| Petting When Jill returned to Berkeley to take her year-end tests, she left Tiffany with us for a few weeks. But each day that Tiffany is here, she just seems to get more spoiled. As soon as she sees us she always does the same thing. First she fixes us with large cat eyes. Imploringly. Then she goes into the kitchen, assuming that we will come along and pet her. And we do. We trail after her obediently. We pet her whenever she wants. And then she wants more. It doesn't make sense. We are at her beck and call. Who's in charge here, anyway? And I hate to say this. But I have a feeling that it's Chuck's fault. He's trying to be extra kind to Tiffany now that Jill is away. So he's petting her way too much. "I petted Tiffany two hundred times," Chuck complains. "And she wants more. She's insatiable." Well of course she is. Why shouldn't she be? Chuck's spoiling her. He's petting her way too much. Two hundred times. And now she expects it. So anytime Chuck comes into the apartment, Tiffany runs to meet him. She's probably keeping count, too. Because she's stopped running to meet me. She knows I won't pet her that much. So now I'm being ignored by a cat. Who insists upon being petted two hundred times. "You're petting Tiffany way too much," I admonished. "She's getting really spoiled. She doesn't need to be petted that much. I don't pet her as much as you do. I'm a disciplinarian." "Some disciplinarian," Chuck replied. "I am," I said. "You should be, too. You pamper her too much. She's spoiled. She doesn't understand that petting her is a favor. She's starting to behave as if it's an entitlement." Chuck looked at me in disbelief. "Barbara," he said. "You don't mean that. You can't think Tiffany is sophisticated enough to understand the difference between a favor and an entitlement! She's a cat!" As usual I paid no attention to Chuck's comment. As if I don't know that Tiffany's a cat! So what if she is? What difference does that make? As if she doesn't know exactly what an entitlement is. And as if she doesn't feel absolutely entitled to be petted two hundred times. No matter what Chuck thinks. And it's probably never once occurred to her that he's doing her a favor, either. As if she doesn't know the difference. December, 1997 |