--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I remember one bobcat they had in here…" description: "\"“I remember one bobcat they had in here - now bobcats are an endangered species in this neck of the woods - they'd caught it somewhere and they must ha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efb/michael-tobias-37308_animal-cruelty_i-remember-one-bobcat-they-had-in-here-n_1015336.jpg" --- # I remember one bobcat they had in here - now bobcats are… ![“I remember one bobcat they had in here - now bobcats are an endangered species in this neck of the woods - they'd caught it somewhere and they must have put that cat through a dozen rounds of burn experiments before they finally determined that it was utterly useless to them. Like an empty beer…” quote by Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efb/michael-tobias-37308_animal-cruelty_i-remember-one-bobcat-they-had-in-here-n_1015336.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efb/michael-tobias-37308_animal-cruelty_i-remember-one-bobcat-they-had-in-here-n_1015336.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efb/michael-tobias-37308_animal-cruelty_i-remember-one-bobcat-they-had-in-here-n_1015336.jpg) > ““I remember one bobcat they had in here - now bobcats are an endangered species in this neck of the woods - they'd caught it somewhere and they must have put that cat through a dozen rounds of burn experiments before they finally determined that it was utterly useless to them. Like an empty beer can. And then you know what they did to it? Claudius was late for a lunch date so rather thanput the destroyed but still breathing animal to sleep, he picked it up by its hind legs and simply smashed its head against a wall repeatedly until it was dead. How can I forget it: I was the one told to clean up the mess. The head dented in. The eyes slowly closing. The once proud claws hanging down, stunned and lifeless, the utter senselessness of it all, and the hate, a hatred that was consummated in me which is as dangerous a hormone, or chemical, or portion of the brain, as any neutron bomb. Except that I didnt know how to explode. I was like a computer without a keyboard, a bird without wings. Roaring inside. I wanted to kill that man. To do unto others what they had done unto me. I was that bobcat, you better believe it.”” [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A harrowing recollection of witnessing cruelty, leading to intense personal rage and a desire for revenge, illustrating how trauma can fuel destructive emotions. **In simple terms:** Witnessed cruelty sparked deep anger and a vengeful impulse. Key Takeaway Recognize and process trauma before it turns into hatred. Themes trauma anger revenge empathy violence Mood distressed intense reflective Type personal narrative cautionary emotive When to use this quote - personal reflection - conflict resolution - mental health counseling - justice advocacy Key Concepts psychology moral injury human behavior Questions to Reflect On - How does witnessing violence shape one's moral compass? - What steps can break the cycle of retaliation? A Different Perspective The narrative may exaggerate details, making factual verification difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal cruelty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal-cruelty/) [Animal testing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal-testing/) [Endangered species](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endangered-species/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Vegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vegan/) [Vegetarianism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vegetarianism/) [Vivisection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vivisection/) ## Related quotes > [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [Giving cancer to laboratory animals has not and will not help us to understand the disease or to treat those persons suffering from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-sabin/giving-cancer-to-laboratory-animals-has-not-and-will-not-help-us-to/) [Albert Sabin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-sabin/) > [Every year tens of thousands of animals suffer and die in laboratory tests of cosmetics and household products...despite the fact that the test results…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/every-year-tens-of-thousands-of-animals-suffer-and-die-in-laboratory/) [Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/) > [I abhor vivisection with my whole soul. 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We think we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/the-medical-argument-for-animal-testing-doesn-t-stand-up-even-if-it/) [Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/) > [During my medical education at the University of Basle I found vivisection horrible, barbarous and above all unnecessary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/during-my-medical-education-at-the-university-of-basle-i-found/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [There will come a time when the world will look back to modern vivisection in the name of science, as they do now to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-bigelow/there-will-come-a-time-when-the-world-will-look-back-to-modern/) [Kathryn Bigelow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-bigelow/) > [I had bought two male chimps from a primate colony in Holland. 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I don't "tell"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/the-holocaust-most-assuredly-challenges-any-and-all-faith-in-god/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [Codex Orféo is something you won't see coming at you, but it does. It's all about kindness to other species, and to one another.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/codex-orf-o-is-something-you-won-t-see-coming-at-you-but-it-does-it-s/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [Any rational human being is horrified and existentially baffled by the reality of the Holocaust meted out by the Nazis, by the majority of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/any-rational-human-being-is-horrified-and-existentially-baffled-by/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [Non-violent ecological activism, scientific research and art are pillars of my experience. But I am also a story-teller. 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Like an empty beer can. And then you know what they did to it? Claudius was late for a lunch date so rather thanput the destroyed but still breathing animal to sleep, he picked it up by its hind legs and simply smashed its head against a wall repeatedly until it was dead. How can I forget it: I was the one told to clean up the mess. The head dented in. The eyes slowly closing. The once proud claws hanging down, stunned and lifeless, the utter senselessness of it all, and the hate, a hatred that was consummated in me which is as dangerous a hormone, or chemical, or portion of the brain, as any neutron bomb. Except that I didnt know how to explode. I was like a computer without a keyboard, a bird without wings. Roaring inside. I wanted to kill that man. To do unto others what they had done unto me. 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