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The Pet Quarrel

Tommy was not a young kitten anymore. He had lived for 11 years at Johnson’s home, and he found it quite comfortable. The best thing about it was that everyone in the house lavished him with attention.

Tommy ruled the little kingdom. As soon as he wanted food, someone would open a can. Wherever he wanted to sleep, he just curled up in the child’s bed. And when he wanted to be held, someone was always available. Things were quite cozy for Tommy until Bones showed up.

Tommy just didn’t understand it. Why had the family gone to the pound to look for a dog? Weren’t they utterly satisfied with Tommy? Apparently, they weren’t. One day they came home with a bouncing, slobbering, rotten thing called a “dog.” He was a horrible creature.

Bones repeatedly made a very loud noise with his mouth. He also jumped up and put his paws on the chest of any human he ever met. It was a disgusting habit.

One day, when all the humans were gone, Tommy decided to take matters into his own paws. He found the disgusting new animal. The creature was, for some inexplicable reason, chewing on a rubber bone.

“Yo,” said the dog.

“What do you think you’re doing?” asked Tommy.

“None of your business,” said Bones.

“Everything that happens in this house is my business.”

“Whatever. I just like chewing stuff.”

“Yes, well, I enjoy scratching things. But I have taught myself to refrain from doing so inside the house. I expect you to show similar manners in this household.”

“Manners! Who cares? We’re animals! We don’t have to bother with that human nonsense.”

Tommy was deeply offended. “Everything depends on good manners,” he said. “Without them, civilization would not work. We would all simply be --”

“—animals?” interrupted Bones.

“Exactly,” said Tommy.

“That’s what we are,” said Bones.

“The two of us are,” Tommy reluctantly agreed. “But this is a human household. We must behave according to human standards.”

“Nah,” said Bones. “That’s not why the humans got us. If they wanted more humans, they would go to the human pound. But they went to the dog pound, and got me. That’s because they love dogs. They love the way we fetch. They love to hear us bark.”

“No one likes to hear you bark.”

“The humans never told me to stop,” said Bones.

“They tell you constantly! You just don’t speak English.”

“What is that?”

“Human language. You would do well to learn some.”

“Why?” asked Bones. “Are they saying other important things?”

“Yes,” said Tommy, a glint suddenly forming in his eyes. “They keep talking about their plan to roast you for dinner if you keep on annoying them.”

“Really? Guess I’d better learn some English then!".

• Explain why Tommy did not like Bones.
• In what ways are Tommy and Bones similar? In what ways are they different?
• Would you want to be a person living in the Johnson house? Why or why not.