July 4, 2023

"And now, we are all thinking about the kitten. Wish I hadn't read this"/"I stopped reading a quarter of the way in"/"Wish I had."

"Same. Ruined my morning. And a picture on top. There’s nothing cute or funny about this story, though the author tried. It’s just horrible"/"It wasn't entirely clear what the author was doing. Some of it seemed like he was making the horror into a cute story...."/"Wonder if they ever took those pups out walking - get them tired so no running around crazy in the back yard"/"I'm mostly against trigger warnings in general, but I resent this story being presented as some sort of whimsical travel tale. I also didn't need to see the picture of the dead kitten, adorable as he was. I don't think I'll ever want to revisit this dude's writing"/"This was an awful article, made worse by pictures of the angelic, deceased kitten. Who continued to be mentioned for the rest of the article. I’m reading this with my cats on my lap. WTF, WaPo??!!"

The comments section is reviling this WaPo travel article: "They arrived to housesit amid 2 dogs and 16 cats. What could go wrong?"

AND: Getting to the meaty judgment of it all: "I’m trying to imagine the particular type of idiot that is unable to keep two small dogs locked away for a few weeks to protect a new mother cat and her kittens, and then would write about their failures as if they were the victim of trickery, rather than cheapskates who got in over their head for a free vacation spot. I hope no one ever invites these feckless idiots to be in charge of anything but inanimate objects."

11 comments:

iowan2 said...

Add to your list of people that cannot reason out the most mundane of circumstances. Maybe its my farm background.
Animals are animals. Not Disney characters. ie, trying to pet a moose in Yellowstone.

While dogs tearing into kittens is shocking, don't mention what a Male cat will do, and why, to said kitten.

Nature is a cruel mistress.

Temujin said...

I read your comments, Ann. That was trigger warning enough for me to not read the article. I love animals too much to read about human stupidity when it comes to 'taking care' of them.

mikee said...

I housesat for a friend's cat. On the first day I arrived to feed the feline, as I unlocked and opened the door it shot outside and raced into the meadow across the street. The owner had failed to tell me the cat was in heat. I couldn't find it, and it didn't come back while I was housesitting. A week later, the owner returned and the cat did, too, and a while later the owner and the cat had new kittens.

The owner had never liked the cat, it was a feral rescue his wife "adopted" and was mean as a snake. So the owner chose the friendliest kitten and took the rest of the familiy to the local pound. He was a child of farmers and explained that cats were a commodity, and as easy to replace as a can of soda or a candy bar. His wife was a bit miffed until the new kitten chose to sit in her lap and get petted a lot.

Aggie said...

So, an unpleasant article with gruesome voyeur aspects, in a highly-biased newspaper. Makes me appreciate the sound, silent judgement of paywalls.

Mary Beth said...

I did not read the article, but I feel like I've already read the story in r/AITA (AmITheAsshole). The person telling the story there was judged to be the asshole.

Some people are absolute idiots when it comes to animals. It's like they are given a new way of showing that they don't think anything of value exists on the planet outside of themselves.

iowan2 said...

The owner had never liked the cat, it was a feral rescue his wife "adopted"

When we were newlyweds, the guys I worked with at the feed store, found a feral kitten, brought it into the office. They had never seen the momma, and watched it struggle for several days.
But you could only handle it with long sleeves and gloves. I told my new bride how wild it was, and she knew we were just being mean. She spent an hour with it an never made friends.

Cats are barely domesticated and revert to feral quickly.

Mason G said...

"Cats are barely domesticated and revert to feral quickly."

They're just pissed because they can't kill and eat you.

Assistant Village Idiot said...

Animals have some value, but they are not people.

MadisonMan said...

16 cats? I've housesat for 1 cat. That was plenty.
The house must absolutely reek and be full of hair. Not a place I want to set foot in.

rsbsail said...

16 cats? There is the problem.

farmgirl said...

Up where I live there’s an organization that traps, spays/neuters &returns feral cats or adopts out the kittens. It’s free. No longer a commodity, feral cats- which is positive and negative.