"The Black Cat " 

April 6, 2014  

Eggar Allan Poe 

One night, returning home, really drunk, from one of my haunts about town, I  liked that the cat avoided my presence. I grabbed him; when, in his fright at my violence, he made a slight wound upon my hand with his teeth.

The first thing the narrator tells us is that he doesn't "expect" us to believe the story he's about to write, or ask us to believe it .He says he'd have to be crazy to think we'll believe him – he can hardly believe it himself.

If you want to find out more read the short story.

I still retained sufficient regard to restrain me from maltreating him

Maltreating: treat (a person or animal) cruelly or with violence