Hey, think what you want…I am an emergency veterinary nurse, and before that I was in general practice for a few years…and as an animal lover AND a professional in the veterinary field, I would never advise animals being left outside to roam, and your attitude about your cat is horrifying.
Whichever poster said Cats don’t perform a useful task is wrong!
Why do you think Cats were domesticated in the first place? We used to have a mouse problem in our building. When I first got Zoe, she killed about 10 mice the first month, maybe four or five after that, and now it’s down to one a year. Meanwhile my neighbors dumbass spaniel just stared at them while they ran around her apartment. I see very few insects now, just a few flies that wander in and are quickly pursued and killed.
And to the poster that said “men don’t like cats,” please explain what its like to have society and the media dictate what you like and don’t like. I prefer to think for myself, but I’m curious how the other half (Or, sadly, the other 95%) lives.
Congrats on the cat, BratMan! Cats are cool. They can be independent and affectionate, playful and reserved, all in the span of a few minutes. I don’t think you’ll regret it.
Everything Sycorax said is right on, especially the bit about being able to go on weekend trips without worrying about who’s going to take care of the cat. Food, litter, bye.
To protect one’s apartment, deadbolts and window locks are much better than dogs, and a lot cheaper, too. Bogus argument.
“I wish I could be as carefree and wild,
but I got cat class and I got cat style.”
–Stray Cats
Brat
First off, just looking for clarification on the whole dog thing. Thanks for clearing that up.
Second, my condolences on getting the cat.
(moment of silence)
Now then…
Wow, Larry buddy…
Cats catch mice???
No kidding!!!
If that’s why people get cats why do so many people get them declawed? While still able to catch mice they lose some of the ability without the front claws. Now as far as the Spaniel, I’ll bet the mouse catching instinct is not real strong. However, if you want to flush a covey of quail….
My Lab retrieves ducks for me in October/November. How do you think your cat would do in the icy water of a river.
Furthermore, I am the poster who said…
Men don’t like cats. Men pretend to like cats.
Now how about you explain to me how that statement means the media and society dictate what I like and don’t like. Oh wait, your some sanctimonious, pompous freak who thinks that the fact I don’t agree with you means that “The Man” has gotten in my head. Guess what, I just flat out don’t like cats of my own accord.
Oh wait, I forgot that I am such a pigeon of the system…What do you guys like… OK, then I like that too.
Can I please be part of the 5% now. Aw, come’on! Please…
Anyway, back on topic,(sort of) As far as cats go, isn’t it interesting how we see it as a psychotic tendency in children if they torture animals yet no one questions the fact that a cat will play with(torture) a mouse for a good half hour before killing it. You cat people don’t know it, but you are harboring furry little future serial killers. :eek:
I personally am a cat person… They CAN be really loyal, if you take care of em… Whatever way you go, please rescue on from an animal shelter or another bad situation… my cat that I have right now was abandoned by his mother when he was less than a month old, so I had to feed him by hand… He is an EXTREMELY loyal cat… Half the fun with cats I think is they all are a bit nutty in the head… makes trying to figure them out lots of fun…
Sledman,
You didn’t say “I don’t like cats” you said “Men don’t like cats” a statement contradicted by numerous posts on this thread. Sorry if I offended you, but this is the sort of stereotyped mindless “men are from mars, women are from venus” thinking that makes me puke.
Anyone who would declaw a cat should be barred from owning one. The point I was making is that Cats can be useful, namely in killing rodents, insects, etc. Not all cats will serve this function, but most dogs are useless too. Any home security expert will tell you that a Dog is no substitute for an alarm system. Furthermore I can’t really see Beagles, Shitsus, Chihuahuas, or even friendly Labs defending the home at all. People get pets for companionship, not utility.
BTW, I don’t dislike dogs, I just prefer cats. I don’t understand why anyone would categorically dislike one or the other.
Also I am a freak, and proud of it. You may now go back to watching “The Man Show” or “ESPN Zone” and bellowing “Whasssup” to your frat brothers.
Larry
The effect of my Lab for home defense may in fact be negligible but just the sight of a 70 lb dog barking up a storm is a deterrent. That being said the only way my dog would bite you is if you had it coming. If you were to attack me or my Fiancee she would extract a heavy toll as I would if someone attacked my dog. If you walked into the house and she didn’t know you there might be trouble too. Animals can sense things and know how to react.
You called me a media puppet and that offends me. I am a free thinking, opionated INDIVIDUAL! Do not try to group me with your 95% number. If you want to try to paint me in a corner with The Man Show(seen it, don’t seek it out) and SportsCenter(Oh yeah, all over that) then perhaps I could return the favor by saying maybe you are watching too much Lifetime.
IMHO I hate cats. If that statement groups me with a larger number of people then so be it. It is my opinion. I support fighting to protect the Right to Bear Arms but I think the NRA is populated by a large number of Whackos yet you would probably group us together by your logic.
Also despite the OP it seems Brat was pulling for a dog.
Or a Frisbee. :d
yeah, what is that? i don’t like to get scratched by a cat or the smell of a litter box, but it doesn’t mean i don’t like cats. and i don’t like to step in dog poop or get paw prints on a clean shirt or walk into a house that smells like dog but i still like dogs. it’s like people who say they don’t like snakes. what’s not to like? snakes don’t commit crime or vandalize property; they just go about their business.
i know i don’t like cockroaches - is that how animal dislikers feel about the animals they dislike? does a cat hater think a cat is like a cockroach?
No, when I think of roaches I get a very creepy, icky sort of feeling. I think this is the same things people who don’t like snakes feel.
When it comes to not liking dogs or cats, I think most people just feel a sort of indifference. I don’t think the sight of them makes anyone’s skin crawl, and unless you have some sort of PHOBIA about animals, I don’t think they inspire the same kind of fright that bugs and snakes do.
you’re probably right but i don’t equate these two. roaches are creepy not only because they’re in your house, but because they’re just, all of a sudden, there. you’re watching tv and suddenly there’s a roach on your wall. you didn’t notice it come in and who knows where else in your house it’s been, what it’s been up to, and how many more there are. if i turned on the bathroom light and there was an unexpected snake in my sink, i would get similarly creeped out. normally, though, snakes are outside in the woods, minding there own business, doing snake stuff. roaches, on the other hand, seem almost intentionally obtrusive - it’s like they make it their business to disgust humans.
Sledman,
I dislike flame wars, so this will be my final volley. Once again, the statement I objected to was not “I dislike cats” which is a perfectly valid opinion, but “men dislike cats.”
I didn’t mean for things to get out of hand, but there just seems to be a glut of stereotypical thinking in the media and society which says that if you do or like certain things you’re not a “real man” or some such B.S. Your OP seemed to me an example of this kind of thinking.
I don’t know you, and perhaps I overreacted, but I’ve just been annoyed lately at the collapse of any sort of serious thinking and the Dave Barry “Man Show” sitcom mentality that makes any sort of intelligence or independant thinking or difference something to be scorned. Your statement “men don’t like cats, men just pretend to like cats” seemed like a perfect example of that trend.
I will ignore the comments about watching lifetime, or being pompous or sanctimonious. You don’t know me, either.
The last word is yours if you want it.