You mean it's not all about me and my needs? Jocko

Snark alert. Somebody's feeling a little pre-menstrual...

Ok, question. Just what are you thinking when you bring your dog to the cat shelter?

Granted, it was a little dog. It had a clever little carrying case that looked like an oversized fashionable purse. But the couple accompanying the pooch weren’t using the case, no, they marched straight into corridor 5 and set him on the floor. Where he proceeded to sniff around all tail waggy and excited, while the cat residents looked on with emotions ranging from annoyance to disdain.

Maddy’s tests new kitties for their reactions to various things they might encounter in an adoptive home like kids, other cats, dogs. The majority of cats are ok with dogs, actually, as long as everyone knows who’s boss. But I can pretty much guarantee that not all the cats in the corridor – already a little freaked out from shelter life – were please to see a canine inches from their glass doors.

I interrupted my visit with Jocko to ask them to remove their dog.

The dog love cats, I was informed. In as polite terms as I could manage, I explained that not all the cats return the love. They would be welcome to consult with staff about which cats might do well with their pup, but he wasn’t allowed to tour the facility with them.

Jocko, who had huddled in the back of his condo during all this, quickly forgave them and me when I returned to him. He’s a lanky lovely tabby, a bit shy. Looks like quite the athlete but he was so tentative at batting his toys it was comical. I see him blossoming after he gets comfortable though – definitely a furniture climber.

But back to my question, and it’s a big societal one, really. Have we raised a nation of super-entitled it’s-all-about-me people with our self esteem promotion and grade inflation and prizes for participation? Because that wasn’t even the first pet dog I’ve encountered in the cat wing. And the humans involved seem unable to see past their fingers.