What happens when the pet you love becomes ... not so lovable anymore? Two columnists writing for the Cut this week explain their cat conundrums, and their essays are inciting the internet's ire.
- Essay No. 1: Mary Gaitskill kicks things off with an essay titled "Was I Capable of Killing My Cat for Bad Behavior?," detailing how she'd adopted Suki after finding her on the streets in the mid-'80s and kept her for six years, first in a Manhattan studio apartment, then in a California cottage. There were periods of happiness they enjoyed, but it was also "rocky at times" due to Suki's often-aggressive play and craving for attention from her owner. It "felt like we were in an ongoing, often tense negotiation with each other regarding space and need," Gaitskill writes. She notes things came to a head when she adopted a kitten to keep Suki company, which Suki didn't like, followed by a serious tooth infection that made Suki act out even more. "I had to choose between an enraged middle-aged cat who hated me versus an adorable kitten who loved me or at least acted that way. The more I thought about it, the more natural it seemed to ... end the misery." Find out here whether Gaitskill dumped Suki at the ASPCA, "where she would almost certainly die."