Who has a Cat or Cats?

[JimIslander]

I hate cats. No desire to own one, especially an indoor one that requires a litter box in my house. Can't stand the smell of cat urine and wouldn't want to risk owning one that would pee on my couch and ruin it. I hate cat hair and do not want to see it on my clothes or furniture. I just do not like anything about them. We had one when I was a kid who lived to be about 19. He wanted nothing to do with anyone but my mother and would try to scratch your eyes out if you came near him. He stunk, he shed, he would attack your face in the middle of the night while you were sleeping. It was the worst. When he was 16 we thought he had run off to die and didn't see him for almost half a year. It was great. Things were peaceful and happy around the house. My sister made a little memorial for him in the woods to say goodbye. Then one day he comes crawling out from under the shed like nothing ever happened. My heart sank. It was like he was messing with me. We had to live with that nasty creature for two more years. It was torture.

I hate you! :nana:

This sounds familiar. Most people I have met that "hate" cats had a really bad experience with one. Most cats are incredibly loving creatures. Sorry yours was a ****.

 

[JimIslander]

i have nothing against cats in general, as long as someone else has them. i always had dogs, my last dog died a year ago, and our busy schedule does not let us get a puppy. cats are not social animals as dogs are, sure there are exceptions.
it's funny that multiple people here love their cats because they act like dogs.

what i do hate is how litter box smells, how cats drags the litter all over the house, and worst thing is when they step into **** soaked litter, and then jump on your bed, and kitchen table counters...

A litter box that smells equals a pet owner who is doing a terrible job. A clean litter box won't smell, at all. Personally I prefer indoor/outdoor cats who use the great outdoors for their restroom needs.

We always had dogs and cats since I was born, and often several other animals. I learned how to handle cats from childhood. That probably makes a difference. They are just this side of wild animals and require some care when interacting with them. Once learned, they can be incredibly loving beings that just make you feel good.

This guy made a particularly cozy lap warmer during the middle of winter. Long gone now, but what a great cat he was. And he loved everyone. From kids to old drunks, anyone could pick him up and handle him. Maine Coons are the coolest cats and gentle with everyone.

 

[alpg88]

A litter box that smells equals a pet owner who is doing a terrible job. A clean litter box won't smell, at all.

no it is not, it's cat's urine, and feces, also scented litter by itself smells depressing. what do you think, we do not clean the box? or do not remove poop as soon as noticed? sure we do, and we replace litter completely every 3 days, we use pine pellets that do not clamp up.
where we live i would not let cat outside.


black cat and dog are not ours, our friends went on vac. and left them with us, the big dog and other cat are ours, i liked that black cat better, she was much friendlier, and did act like a dog.

 

[Nephron44]

You all are obviously using the wrong litter...we only clean our big guy's box every other day, and I have never had an issue with urine smell, stool smell, or litter smell. We also have never had an issue with litter being trailed all over the house. You all need to invest in better litter...your feline friends will thank you 🤣

 

[alpg88]

what litter do you use?

 

[Nephron44]

what litter do you use?

Haha, I was being a little sarcastic, but also a little serious.

Even though we only have one fuzzy buddy, we use Arm and Hammer Multi-Cat or Double Duty. We also use a high walled litter box, which really helps with the litter spread. We recently tried the new Arm and Hammer dust free litter, and it was AWESOME, but it isn't readily available near us yet.

We have tried various brands of lightweight litter, including tidy cats, since I hurt my back and can't lift more than 20 pounds. Every single lightweight litter was HORRIBLE! Litter everywhere! And our little fur baby kept getting it stuck in his paws.

I also like Arm and Hammer litters because although they are scented, I can't smell it unless I am super close to the box, like face practically in the box, and we live in a tiny 2 bedroom apartment while we look for a new house...zero cat smells.

We also have two air purifiers, so that may help with smell, but they are there due to both my wife and I having bad environmental allergies, and not because of the cat.

 

[NoNotAgain]

Three for me. A 20 year old white domestic long hair, an 8 year old short hair Calico, and a 4 year old short hair Tortie.

Had dogs, AKC obedience trained as well as holding tracking dog degrees and just household kitties that were foundlings.

Over the years, due to work demands, it became difficult to get home in a 10 hour window to let the dogs out to use the bathroom. The cats were fine with the litter box. As the dogs aged and died, I came to realize that cats were just as affectionate as dogs, but as I call it, independently dependent.

The cats wait for me to come home by the door, sleep in until I feel like getting up, and take care of flies, spiders and the occasional stink bug that gets into the house.

3 cats, 4 litter boxes. Tidy Cat 24/7 in two boxes, and Fresh Step in the other two. Covered litter boxes that get scooped each morning, and the youngest waits till I'm done to use the box. Very litter tracked outside the boxes.

None of the cats gets onto kitchen counter tops or the dining room table. No one wants or eats table food or treats. Just high quality Pro Plan True Nature 45 and a can of wet food twice a day.

The key to keeping pet hair off the furniture is daily brushing and weekly nail trimming. Spending 5 minutes a day brushing them also allows for checking their overall condition for lumps or bumps.

The Calico is very shy, the other two are social butterfly's.

Pets like children are only as good as the effort you put into them. Ignore them, they ignore you. We all know how that story ends.

 

[nosuchagency]

just turned 16...



him and his sister; lost her in fall 2016...

 

[JimIslander]

no it is not, it's cat's urine, and feces, also scented litter by itself smells depressing. what do you think, we do not clean the box? or do not remove poop as soon as noticed? sure we do, and we replace litter completely every 3 days, we use pine pellets that do not clamp up.
where we live i would not let cat outside.

black cat and dog are not ours, our friends went on vac. and left them with us, the big dog and other cat are ours, i liked that black cat better, she was much friendlier, and did act like a dog.

We do not have cat litter smell.

We use SWheat Scoop. Unscented, clumping litter. We don't let waste stay in the litter box, ever. This litter clumps very well and can be deposited in the toilet. We don't have smells, at all. Neither I (and I have a very sensitive nose), my wife, or our guests (and we have asked our good friends who would say so) smell our cat. We only have one, and she pees twice a day and poops once a day, on a very regular schedule. So there is that.

It can be done, and is done by lots of cat owners. Just have to be diligent.

 

[DrafterDan]

I have always liked dogs, and have owned several, but it seems the cats stay around longer. Here's Vlad, the opinionated Mane Coon. He's 16 years old now, this photo was from about 8 years ago

 

[LeanBurn]

We have a gray Balinese cat, Toby...our first cat. It was a free barn cat. It was mainly obtained to deter mice (previously had 3 but we have had none since he arrived) It is low maintenance, likes to play when he wants to, is not a cuddler, is in no way needy and lets you know when he has has enough attention.

Kids like him and he serves a purpose. Toby keeps his distance around me...which is fine by me.

 

[idleprocess]

I've got two cats of my own and the SO has another along with 3 dogs. We have a lot of animals.

Cats aren't for everyone ... but neither are dogs. The joke goes that a dog will fight to the death to defend you while a cat will watch you die then eat you. I wouldn't call that a universal truth, but it does strike at the key differences between them. Conversely, dogs are needy high-maintenance animals by compare while cats can often be left alone for days with nothing but the material necessities.

Dogs are inherently social animals, arguably humanity's longest-running genetic engineering experiment. They have a desire for companionship and will usually choose the company of a human over another dog. They also interest themselves in the welfare of those around them thus have a desire to please and protect. One could even argue that dogs have a desire to please humans.

Cats are inherently solitary animals that have existed alongside humans almost as long as dogs, but the relationship has largely been one of hands-off symbiosis. As we developed agriculture we also acquired the presence of small pests which the cat is specialized at regulating and thus cats that could tolerate the peripheral presence of humans thrived. Cats aren't 180° out of phase with dogs and inherently anti- or even asocial - they're just self-interested; witness the breakdown of territory defense and collective kitten raising in situation where prey is abundant like farms. Cats have no desire to please humans or even a desire not to displease them; they can however learn that some actions have negative consequences and thus not to engage in them.

I've found the trick is to work with the cat sense of self-interest. Dogs might naturally gravitate towards humans because it's been bred into them while cats learn to gravitate towards humans under certain conditions. A dog might seek out affection while a cat learns that human can offer affection. A dogs might play fetch naturally, a cat learns that returning the toy results in it being thrown again.

But, as instinctual beasts, there are limits vs dogs. Cats can be discouraged from jumping up on counters but the continuum seems to be "won't do it in front of you" / "won't do it when they know you're around" / "won't leave evidence of their passage" ... with no "won't jump up on the counters ever". Cats with claws are going to need to sharpen them - getting them to do it on supplied scratching posts rather than the furniture will follow a similar progression as not jumping on counters - my condolences if a leather couch is a favorite subject of their need to keep those claws sharp.

I really don't have an answer on litter boxes. My sense of smell has never been described as "acute" or even "average" so they don't much bother me, but frequent maintenance seems to be the key. Clumping litter seems to help. Indoor/outdoor is an answer, but also a risk - with all the missing cat/dog posters I see on lightposts and on the local messageboard I do wonder if cars and/or suburban predators (we're near a waterway so there's no shortage of bobcats, coyotes, foxes) are taking their toll.

I've largely accepted cat hair as a consequence of keeping them around. They're generally pretty affectionate so it's going to get all over one's clothing.

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

That's an interesting read, idleprocess.

~ cG

One more -

BTW, No one in the family has observed Star using the couch for a scratching post. The first time I noticed some bad kitty had, was when looking at this picture.

 

[wacbzz]

I like cats. At one point, my wife and I had four cats at one time. It's actually where my CPF name came from; each letter is a name so the first two letters are my wife and I and the next four are from those cats.

Over all the years of having them, I learned that we didn't own those cats, those cats owned us. No cat owner, upon examination, can deny this - particularly if you've also owned dogs. Ownership of those two animals is as different as night and day.

I would for sure like to have cats again, but I'd have to get rid of my beagle first!

 

[harro]

HAD, up till last weekend. Our loved Seal Point Siamese, ' Rolf ', was put to sleep due to incurable renal failure. Common in male Siamese. He is in my avatar, at about 18 months of age, and a more recent photo of him disrupting me at the pc. We miss him terribly, but having had cats all our lives, we will be having a break from them for a couple of years. I can see another ' Meezer ' down the track aways. He was 9 yrs and 3 months at his passing.

My wife and son have a bet on, as to whether I can hang out two years without a ' Meezer '!!!

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

harro, So sorry to read of Rolf's passing. He was a beautiful boy.

~ Chance

 

[harro]

Thanks Chance, yeah, its life, but a meezer kitten in time, will turn him into great memories. The great thing with any cat is, their love for their humans is unconditional. A home without a cat, is but a house.
Cheers from downunder where we are looking foward to short days and cold nights.
Mike.

 

[Nephron44]

HAD, up till last weekend. Our loved Seal Point Siamese, ' Rolf ', was put to sleep due to incurable renal failure. Common in male Siamese. He is in my avatar, at about 18 months of age, and a more recent photo of him disrupting me at the pc. We miss him terribly, but having had cats all our lives, we will be having a break from them for a couple of years. I can see another ' Meezer ' down the track aways. He was 9 yrs and 3 months at his passing.

My wife and son have a bet on, as to whether I can hang out two years without a ' Meezer '!!!

Awe man, I'm sorry for your loss! I don't even want to think about how it's going to be when my little buddy is gone. Cats aren't pets...they are family, and their absence is noted. Prayers to you and your family!

 

[blackbalsam]

Callie - 12yrs and Frisky - 7yrs

 

[BVH]

HAD, up till last weekend. Our loved Seal Point Siamese, ' Rolf ', was put to sleep due to incurable renal failure..................................
My wife and son have a bet on, as to whether I can hang out two years without a ' Meezer '!!!

Our Kitto passed in July, 2017 and our Reggie passed Jan 23 of this year and both of us said it would be a year or two, if ever that we would have another cat. You can see by my above post how long our cat-free period was.

Manny Man was found abandoned and emaciated. Being about 12, 100% Black and with upper chronic respiratory issues, he was scheduled for the "needle". A friend who works at the shelter alerted us. He is such an affectionate Little Man.