Some will be outright rude. My sister adopted her cat Pebbles as a kitten. A certain acquaintance once said to her, "Appi, your cat has grown so big. Throw it out and get a cute, small kitten!" Of course the logical reply was, "You're an adult now, why don't your parents kick you out?" That shut the person up alright. On the same day, someone else "suggested" that she give one cat away simply because she has two. My sister calmly replied she'll do so when the person gives one of their kids away. Savage, I know, but you can't say they didn't have it coming.

And no, it's not just my sister. An acquaintance was taking his cat to the vet in a bus and he had it on his lap because that was the only way the cat felt safe. A fellow passenger demanded that he carry his cat IN A BAG. The guy took a leaf out of my sister's book and replied that the man should put his kid in a bag. 

If you've ever had a pet, or actually if you've ever considered getting a pet, I can bet at least five people have told you that animals are unclean and/or spread deadly diseases. You're more likely to get head lice from that kid in your class than rabies from your vaccinated, well-groomed dog, Mr. Snuffles. Here's a secret – people who claim they're anti-pets because of hygiene/health reasons are usually just super scared of animals and don't want to admit it. 

The worst kind of pet-basher is the self-righteous person who will judge you for adopting animals from the street. Their logic? Why should you waste time and money caring for animals when people are dying of hunger? I'm not even going to explain why that is utterly ridiculous but I'll just say I don't see this abandoned puppy begging on the street or landing a job any time soon. On second thought, such people are probably in the same category as those who judge you for having a local cat and not a Persian one, while they cage their German Shepherds in tiny apartments all day long.

Remember, as long as your pet isn't hurting anyone and you're treating it right, no one has the right to tell you off. Just don't blame me when cats take over the world one day though.

 

Salma Mohammad Ali fears she is becoming a crazy cat lady and uses writing as a means to grasp on to sanity. Send her your views/hate/love at fb.com/salma.ali209