had been eating cockroaches. Lots of them.
Although I feel you missed an opportunity, I really can’t fault you for it. You must have been stunned. Especially after being lulled by the nearness of so many cats.
I live in a building that has about 30-50% college kids. And every summer, it seems that some yahoo decides to leave another cat to fend for itself.
Taking on a pet is a life-long commitment. If not for the pet owner, then at least for the pet. Yes, that means I support euthanizing a pet if the owner cannot find another person who will take on the responsibility. I have taken several abandoned cats to local animal shelters, or turned them over to Animal Control.
I am pissed that I’m going to keep being able to do that on a regular basis, based on the impression of some prospective pet owners I’ve gotten from this thread.
Cluebat suppositories. With kosher salt, vinegar, and capsacin coating. It’s the only appropriate way to try to educate such assholes.
Think yew, think yew! I’ve lurked here for counts on fingers, takes off shoe quite a few years so I figured this was a non-controversial enough start for my first Pitting. Not to worry. I do have so much antipathy toward mankind, it will not be my last!
Alas, all three of our kitties have come to their expiration dates over the past few years, so I have only pics of the kitties from the humane society… which I will promptly post as soon as I figure out where my damned camera cable is.
I just had to share.
(green with jealousy)