[He can't not be a little bit of an asshole, okay, but at least it's just a harmless tease this time.]

Mmm. If you ever talk to our host, you should ask him about his cat -- she was mild tempered, though he wouldn't tell me any more than that! [Because he didn't ask.] I've never been good with pets myself, so I couldn't think of much to talk about with it, so maybe you'll have more luck.