It’s a familiar scenario: someone gets a scratch or a bite from their furry companion, and the blame falls squarely on the pet.
But Filipino voice talent and content creator Inka Magnaye is setting the record straight: “When pets/animals hurt you, it’s usually your fault. This is because animals can never be malicious, they only act on instinct.”
Inka recently shared her truth bomb on Facebook after a playful encounter with her pet cat, Uni, that left her with a few scratches and a fresh perspective.
In her post, she recounted how she misread his cues when she played with him while he got the zoomies. “Filled with cuteness aggression (gigil), I picked him up and buried my face in his body. He freaked out, bit my hair, and scratched up my face,” she said.
Rather than blaming the cat, Inka took responsibility. “Doesn’t mean he’s a bad cat. It means I read his body language and energy levels wrong,” she said.
After the mishap, Inka made a conscious effort to pay closer attention to Uni’s cues, leading to a better understanding of his needs and behaviors at that moment. She said Uni, who knew he hurt his human, begged for the door to be opened so he could leave her room.
When Uni was already calm, she apologized for her actions and they made up.
“So it makes me feel bad when pets are kicked out or winawala because of instances like this, when it really wasn’t the animal’s fault but the fault of the human,” she added.
Her post earned praise from animal welfare advocates and pet lovers alike:
“Thank you Inka Magnaye for always using your voice and platform to inspire and educate,” said non-profit group PAWssion Project, reposting her account.
“Thank you for educating people about how pets/animals are not naturally hurtful! THIS IS IMPORTANT! Thank you for always being a voice to the voiceless furbabies,” commented a netizen.
“Ang galing nyu po Ms. Inka. Ini-educate nyu po ang mga tao sa mga animals,” added another.
“Thanks for sharing this particular ‘battle scar’ story, sana lahat ng may pets ganito rin ang mindset,” quipped another.
