Pros and Cons of having cats

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I remember being bitten by a cat when I was a kid and it breaking the skin and I'm pretty sure my mother never took me for any shot. Even now if it happened I wouldn't go for a shot unless I later got very sick from it. I don't have insurance.

I have a kitten now and he never broke the skin with his teeth yet but he claws me up a lot. He doesn't do it on purpose. He is very young and frisky and playful. I don't really know how old he is but he could be as young as 8 weeks. He'll get calmer when he is older.

For scratching if you don't want to get the cat declawed because it is cruel you can get something called "soft paws" that is pretty much like glue on fake nails for cats.

Last edited by hanyo on 07 Jul 2012, 10:07 am, edited 2 times in total.

Pros: they are quieter than dogs, have a personality I can comprehend and do not reek as bad as dogs (or at all).
Cons: when irritated or in need of establishing terrirory, they will urinate on things.
If you love having plants in your home, you may also want to consider the risks those plants can pose to your prospective feline companion.

With that said, I still like my 14 (and counting) cats.

Pros
-nice to pet
-they understand you
-they're amusing when you watch them play
-something to cuddle with
-they look cute
-they don't judge you
-they love you for who you are


Cons
-I'm allergic to cats and I get horrible hives from them
-you have to clean out the stinky cat litter
-you have to clean up hairballs
-you have to vacuum constantly to get rid of the fur lying around the house
-you always have cat hair on your clothes, you can hardly ever wear black
-they can scratch your furniture to shreds
-you have to pay hefty vet bills
-you have to buy cat food and cat litter
-if they're outdoor cats, you have to constantly let them in and out and worry that they'll come back
-they can knock down things or chew on things around your house

I love cats, sadly I dont have any and my sister is more of a dog person. If I was able to have cats I would have like 5 and they can all sleep on my bed.

Definitely agree! All to often, older people pass away and leave their cats behind. Their family doesn't want it and tehy bring it to the shelter. Adopters tend to want kittens, so a fully grown cat that was someones companion for years, is litter trained, and used to living in a house, can end up in a kennel in a shelter for the rest of its 18-20 year life. Save an adult cat, you will be repaid ten thousand fold.

So very true. I suspect that's what happened to one of the strays I adopted (I think his owner may have died or been institutionalized and there are no shelters here, just the streets), because when he came to live with me he wouldn't jump on the kitchen counter or the bed for anything. Before climbing any furniture he'd look at me for permission, and I had to blink at him slowly (the sign that "it's ok, go ahead".)

If I went out and go a cat I'd much rather get an adult cat. Then they are already trained and calmed down.

The one I do have is a kitten I got from my backyard that was born to a feral mother. He was really too young to be away from her but I got him before he learned to be afraid of people and he is doing well now. I've had him 6 weeks now.

Pro: Actually want attention from you.
Con: Want attention from you, even if you don't want to give it attention.

Now that you mention that, my cat is in the bathroom doing something, I've to go check what he's doing or he'll make a mess trying to get my attention.

I have homeless cats that visit me everyday. All I have to do is feed them.

I'm a cat person.

Pros about adult cats:
You already know the disposition. Really, cat's have different personalities just like people.
It's calmed down.
It may be the type you want (do you want playful? Do you want a lap sitting cat? Do you want a "screw you" independent cat?)
Cat's are really sweet when you take the time to let them trust you.
Cat's are very smart and personable.
Cat's have good body language.
Respecting a cat in front of your child will teach them to care and respect animals too--usually.

Cons:
Cats do have personalities--so you won't automatically get a "love bug" or a "friend" unless you take the time to get to know the cat before adopting.
Cats need to be vaccinated about every three years or so.
Cats need to be fixed.
Cats might need to be kept inside if you have a lot of wild animals around, or if you live next to a busy street.
Some cats may misbehave in certain circumstances--for example, my female cat is very opinionated about being kept inside at night (to protect her from the coyotes)--and those opinions show up on the walls as scratches next to the door. However, my other cat is a skittish, but layed back male. He never scratches anything or misbehaves.
Oh--that's another good con--cat's have STRONG personalities. They don't train like dogs...but more like very stubborn people.

I'd say the biggest con of all is cats steal your computer chair, and if you try to get it back, they'll give you a dressing down and then hold a grudge for a long time. Maybe because I'm an Aspie, but I can't live without free access to my computer chair. It's the only thing as important as my cats to me.

So true.

My cat will sit on my laptop keyboard if I leave it open--and write weird things with her butt like, jlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk...only WAY longer.

Yes, I endure absolutely anything from my cats, they're difficult former ferals, I have infinite patience and good will, cater to their every whim day and night, and I never so much as spoke a word to them in an irritated tone. But when they take my computer chair I go into a depression. Today I started sprinkling them with a few drops of water, and it worked immediately. But now I'm depressed that I had to do that. I never ever punished one of my cats before, I let them do anything they please and will even get up at dawn to take them for a stroll if they ask insistently enough. I feel they had enough punishment being little babies starving alone in the streets for years till I came along. I so wish I could talk to them about the chair with words, because I have NLVD, so my abilities are only verbal.

a cat preoccupied with a different kind of keyboard-
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gzV983BqNE&feature=related[/youtube]
notice it uses TWO paws for chords

Thanks. My son got a kick out of this--he LOVES cats (even though he manages to upset them most of the time).