Shrek, it is actually interesting because my father surrounded his house with big German Shepherds for protection and I heard this is common among holocaust survivors.
The frum people who live in NYC are petrified of all animals, as they never had pets. I find people from out of town less afraid of animals.
Do the people in the coffee room think that owning a cat is the same thing as owning a dog? Do yeshivish people own cats, is it “done”?