Planet Mom

We went to Petsmart today to pick  up a new powerhead for the aquarium. Petsmart is one of those places I just don’t go unless I can’t find what I want somewhere in a Mom & Pop store. I also shop at the local Ace Hardware rather than run to the Home Despot when I need something for the house. Anyway there were the usual assortment of people there who make stupid people appear as rocket scientists. One in particular stood out amongst the crowd.

There was a small blond child running about the store carrying a kitten. No leash and no harness on either the brat child or the kitten. Just the poor frightened animal (kitten) trying to find a safe place to hide. It took me a minute to realize that the child was not actually running about her mothers cart carrying the kitten, she was orbiting the cart and trying to keep her tiny charge from flying from her fingers and burning up in descent into Planet MOM.

Mom was HUGE. She was dressed in a dirty blue top that unfortunately didn’t quite cover her belly. I’m hoping that part of my vision will return eventually. I suppose that even Coleman would be pressed to make a top that would actually fit her. She had on beige shorts, dirty, that fit as well as any plumber pants I have ever seen. Picture Helen Thomas in a poorly fitting sarong.

As the child orbited planet mom the frightened kitten urinated all over the floor in front of the check out lane. There was another kitten in the cart, also suitably scared, and it too urinated when she smelled the first kitten let go. I shouldn’t have to point out that the other kitten was also unrestrained.

Planet Mom had placed all her items to be purchased in the top basked part of the cart where children sit. She lead the cart into the only checkout lane open and then tried to reach across the cart with her hobbit hams and retrieve the contents of the basket. Each time she did this her long greasy blond hair would fall across her face and the sleeves on her dirty shirt would pull up revealing the obligatory barbwire tattoo on her upper ham. After much grunting and straining she finally fished out all the contents of the basket and began the laborious task of writing a check. I was absolutely surprised she wrote a check because I was sure she would not be able to read or write. Producing spawn requiring neither intelligence nor planning, nor a license unfortunately.

As we were leaving I noticed planet Mom and child trying to corral the kittens in the back of the car while brat child crawled in behind them.

What upset me the most about this is not the brick quality stupid of the mother but the potential abuse of innocent animals. I have eight cats and never let them outside unless they are 1) in a carrier, 2) on a harness and leash. All it would have taken is for the kitten to become frightened, dig its claws into brat child, and it would have run off through the parking lot to a certain starvation and death. If the mother wants to leave brat child unrestrained to run wild that’s one thing but the kittens have no say or choice in how they are abused or potentially abused. I guess there are enough types of stupid out there for the masses.

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