I’ve always been intrigued by the way animals live. They are not bound by any rules or regulations. They eat when they want to, sleep when they want to and, frankly, they do whatever they want to. And when they die, they get asked no questions.

If you’re an animal lover, you’re probably cool with it but I find this lifestyle a little unfair. We have to care for everybody around us. I know it is because we’re the highest creation of all, but following a few rules isn’t too much to ask for, is it now?

If a cat is a tad bit considerate before walking on a nice clean car, then maybe the owner wouldn’t throw a fit when he sees the dirty paw prints. There’s no harm in that. So here I am politely requesting the animals to be a bit obliging!

Dogs

Dogs are adorable creatures and loyal too. There’s probably a reason why they’re called man’s best fri­end. But that is most likely the case with the ones who are your pets — those who rule the streets and ‘own’ an area, have a different way of life. I’m sure I’m not the only who’s woken up at three in the morning because some dogs decided to see who can bark the loudest or maybe think it is the best time to hear how they sound! Really?

Dogs also tend to chase you, even when you’re walking around minding your own business, especially when it is a less crowded area. And I’m sure this has happened to many of you: You see a dog, the dog sees you. You turn around to casually walk away, but guess what? The dog starts to follow you. You pick up pace. Sure enough the dog does too and the next thing you know, you’re screaming your head off running with a dog pursuing you at full speed.

So I humbly request the dog community to please defend their title of “a man’s best friend” and always be friendly.

Birds

I’ve lost count of the number of freshly washed shirts, car windshield, polished shoes and dressed up people — all spoilt by bird waste. And here I am talking about the general population of birds, don’t get me started on the annoying things that crows do. I could write pages and pages.

Especially when it is a nice Sunday morning, the sun is shining, coffee is brewing and then a crow starts to “caw caw”, making you pull the pillow over your head to stop the annoying sound. But it never stops, the crow sings till you bang your head against the wall and beg for mercy, but a nice Sunday morning is ruined!

A request to crows: not everyone is born a singer, some sound better when they just stay mum. And to the pigeons: please be a bit considerate for people have many other things to do and not just washing and cleaning after you.

Rats

Rats and mice may be cute to many people, but let’s face it, Remy, from Ratatouille, sets an unrealistic standard for rats to live up to.

Fact — rats are not as cute as Remy. And these days, rats are as big as cats, so you have to be watchful about who you are feeding, a cat or a rat?

Rats can be really mean if they find a way to your home; they’ll destroy your clothes, foods, cardboard and whatever they find yummy to their stomach. And they love living in other people’s home more than their own, but I request them to leave my closet alone, please!

I bet there are all sorts of yummy berries for rats to eat in the wild but they choose to eat my clothes instead. It’s just not good manners to eat the dupatta of the person whose closet you’re living in. So I request the rats to find a better place to live.

Conclusion: There are just a few rules for animals we see around. They’re still a lot of other animals left. But that’s another day’s topic. Could someone please read out this article to these animals?

Published in Dawn, Young World March 18th, 2017