When I like a guy, I can get jealous of almost anyone he talks to. “Almost” is doing generous work there, because on one occasion my competition was his cat.
A female cat. Apparently that distinction was enough for me to open a case.
It was the way he spoke to her, along with the amount of attention he gave her. He was affectionate. I didn’t like it. Somewhere in my assessment of a potential romantic connection, I had begun reviewing his relationship with a household pet.
The cat had not done anything to me. Her involvement consisted of being female and receiving attention from a man I liked. These were, in my view at the time, aggravating circumstances.
So I blocked him.
There isn’t a more reasonable explanation waiting behind that sentence. I was jealous of the cat, I disliked how much affection he showed her, and I removed myself from the situation. He had a pet. I had a grievance.
I know how strange it sounds. That’s part of what makes it difficult to explain: I can hear the story perfectly well when I tell it. Hearing it doesn’t change the fact that I felt it.
And I didn’t stop at blocking that particular guy. I made a rule for the future: I wouldn’t get involved with a man who had a female cat.
There are plenty of things people consider before dating someone. I have apparently added the cat’s sex to the screening process.
