But what about your typical house pet, such as a dog, cat or kimodo dragon? Let's talk about one of my pets, a vicious beast named Ivy. When I was a senior in high school, my dad brought home Ivy, a runt-of-the-litter kitten. She was an adorable, sickly thing—two traits that masked her inner Cujo. She started out weak and cute, but upon healing turned into a skittish monster. She attacked anything and everything that moved, those mostly being my parents and me. She'd lie in wait for someone to walk by, then spring on the victim in full aggression, tearing at the skin with her teeth while digging in with her claws. My hands were constantly torn apart from when I tried to pet her.
And she was wily, too. Often she'd wait to attack until after my mother had put on her nylon stockings—oh yes, Ivy knew what she was doing—she would rend them apart. And it wasn't just the claws and the teeth we had to worry about.
I would sleep with a water glass on my headboard, right behind my pillow, so I could hydrate in the middle of the night. On the nights when I would forget to close my bedroom door, Ivy would slink in at 6:00 a.m., seek out the water glass and swat at it until she knocked it over, spilling it all over me. This happened time and time again, a early morning drenching, and I know she plotted it out throughout the night, constantly checking the door to see it ajar, ready to make her move.
So, I believe my point is, what makes a kitten such as Ivy a naturally better pet than a chimpanzee? I believe it's an individual pet and the care and treatment of it that makes for a good animal. I grew up with a perfect companion in a cocker spaniel; she never let me down nor tried to drown me in my sleep or attempted to tear my face off. Just saying. Be careful for what you bring in your home. The more you know ...
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