I’m sorry, but:

“But I must also accentuate the fact that this shame that is ashamed of itself is more intense when I am not alone with the cat in the room. For then I am no longer certain before whom I am so numb with shame. In fact, is one ever alone with a cat?”

Thought A: get this man a goddamn editor. Thought B: this sounds suspiciously like “can anyone really see a farm animal?” https://thepunchlineismachismo.com/archives/comic/someone-told-me-they-think-of-young-mccree-as-jared-and-now-i-cant-unthink-it