Good Breeding

"Good breeding consists in concealing how much we think of ourselves

and how little we think of other persons."

--MARK TWAIN

My cat Mark Twain is upset with me, since I suspect he is the one who left me a message by the front door this morning. Although I have no proof that he is the one who pooped in front of the cat food container which I keep by the door, Mark Twain is my one and only suspect. My cats have never pooped outside their litterboxes, which are nowhere near the front door, I might add. Therefore, I know Mark Twain was giving me a message, telling me exactly how little he thinks of my behavior toward him this morning. Apparently, I had been thoughtless and rude. You see, every morning, I give Mark Twain a few pieces of dry cat food from the container which holds Mikey's food, and Mark Twain sits on top of the container in anticipation of receiving a few bites of food there. It is our morning ritual. Today, however, I decided to ignore our ritual, thinking Mark Twain could go eat with the other cats. Well, after feeding everybody and letting the dog outside, I returned inside the house and saw the message. Pointing at the poop, I yelled, "Who did this?" Nobody came running. It seems the cats were sticking together on this. Nobody was going to rat on the guilty one. Only Mark Twain, with his head held high, walked by me proudly and disdainfully. He did not even glance at me, but he knew I had understood his message, given in the spirit of righteous indignation.