Pffft. My parents had RB Tiggus and RB Crybaby (Horible name I know but it DID fit her lol) when I was born. Crybaby would always be near me to comfort me and we had a special relationship until she died at 19 (Ooold kitty!) My mom worried about the cats being near at first but they never were a problem. Mom said she thought about taking me to the shelter because I was harassing the cats lol! I really do think having critters around when I was little gave me the respect I have for animals today. I think that if a parent is all paraniod about animals, the kids will learn that thats ok and do it themselves. I'm all about stopping the cycle of ignorance!