What do you think Mama Cat does when Kitten acts up? She growls and SWATS it, or growls, grabs it by the scruff and SHAKES it. I assumed Miss YT had the common sense not to shake a 10-ounce kitten as hard as she would an 80-pound German shepherd, and I think that's a pretty safe assumption. She's a smart young lady. Whacking a kid is very rarely appropriate because you can talk to and reason with a kid (you'd be surprised how much even a 1-year-old can understand), but animals very often "reason" with each other physically, and so it's an excellent way to get the point across. People who Dr. Spock their pets are a big part of why animal shelters are full of intrinsically good pets that their owners found uncontrollable, because the owners tried to treat the pet like it was a child. PETS ARE NOT PEOPLE. You do them no favors by treating them as such. "Speak" to the pet on a level, and in a way, that he can understand. You owe him that much basic courtesy, and everyone will be happier.
If you're wondering why you got lectured, it's because when you've volunteered at an animal shelter and seen a parade of people bringing in dogs, and sometimes cats, that would be perfectly nice with a little common-sense training, and listened to said people whining "I just can't control him!", you get to where you want to employ a little physical violence against these people who don't know how to handle an animal, are too stupid or lazy to learn, and end up costing the poor critter his life when the shelter has to put him down.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2005-10-17 11:34 pm (UTC)If you're wondering why you got lectured, it's because when you've volunteered at an animal shelter and seen a parade of people bringing in dogs, and sometimes cats, that would be perfectly nice with a little common-sense training, and listened to said people whining "I just can't control him!", you get to where you want to employ a little physical violence against these people who don't know how to handle an animal, are too stupid or lazy to learn, and end up costing the poor critter his life when the shelter has to put him down.