She’s adorable and fuzzy, but a kitten in England can’t find anyone to take her in because she bears a striking resemblance to Adolf Hitler. ‘Kitler’ — as the six-week-old cat is known — has been passed over by prospective owners and the animal shelter officials in Godmanchester think it’s because she has a patch of black fur underneath her nose that looks like the notorious dictator’s distinctive mustache.
I’m a big fan of animal shelters. Personally, I think the world would be a better place if every family had at least one pet (Really; how can you oppress someone when a purring cat is curled up in your lap?). To me, one of the great tragedies of this world is the number of animals put down because of a lack of available loving homes. Pets are one of the things that can humanize even the hardest of hearts. I mean; doesn’t being around a dog or a cat make you want to be a better person?
When I come home, my girlfriend’s cat, Sundance, makes it known immediately just how in need of attention he is. He’s talkative, bratty, and rather whiny, but he’s somehow managed to wrap me around his paws (like that was much of a challenge). I’m the one who feeds him, gives him his medicine, brushes him…and just generally spoils him. Yeah, I’m a sucker, but having a pet in my life again feels good…though there are times when I’d give my kingdom for a lint brush. ;-)
It’s from this perspective that when I heard of the plight of little Kitler my reaction was, “WTF?? Really?” Are people really so paranoid, so PC, that they would infer upon a kitten in 2011 the same evil that compelled Adolf Hitler to conquer most of Europe and murder six million Jews? We’re talking about a cat here, y’all; a kitten so tiny that it’s really only a threat to itself. OK, so it has markings that look like a Hitler mustache, and Kitler’s pose does sort of look like a Nazi salute…but, really, y’all. It’s a cat; surely we can all agree that transferring our fears and prejudices onto a four-pound ball of kitten fur is patently absurd??
This being da Interwebs that we’re talking about, of course there’s a website called Cats That Look Like Hitler. There’s even a handy guideline that’s useful for determining if a cat qualifies as a feline Hitler. Who says da Interwebs isn’t a useful information source?
And if that isn’t enough for you Hitlerphiles (or -phobes), the occasional inanimate object can also fall prey to perceived resemblances to Hitler. If this doesn’t force you to wake up and realize that you have WAY too much time on your hands, I don’t know what will.
I wish Kitler wasn’t so far away, because I’d adopt her in a heartbeat. I’m just that kind of sucker….
