Pets

Isn't it amazing that we feel so much for our pets? Now this is not me advocating for not being kind to pets, this is me saying that as a nation, the English predominantly love their pets, I know that I do.

Whilst my wife and I do not currently own anything more than a fish, we do also welcome the neighbourhood cat into the house on occasion for food and cuddles...

He's never actually provided a cuddle to me before but I live in hope. He is not our cat and yet, we love him as if he were our own and would be upset if anything happened to him.

We have been looking to move house for the last few years and yet we continually end up back where we are because we like the area, it is convenient but also because of the kitty cat in question.

Even though he is not ours, we would be devastated if anything happened to him, which was proven when we came back one day and thought that we saw him dead on the ground...

It was not him and was in fact a plastic bag but the emotions were clear. We are animal lovers and my wife is more so than I, as she cannot watch any film with an animal that gets injured without crying. Even Cats & Dogs, the 90s Disney film gets her emotional and she has seen it before.

From all of this, we know that we are a nation of animal lovers. Even though they cannot talk, we assign emotion and get upset when they are unwell. Even for me, a diehard cat lover, when I saw one of my wife's sister's dogs in pain, weeing out blood, it pulled at my heartstrings.

Even seeing our fish at home injured (Google Swim bladder) was tough to see as you can put yourself in that position and imagine that it would be an awful way to go. Having a swollen stomach that ultimately weighs you down so much that you cannot get to the surface in order to breathe.

In films, most people (much like my wife) get more upset at an animal dying rather than a human. The hierarchy usually goes, to cute pets, children, women and then men. No one really cares about a man being killed in a film but if you see Lassy get shot, then God forgive and the tears will begin to stream down the face.

For me, I think it is all linked to innocence and the consideration that these creatures cannot defend themselves. Yes, they can bite and scratch but realistically, if we wanted to then we could cause harm to them.

It is wrong on so many levels but the fact remains that we can and because they are innocent and we know that we would never dream of injuring, the consideration that someone has is offensive to us.

The innocence here is what jumps out to me as the main reason. Same reason why people hate those that injure children or women. Abhorrent acts are frowned upon more so than acts of violence against men, as predominately, men are seen as the aggressors and whilst this is statistically true, it is unfair.

The internet holds people to account but it also opens the door to manipulation and realistically, if every single man on this planet was a horrible, abusive person, then surely we would have done something about this as a species by now.

Maybe inventing a muzzle for the manhood that leads men astray or separating society between men and women, only coming together to raise the next generation which is farmed off to the women to raise.

Horrible people do exist and many of them can be men (I should know, my Dad was one of them). My father threw our cat into the bath, which then scarred the poor creature for life. That cat never trusted me and never trusted my Grandad as it saw all men the same. The animal instinct in action and something that still makes me sad to this day.

As far as I am aware, my father never injured me but I do know that there is way more to this story than I will ever know and that is okay. I don't need or want to know. I know the essential parts which have created the man that I am today.

I want to one day own a couple of animals myself, beyond simply renting them and when we do have these animals, I will love and care for them, passing this love over to my children.

Maybe they won't love them as much as my wife and I but we will at least teach respect for the creature that is in front of them as they are considered innocent for a reason. Animal cruelty is also a crime for a reason.

Seeing any kind of animals in danger is heartbreaking and animals can also cause injury to other animals but it is about understanding and working towards a common goal.

My wife's sister's dog savaged a rabbit to death in front of us and it was horrible, yet it is in his nature and we were unable to rescue the animal. The dog however is not evil and we simply need to work with him to prevent it from happening again.