Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We have a cat who thinks he's a dog. He is extremely sociable and a lap cat all the way. He will be in the room with us just "hanging out"...so he's much less invasive than a dog, but every bit as sociable and loving as people imagine dogs to be.
He is the best of both worlds
I adore feline "puppies." They are the best of both worlds and so much more. The really neat thing is every cat, as long as it wasn't abused (declawing certainly counts as abuse), has the potential to become one if raised from a kitten and brought up in the right environment. Cat moms and dads, brag about your purring "puppies" with pride.
On my leash-trained ferret walks, in the neighborhood, it's interesting in regards to the reactions of both cats and dogs to this fearless animal. I find both cats and dogs show fear of this animal, why? Due to their fearlessness, they will, oftentimes, make a direct path to the animal, which throws them off-balance, even big dogs!
I'm particularly vigilant of my ferret getting too close to cat, and I make sure that never happens, as, small as they are, they're capable of killing both cats and dogs! And I think both cats and dogs, intuitively sense that: potential danger!
[QUOTE[/i]=rhiannon67;39346041]We have a cat who thinks he's a dog. He is extremely sociable and a lap cat all the way. He will be in the room with us just "hanging out"...so he's much less invasive than a dog, but every bit as sociable and loving as people imagine dogs to be.
He is the best of both worlds [/quote]
That's why I say pet's personalities vary, just as ours do. This last one (kitten) I had gotten from a shelter (almost eight, now), I had picked up and held when there, did not turn out to be overly chummy or overly affectionate, though we have our moments. It sometimes really bothers me, since I will want to snuggle with or just pick up or carry for a few minutes... and she's not goin' for it.
So, it is nice that some of you get to have a more affectionate experience. My niece's cat will not leave them alone either, similarly to yours. Mine is also so timid that if someone comes to the door, she runs for cover (though does not seem to mind a male neighbor), or also if there are sudden sounds. Sometimes "mama" makes a noise of some sort, then I am apologizing for the racket. She will sit with me when brushing her and she sleeps on the bed with me. I'm always patting her as I walk by wherever she is resting..we play, seem to "communicate" rather well.. and I taught her to do a few tricks when she was a baby...she cracks me up and is a good girl.
My first was a male kitten and he was something. One of those black and white guys, with turquoise eyes. This one was always in my lap. I would see this tail coming by and then "PLOP"..there he was. And he was so "chatty". We were a pair. (Now, that one I believe had been accustomed to being held prior, unlike my current baby).
My other two, in between, was another male who was SO sensitive and quiet, but got along with his "older brother", gratefully, since I got him to be company for the older one and was very sweet, but also did not want to be held, but would lay down by me. The third, being a girl who I had been urged to foster, ended up keeping though the "boys" did not accept initially, later tolerating. This broke my heart, wanting there to have been a happier bunch. (Apparently, she had been dropped off at the Petco adoption place, afterwards having some poor fostering experiences, so I could not bear to have not kept her. We got along, but always felt she'd had a troubled past, seemed a bit distant.. I felt bad for whatever she had lived through.
Might as well mention having grown up with a sweet doggie, too. (I won't go into the loss I have experienced with these guys... which was one of the most difficult things, ever, as others may know).
Last edited by In2itive_1; 04-24-2015 at 03:16 AM..
Reason: Sorry I screwed up the quoting area.. couldn't fix.
I'm an extroverted guy, and yet I'm totally a cat man. That's not to say that I dislike dogs- in fact I like some dogs quite a bit. I've owned several, and every once in a while I'm tempted to adopt one until I remember that they're not for me and that I like other people's dogs. Anyway, I've always been attracted to certain qualities possessed by felines-their independence, their grace and agility, their connections and resemblances to the big cats in the world, and their generally more mysterious nature. On the flip side, I've never demanded subservience or the ability to be trained as required traits of my pets....
Now, I'll also have to admit that one of the things I've also always really liked about cats is the fact that they're low maintenance. I always figured that one day I'd want dogs, but the reality of things is that I like my freedom too much. I was in a relationship with a woman for most of my late 20's and early 30's, but when we broke up I moved to CO and was thrust into the dating pool again. CO is a very dog-friendly state, and many of the women I dated bragged about their independent nature but were slaves to big dogs that lived in their tiny apartments and dictated their lives. It was more than a little annoying. To be candid, you can't ever have a woman sleep over at your place or go out of town for a romantic night away when they have a dog that they absolutely have to attend to.... Now I'm well-aware that there are plenty of places to take your dog in CO, and they're nice to have on camping trips, but I found that on a day-to-day basis these women could rarely do anything spontaneous, which was ironic, given their desire to act like they were completely free-spirited. Needless to say, I eventually ended up with a cat woman, which works out well.....
Several other posters have pointed it out and I agree that a weird thing about some dog people is a hatred of cats. It's like they don't have the patience or desire to understand them. I really haven't run into many cat people that share the same disdain for dogs. It's kind of weird-it's like dogs get a pass on their destructive activities, and there's a little bit of a double standard. Some of my dog friends have expressed utter disgust at the concept of cleaning a litterbox, but have no problem getting up at six in the morning in a snowstorm to walk their dogs and pick up steaming turds. I have a friend who couldn't believe I kept my old cat after she clawed a corner of my chair, but acted like it was somehow cute when his dog ate his iphone and ripped up a number of valuable things around his house. And I've also noticed that people who complain about some cats meowing apparently haven't ever heard dogs incessantly barking.
I now live in WA, and the state feels much more cat-friendly. Perhaps it's because there are many more introverts? Perhaps it's because its a little cozier here? In any case, this is a great place to be a cat-dad!
We live in a dog world, and it pisses me the hell off.
In a society where people actually own more cats than dogs, you'd think we'd have evolved enough to treat cats with the same respect given to dogs. There is a big disconnect in there somewhere.
.
What??
How many municipalities require cats to be either confined or on a leash.
Do cat owners have to follow their cat around with a bag to pick up their ......droppings?
LOVE dogs and cats but will never cohabitate with another indoor cat. Seems if you live with one long enough, they are eventually going to urinate somewhere other than the litter box. Could be a urinary tract infection, or just being stressed out, but, I cannot stand that odor and it's impossible to ever get rid of. Tried the Nature's Miracle crap that's supposed to neutralize it - no luck. So, although I owned cats for roughly 20 years, I only enjoy my friend's felines now. I don't mind the clawed furniture so much but that smell - cannot get passed it. I did own a couple indoor/outdoor cats who only did their business outside and never really used the litter box. Until I moved to a new house and my Siamese urinated in every floor heating vent in the house. Apparently he was not happy about the move. And of course nowadays you are considered irresponsible if your cat ventures outside and destroys the bird and mouse population. So, I have my 3 dogs and enjoy other people's cats. Guess I was never meant to live with the kitties. Of course some neighbors would add that I shouldn't have dogs either since one is prone to visit the neighbors without an invitation.
Has a cat ever saved the day when Timmy fell down the well?
I don't know, but my cat Pumpkin tries. When he comes to me and meows urgently, I do ask if Timmy fell down the well again.
We're definitely cat people. Neither DH nor I like the smell of dogs, the barking, the elimination issues, etc. Most of my family own dogs of various sizes. I like OPD (Other People's Dogs) but don't want one. That said, if DH decided he wanted a dog, I'd be amenable as long as we agreed on a breed.
We find that our cats are very cuddly, and love to play. Pumpkin will fetch certain toys, and has been know to bring me his slicker brush when he wants to be groomed. He loves to sleep on me, and is my almost constant companion when I'm home. He waits for me when I'm gone, and sleeps on my side of the bed. One of his favorite things to do is climb into my arms and then flip over on his back, so that I end up holding him like an infant. Belly rubs are welcomed.
Comet is DH's cat, and gets on his lap whenever he sits in his recliner. She adores the cat fishing pole, and is our bug detector. The other day, she was staring at the wall, near the ceiling, and we looked up to find a huge centipede! She also loves belly rubs; if she's standing or sitting, and you rub her belly, she'll flop over on to her back or side to facilitate belly access.
While I love dogs and in fact all animals, for me the edge goes to cats. I grew up with them an currently have 2. They're lower maintenance, more independent... meaning that I don't have to get up any earlier to walk them, and quite frankly they can be every bit the loyal companion as a dog.
When I was younger, I was more of a cat person. I liked dogs, but I really wanted a cat, and I would play with the neighbors foster cats almost every day. As an adult, I got a cat, and frankly, I don't want one again. They're super cute and snuggly (mine was a cat that acted in similar ways to a dog), but it was indoor only, and it did eventually have accidents, and I could never clean the ammonia smell from the carpets. I also eventually grew to hate cleaning the litter box - doesn't seem like such a big deal, but it eventually started to feel like it.
I'm now all about dogs. They require clean-up too, I know. But I've had dogs and for whatever reason, it seemed like less of a pain than having cats (which is totally the opposite of what it seems like it should be, since cats are so independent). I still like cats, I just don't want to own one again.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
