> Yes, I am serious. If a cat came scratching at me, my immediate reaction would be to kick or beat the cat, even if my own children were watching. I believe anyone would have the same reaction.
I don’t like cats and I don’t have any time for them as pets.
If a cat came scratching at me I might send it on its way with a nudge with my boot — not hard enough to kill it or even injure it — or I might pick it up by the scruff of its neck, give it a shake and toss it to one side. Or more likely I’d ignore it because a 7 lb domestic cat against a 250 lb domestic galloot just isn’t a fair fight and the cat knows it.
I wouldn’t harm the cat in front of the kids because kids don’t need to see that. The world is full enough of ugly behavior without kids learning animal cruelty from me.
The dweeb CAME BACK after the scratching to beat down the cat. This is no “self defense” this is vengeance.
It’s possible what you might consider a “nudge” with your boot, someone else might see as a “kick”.
Whatever the case, if I were your size, I might react the same way you would. As a woman who is smaller, I can see myself kicking or beating the cat away. As I said, I saw what cats can do. I don’t think this cat simply hissed and took a swipe at the man and his dog and then ran off. I’m assuming it scratched them up.
Of course, a cat hasn’t done that to me personally, so this is all talk. If I’m ever attacked by a cat, I’ll let you know what I actually end up doing (probably something like running away screaming). ;-)