Cleo is in training to become an emotional support animal for my anxiety. (not a service animal, he is not a dog or horse.) He is highly trained, learns quickly, and is desensitized and harness+leash trained. Since pet stores are the only places that allow you to bring pets or non-service animals, I brought Cleo to a Pet Smart. He has a 'do not pet' tag on his harness. Five seconds in, a worker begins questioning me, asking why I have a cat on a leash and if I was afraid of him running away. I told her that he is trained and calmly walked away. I walked Cleo over to meet the shelter kitties, and another disrespectful worker bent down to touch him. I became uncomfortable and we went to the cat tree area, where I cuddled with him a bit for support. I picked up his food and met my mom at the register, and a woman with two young children was there. The youngest little girl's face lit up when she saw Cleo in his open carrier, and she asked to pet him. I'm really soft and I knew I would feel terrible if I wouldn't let her pet him, so I held him up for her to touch him. She was screaming and squealing and petting him rough on the snout and forehead. The girl's mother said that they have a cat that doesn't let her kids touch her. I put Cleo back in his carrier, but the girl went BESERK. The mother now asked in a very stern voice, so I brought Cleo out for the last time. She was slapping his nose. I immediately snatched Cleo away as the mother made an aggressive face toward me. She then proceeded to tell her daughter that Cleo loved the way she was petting him and encouraged her. Not to mention she also pulled on his foot. If he hadn't been desensitized, he could have bitten/scratched her and it could have ended badly. Does anyone have any tips? I know seeing someone walk their cat in public is a rare occurrence, but please be respectful. You wouldn't randomly pet a rotweiler on a leash, so you should ask to pet a cat as well. Aspen out.
Click/tap I added this project to multiple autism awareness/acceptance studios. I'm not autistic, I have ADHD and anxiety, but I would like to support those studios and reach out to some other people who own ESAs. NO hate to autistic ppl <3
