Creepy Crawly Warning

When one day I was sitting in my office quietly chatting at PT -no, no of course I was in the middle of a business plan ;)- my assistant in the room next door let out a very scary scream! :eek:
When I got out of my office to see what threatened her - and I was sure it was a giant spider- it found out it was because she had opened a copy of National Geographic Magazine and there was this beautiful big python.
I doubt that anyone reacts like that if he/she sees a cat or a dog.
I am very ashamed to admit that I react to spiders that way- I know it is completely irrational but I just can't help it. But I like and admire snakes- the most beautiful being the small poisonous ones that look like tiny jewels. :)

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Originally Posted by Barbara

When one day I was sitting in my office quietly chatting at PT -no, no of course I was in the middle of a business plan ;)- my assistant in the room next door let out a very scary scream! :eek:
When I got out of my office to see what threatened her - and I was sure it was a giant spider- it found out it was because she had opened a copy of National Geographic Magazine and there was this beautiful big python.
I doubt that anyone reacts like that if he/she sees a cat or a dog.
I am very ashamed to admit that I react to spiders that way- I know it is completely irrational but I just can't help it. But I like and admire snakes- the most beautiful being the small poisonous ones that look like tiny jewels. :)

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You know something Barbara, I never would have believed someone could react like that to a cat or dog either until.....

A friend of mine has a 'unnatural' fear of cats. The very sight of a cat even on TV makes her scream bloody murder and run from the room. The first time I witnessed it I just about rolled on the floor laughing. I thought she was being funny. But she screamed to me from the other room 'is it gone??? Is it gone?' I told her it was and she creeped back into the room with her hands over her face and peeking through her fingers. When she took her hands away I realized her face was tear streaked and completely colorless. I asked her why she was so scared of cats and she couldn't tell me. She said 'I don't know really but for as long as I can remember I have been terrified of them.' She never once stepped foot inside my door. At that time we had only been friends a short time and had meet through university so I didn't know anything about it. I guess it was a good thing she didn't come visit my house cause I never would have thought to 'warn' anyone I had a cat.

I have one co-worker who spend a night in the house of a friend of hers. That friend had to go to work earlier and so Chris was alone with the cat: up to today she says the cat didn't allow her to leave the house by standing in the door and looking threatening.
So she is not really mad crazy about cats but mildly scared.
I have to take it as it is- but I still would think the irrationally-scared-by-spiders fraction is bigger than the irrationally-scared-by-cats fraction.

Filou just said he loves the idea that someone is scared of him- he is rather bothered by all the people who want to kiss him :p

A friend of my mothers was always nervous about visiting our home because she said our Siamese cat would stare at her and "turn his eyes red" at her :rolleyes: :D Actually the cat would stare at her. I think he did it for fun, he ignored other visitors :D

My beloved Aunt Dotty - my mother's best friend since childhood, not technically an aunt - was afraid of cats. Not "run fom the room screaming"-type afraid, but afraid and nervous and uncomfortable whenever one was around. I finally asked her about it when I was an adult.

She told me, "I know it is silly, and I know they are harmless and most people love them. But when I was a very little girl, my older brothers would grab a kitten from the barn and hold it toward me and chase me. The kitten would invariably be terrified, meowing and claws out in fear, but my brothers made it seems they were viscious monsters out to get me. I was terrified myself, and would run away screaming, and they'd run after me until they were laughing too hard to chase me any more. I know now that they were just stupid kids, and that it was as scary for the kittens as it was for me, but I just get the creeps whenever I see a cat."

She and I agreed that her brothers were stupid, in fact she still didn't like them very much as they didn't improve a whole lot as adults, and it was unfortunate they had ruined a whole species for her. But she always had her dog, and she and dogs got along fine.

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Originally Posted by Karen

But folks, snakes do slither, spiders do crawl and creep. Yes, some people are afraid of other animals, but I doubt people who are afraid of cats ever visit CatoftheDay.com, likewise for dogs and DogoftheDay.com. We used to not have the warning, and got upset and teary emails from people when we featured those pets with "no warning." So we instituted the warning icon, and no owner has ever complained about it, so please don't take offense on their behalf. People who have pet snakes are, I find, well aware that some people are afraid of them, heck, that's why people like Daisy's owner take snakies around to educate people about them.

And, frankly, just like the biggest crowds at the zoo are usually around the bat cage, I know people who visit Dog and Cat, but usually skip Pet - but the "creepy crawly" icon draws them in every time.

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I'd vote for a creepy crawly alert on today's pet, a gecko. Shed skin gives me the shivers.

My friend's sister in law cleans houses. I wanted her to clean mine. I figured that she would be totally trustworthy (and, I am sure that she was).

They both showed up one day, to do a look over, give me a price, etc. WELL, the SIL is terrified of cats. She screeched when Allie came over and rubbed up against her leg. I think she would have climbed up my friend, if she could have.

Needless to say, she didn't clean my house. Phobias are irrational, I think.

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Originally Posted by CathyBogart

I think part of my brain just leaked out my ear. :)

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That is a great line!!!

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Originally Posted by Cincy'sMom

That is a great line!!!

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along with my pituitary gland just exploded! :p