Tiger has a bully, and I recently found out who it is.
Anyone who knows Tiger knows there is absolutely nothing introverted about that cat. He loves being outdoors. Once the sun comes up, he wants to go outside, play with the neighbourhood cats, roam around, or disappear into the bushes in search of something to hunt. He loves visitors too. In fact, Tiger enjoys showing off whenever people come around.
So recently, when he started refusing to go outside except to pee or poop before running straight back inside, I knew something wasn’t right.
At first, I thought he was sick. I know my cats well enough to recognise when their behaviour changes, so seeing Tiger curled up indoors while the sun was shining and the weather was beautiful was incredibly strange.
I got him checked out, but there was nothing wrong with him. He was perfectly fine so I couldn’t understand it.
Until one day, one of the neighbourhood kids came around my building while Tiger was outside. I was standing by the window watching the kittens play in the sun when Tiger suddenly caught sight of the boy and bolted.
He ran straight inside and hid beside me, making these little crying sounds that absolutely broke my heart. Then I looked outside at the boy. He had this lopsided grin on his face and the other boy standing with him started laughing.
Then the first boy said, “Tiger is now so afraid of me.” And they both laughed.
That’s when everything clicked and I went outside immediately.
I didn’t even ask him whether he had been hurting Tiger. I simply asked him why he had been bullying my cat. Sometimes, with children, you don’t ask a question like you don’t already know the answer. You give them the opportunity to tell you the truth.
He almost denied it. Then the other boy exposed him.
“That’s what he likes doing. Whenever he sees Tiger, he flogs him with a cane.”
I can’t even explain how angry I felt. Everything suddenly made sense. Tiger wasn’t avoiding the outdoors because he was sick. My boy was scared. He had been getting beaten whenever this boy saw him, so naturally, he had started associating being outside with danger and that broke my heart.
Because Tiger isn’t some troublesome cat that goes around terrorising people’s homes. He mostly stays in open spaces, wanders around the neighbourhood or disappears into the bushes to hunt. The only time I’ve really seen him trespass is when there’s another cat involved. Yet this child had apparently made a habit of hitting him simply because he could.
I was so angry that, for a moment, I understood the instinct to want someone to feel the exact pain they had inflicted on another creature. But more than anything, I kept wondering why?
What makes a child find pleasure in hurting an animal that has done absolutely nothing to him? Tiger can’t tell me what happens when I’m not around. He can’t explain where he’s been hit or how many times it has happened. All he can do is run and hide and that’s exactly what he’s been doing.
I warned the boy very firmly to stay away from my cat and never lay a finger on him again. Because whatever games children play, hurting animals isn’t one I am willing to tolerate. And Tiger? My little lion has obviously been living with a bully right outside his door. No wonder he suddenly decided that the safest place in the world was inside the house with me.🥺