Cats and Tigers and Grandma, oh my!

My mother is afraid of all animals. Maybe with the exception of flamingoes who she likes because they're pink, she is afraid of animals.

I remember (fondly) an instance when my dad had set a mousetrap in the attic, caught one, and brought it down. Upon showing my mother, she shrieked and ran away. Dad, thinking this was hilarious, chased her around the house with a dead mouse in his hand until 10 year old Sara had to intervene because mother had crawled under my baby sister's crib, crying and begging for mercy.

I never understood why my mother was such an animalphobe until I hung out with my grandma 12 years later. My cousin was talking about getting a cat for his apartment. He showed me the photo of the  kitten, and it was just the cutest. Soft gray with blue eyes! Looked a little something like this guy:

I mean!!!!!!! 

Then he showed my grandma the photo.

To which she SHRIEKED and responded with, "Ay Dios, un tigre! No que miedo!!" 

Which translates to………"OH GOD A TIGER! HOW SCARY NO!!"

I'm just going to leave this photo right here:

                                                                            tiger.                                                              

and now this one:

                                                                      kitten.

and again this one:

tiger.

and one more time this one:

TIGER??????????

Terrifying.