It's true. I am a cat person. To the left, living testament to my love of cats--Tom, in black, and Ed, the gray tabby. They're both Second Chance cats, meaning my kids chose them from a cat shelter. And then, of course, my kids promptly grew up and moved away, leaving their care to me.Really, I don't mind. Not in the least. They say people are one or the other--a dog or a cat person. I guess for me, cats are it.
It's not that I don't like dogs. I do like them. After all, they're way smart and you can train them to bring you the paper and if you treat them well, they're likely to lavish you with slavish attention.
OTOH, the cat. Want attention? Wait for it. You'll get it when your cat is darn good and ready to bestow it. And as to training, well, provide a litter box and chances are your cat will use it. Cats actually do know the things they're not supposed to do. My cats know they are forbidden to perch on tables or kitchen counters. So they only do it when I'm not around. Sometimes they forget I'm in the house and one of them will get up on the kitchen table to gaze dreamily out the bow window into the backyard, tail twitching lazily at the sight of a squirrel or a bird. Should I happen to quietly sneak up on the culprit with my trusty spray bottle of water, well, you should see the look of shock and dismay on his face before I start yelling "No!" and chasing him around the house--priceless. Cats hate it when you mess with their dignity. And there's nothing so undignified as having to run away from a screaming human with a spray bottle.
I love how clean they are. My cats are constantly bathing. They bathe each other. Sometimes, they even forget I'm just a human and they try to bathe me. I love the rough scratch of their tongues and how velvety their fur is. I love the sound of their purring. I love the way they talk to me. Yes. Talk. Both of my cats are talkers. Ed's voice is pure--and sharply grating when he "captures" one of his small stuffed animals and carries it around the house, yowling. Tom's meow is rusty. Croaky, even. When he meows I want to grab him and hug him tight. If he'll let me.
After all, he is a cat. And a cat will inevitably do what a cat wants to do. I like that in a pet. I like that a lot.
So how 'bout you? A cat person? Or do you favor dogs? Or...?
My Website
My Blog
Myspace Page
11 comments:
I'm both! I have two dogs and five cats and I couldn't imagine life without them. We recently had to move from our home of 29 years into my mother in law's house to take care of her. My mil is deathly afraid of and allergic to cats...so they have to stay downstairs in the family room/basement/laundry room area. Our old house was a one-floor rancher and the cats were always about, with us, a part of the family...My oldest cat Sherlock is almost 18...he's so confused by it all...he sits on the stairs and meows all day and night--and it's been five months!
Debora
I'm a cat person, I like a animal that does wnat it wants. I have a dog and get tired of it always being in my face and under my feet wanting attention. Don't get me wrong I love my dog and like that he is so protective of me, but sometimes he can be a big to much. When my cat wants my attention she lets me know and luckly it isn't all of the time.
Debora, I'm so glad your MIL has you, but sorry for your poor kitties. They do hate their routines disrupted, don't they? Give your Sherlock a hug for me.
Rebekah, yes! Cats do what they want when they want to. Including granting their humans affection. A dog is always wanting some love, which, as you say, is good--but sometimes there can be too much of a good thing...
I have always favored dogs, we go together very well, lol. However I seem to be a cat lady for strays, lol. I have had several who like to have my deck as their home, so I feed them but they usually are not to trusting so can't try to keep them.
Hands down I am a dog person.
I have always loved dogs. Had dogs my entire life and they are part of the family.
I have one dog and one cat the outside cat was a half wild stray kitten that turned up on the farm years ago. We caught her and had her spayed and she is the best outside cat there is. Precious is 13 years old now,
She is a true huntress. Her brother that we took in at the same time turned very lazy after he was fixed. When we moved he went back to the old house after a few tries of getting him to move we gave up and my brother in- law
and his wife took him they are cat people.They had moved into our old house. That had been the cats home since he was a kitten and didn't want to leave.
Now my dog is my sweetheart. I like that she follows me around and wants my attention. She is my best friend. She is there when I am down and there when I want to play.
Dina, lucky cats to have someone to feed them. I do appreciate a dog lover. Strangely, though I am a cat person, my friends' dog always love me and get all excited when they see me. So I do confess to a certain appreciation for dogs, as well.
I do love these stories, ladies!
Gigi, it's always good to have a fine outside cat. Mine used to be, but Ed took to spraying whenever he came inside--and yes, he had been neutered, so go figure. Anyway, we keep them both in now and over time, Ed has stopped staining the furniture. It's all good. :) And it's so true that one of the finest qualities of a dog is his willingness to be in whatever mood his human is in...
I currently have 5 cats, ranging in age fron 19 years to 11 years. I used to have 11 but am losing them to old age and cancer.
Oh, Estella, my condolences. It's hard to lose them, I know. I had several cats when they first discovered feline leukemia. After that, well, I didn't have a cat for about a decade....
I have 2 female cats, who literally run my household. Sadie is a rescued from abuse cat, and Stinky was found as a very young kitten, on my front porch. They are always getting into trouble and are never quiet. I guess that makes me a cat person but, I also have a rescued from abuse dog named Brownie. The cats let him live here but, let him know every day that it's really their house.
Post a Comment