Cats in Art: Two Children Teasing a Cat (Carracci)

From my continuing weekly Sunday series of cats in art. I'm using some ideas from the coffee table book, The Cat in Art, by Stefano Zuffi.

Image credit here.  Two Children Teasing a Cat, Annibale Carracci, c. 1590, oil on canvas, 26" x 34", held by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.

Zuffi--I assume with a straight face--says:

No one can predict the consequences of this mischief on the part of the two children...when that big placid tabby cat realizes what they are doing to it, it will almost certainly rebel and scratch its tormentors.

Duh.