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avevale_intelligencerThere once was a man who kicked cats.
Every time he encountered a cat he would aim a vicious kick at it. It didn't matter what kind of cat it was--black, white, tortoiseshell, pedigree Siamese or mongrel moggy--they all got the boot. Eventually the cat owners of the neighbourhood grew tired of taking their cats to the vet to set broken ribs and so on, and one of them, duly elected, confronted him.
"Why do you kick cats?" she said.
"My neighbour has two German Shepherds," he replied, "and they keep me awake at night with their barking."
"But German Shepherds are dogs."
"Dogs, cats, they're all animals. I hate animals. I'd kick mice if I had better reflexes."
"Have you tried talking to your neighbour?"
"What's the point? He'd just tell me to get a dog or two myself and then I wouldn't mind the barking. Dog owners are all the same, and cat owners too."
"Well, we don't like you kicking our cats."
"Get rid of them then. Better still, go to the mayor and get him to pass a law making pet ownership illegal. Then my neighbour'll have to have his dogs put down and I can get some peace."
"Why don't you go to the mayor?"
"He owns a Labrador. He'd never listen to me."
"Look, this is ridiculous. Neither we nor our cats have done you any harm. We sympathise and we'd like to help, but won't you stop kicking our cats?"
"Nope. I enjoy it. And what with getting no sleep, I'm entitled to some enjoyment in my life. When you show some interest in helping me by getting rid of your damned pets, I'll stop kicking them. That's fair, isn't it?"
And that was where matters rested, and continue to rest to this day. The man who kicked cats continues to kick every cat he sees because of his neighbour's dogs. The cat owners have tried talking to the neighbour, but he is fully as obnoxious as the man claims and will not listen to them. Nobody has talked to the mayor, because nobody thinks it would do any good; and after all, he does indeed own a Labrador, which has never barked at night but might start at any time.
Not a very pleasant situation, is it?
Every time he encountered a cat he would aim a vicious kick at it. It didn't matter what kind of cat it was--black, white, tortoiseshell, pedigree Siamese or mongrel moggy--they all got the boot. Eventually the cat owners of the neighbourhood grew tired of taking their cats to the vet to set broken ribs and so on, and one of them, duly elected, confronted him.
"Why do you kick cats?" she said.
"My neighbour has two German Shepherds," he replied, "and they keep me awake at night with their barking."
"But German Shepherds are dogs."
"Dogs, cats, they're all animals. I hate animals. I'd kick mice if I had better reflexes."
"Have you tried talking to your neighbour?"
"What's the point? He'd just tell me to get a dog or two myself and then I wouldn't mind the barking. Dog owners are all the same, and cat owners too."
"Well, we don't like you kicking our cats."
"Get rid of them then. Better still, go to the mayor and get him to pass a law making pet ownership illegal. Then my neighbour'll have to have his dogs put down and I can get some peace."
"Why don't you go to the mayor?"
"He owns a Labrador. He'd never listen to me."
"Look, this is ridiculous. Neither we nor our cats have done you any harm. We sympathise and we'd like to help, but won't you stop kicking our cats?"
"Nope. I enjoy it. And what with getting no sleep, I'm entitled to some enjoyment in my life. When you show some interest in helping me by getting rid of your damned pets, I'll stop kicking them. That's fair, isn't it?"
And that was where matters rested, and continue to rest to this day. The man who kicked cats continues to kick every cat he sees because of his neighbour's dogs. The cat owners have tried talking to the neighbour, but he is fully as obnoxious as the man claims and will not listen to them. Nobody has talked to the mayor, because nobody thinks it would do any good; and after all, he does indeed own a Labrador, which has never barked at night but might start at any time.
Not a very pleasant situation, is it?
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Date: 2013-06-10 07:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-10 04:00 pm (UTC)