Member-only story
Young Bullies Can Target Pets
A young boy gets angry at my cat for protecting herself
Years ago, I had a fluffy cat named Snoopy. She lived to the ripe old age of 21. We were heartbroken when she died.
One of the remarkable things about her — she would go for walks with me. She also was fairly friendly to people. However, she did not care for children.
One time I was out for a walk, with Snoopy trotting along beside me.
On our way home, we encountered a little boy. I am not sure how old he was, but he couldn’t have been more than 5.
He didn’t ask me if he could pet my cat. He ran towards her, intent on doing so.
Snoopy ran under a car.
He started to go in after her.
“Leave her alone,” I said firmly. “She doesn’t want to be touched.”
He didn’t listen and bent down to crawl under the car.
“I said, she doesn’t want to be touched!” I said more loudly.
He kept going towards Snoopy. Then, inevitably, she scratched him.
He yelled and came out.
“She scratched me!”
He waved his bleeding hand in front of me.
