“I have to eat, Tucker,” he said as he hurried into the house and past the cat. “I’m ravenous.”
Whiskers drooping, Tucker grew still. His eyes widened. He lowered his tail.
The man glanced at his cat. “No, I didn’t say, “I have to eat Tucker.” Well, that’s what I said, but there was a comma in there. I was saying, “I have to eat, comma, Tucker.” There was a comma in there.”
He went to his cat and scratched the feline’s head. “You know about commas, right? Yes, you do. Good kitty.”
Tucker closed his eyes, reassured that he wasn’t going to be eaten. It was just an unheard comma.
Michael Seidel, writer 
Don’t scare Tucker like that! But only some cats get “commas.” Like when I tell Charlie to stop biting me when I’m trying to pet him “Charlie, don’t, STOP!” and instead he hears “Charlie DON’T stop” which he perceives to keep on biting my hand…
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Yes, I believe that some cats employ selective understanding of commas.
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I love this example of the need for the Oxford comma: “The highlight of his global tour included encounters with Mother Teresa, an 800 year old demigod and a dildo collector.”
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Oh, myyyy… Didn’t know she had it in her. LOL
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Haha!
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Those blankety-blank commas do it every time—loved that “Mother Theresa” comment! 🙂
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Misplaced modifiers do me in.
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I’ve had to explain the necessity for the Oxford comma many times.
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Amazin’, innit? I thought my cat had a full grasp of it, but either he didn’t, or he was playing mind games.
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