poem: the cat's apology

From a book of children's poetry that had far too much versifying about drowned kittens and cats beaten to death with the poker for eating pet birds - children's book, let me say that again - comes this relatively harmless verse that takes the cat's side.

THE CAT'S APOLOGY.

GIRL.
You must not scratch, dear pussycat,
Nor use your long, sharp claws like that;
Give me a nice soft paw to pat!

CAT.
Dear child, that will I gladly do;
But let me say a word or two.
Who hurts and teases first? Don't
you?

Suppose a child may now and then
Give to a cat a little pain,
May not a poor cat scratch again?
And though a blood-drop stain the
arm,
Yet neither meant the other harm; 

Then let us be good friends and warm.

The Children's Book of Poetry: Carefully Selected from the Works of the Best and Most Popular Writers for Children (Philadelphia: Porter & Coates, 1879), p. 225.  Jeez.  Those poems have bummed me out this morning.