Thursday, 6 September 2012

The Latest Thing to Fear.

In a world in which experts and Establishment figures routinely do their very best to scare us all into living in sanitised bubbles, the latest thing we must fear are animals. Not bears, lions and alligators – cats, dogs, squirrels and mice.

Two scare stories about cats and dogs have leapt into the news this week. They can be very dangerous creatures, you know. Cuddling up to a cat or a dog can make you very ill; it can even make you go blind. So don’t do it! In fairness, one of the scientists spreading fear and loathing was kind enough to suggest that you don’t actually need to throw your cat or dog out onto the street, just don’t get too close to it.

And now we learn that the cute little squirrel hopping around your garden might be carrying Bubonic Plague. A second Black Death looms, and as the news report gleefully pointed out, the last one killed 60% of the population of Europe!

As for mice, well… Even breathing in dust that’s been contaminated by their dry faeces might cause you to get Hantavirus, and one in three of you will die!

Does all of this deserve a ‘mwahahaha…’

I lived in close proximity with animals from further back than I can remember, right up until eight years ago when Penny died. How on earth did I survive?

5 comments:

Victoria said...

Honestly, the lack of common sense nowaways is appalling! Over here in the USA they were telling us that women who have cats are very prone to sucide. (This was from a Danish study). Stupidest thing I ever read. I have cats, all my friends have cats and not a one of us has ever felt the urge to 'off' ourselves. AND...I live in a forest filled with mice and squirrels, and I regularly help the ones who have been injured. Wow, what a dare devil I am!

Victoria said...

That should be 'suicide.' OH NO! The animals must be affecting my ability to spell correctly. Oh dear...I can feel my brain cells evaporating as I type...

JJ said...

You omitted to notice 'nowadays.' Honestly, Victoria, isn't it about time you came down from those mountains to where the golf courses and the proper people are?

Victoria said...

Ha, I'm laughing at myself. "Nowaways" ... what was I thinking? WAS I thinking? Don't answer that. As for coming down from the mountains so I can be where the golf courses and proper people are...well, we have a wonderful golf course in Lake Arrowhead (or so I'm told, I could never see the point in chasing a little white ball around when I could be hiking, water skiing, snow skiing, or just sitting under a tree.) And, me mix with 'proper' people? No, they're much too boring. I much prefer eccentrics.

JJ said...

Must find out who famously said 'golf is a waste of a good walk.'