Children and Pets

Two thoughts about these two focus challenged photos.

 I'm always amazed at what pets are willing to put up with from children.  I grew up in a small, rural town, and we had a number of dogs while I was growing up, but  only one cat.  My sister had seen a movie with a Siamese cat, and she had to have one, so my father went out and brought her a purebred, papers, a fancy name, the whole lot.  That cat was the meanest thing I've ever seen in my life, and I've survived two attempts on my life.   From time to time that cat would crawl up on your lap and purr away, but if you valued your fingers, you waited for her to leave.  The dogs, on the other hand, would put up with anything, and come back for more, even when they were mistreated.  And no, that's not a confession of animal cruelty, but small kids aren't all that good at constant kindness and care.  Anyway, our cat seemed to have been an anomaly, while the dogs were pretty much like dogs everywhere.  I've seen small children pick up pet cats, squeeze them to the point of near death, and they just take it.  Not unlike this little girl and her pet tabby.

And my second thought; look at the distance between mother and child.  No wonder that little girl was clutching her pet cat.  I may be wrong, but I don't see a lot of affection between these two.

Written on the backs of both prints, "Sept. 1952."