All my reasons have been mentioned before me, not the least of which is my allergy to them. And I’m not particularly a delicate flower (my RN training has gotten me over that), but something seems really disgusting and inhuman to me about keeping a box of sand and animal feces in your house. Just sitting there, with the cat crapping in it all the time. And you’re constantly digging the feces out to extend the life of the litter…ugghhhhhhh. I’ve cleaned up dog crap in my house when I was a kid, and it sucked, but that was a once-in-a-while accident, not a typical day-to-day thing.
I like dogs but don’t have the energy for one right now, so I’m keeping fish as pets, and it’s great. Ain’t no cat gettin’ near my fishies.
ETA: Oh yeah, re: the smell? Yes, your cats smell. Really bad. And so does your house. Sometimes I come home from your house, change my clothes, then get a whiff of the clothes while doing laundry, and yep–there’s the cat pee smell. Sorry, but so true.
I used to be horribly allergic to cats, but not so much anymore, so I’ve become rather neutral towards them overall.
One negative for me is that famous video of the local news program that had some “Pet of the Week” segment. The guy is trying to show off a cat, which is on a leash, and the cat is having any of it. The cat eventually wraps the leash around the guy’s leg a couple of times and digs his claws into the guy’s leg, making him yell in pain as he frantically tried to pry the cat off. That’s my worst cat nightmare. If I ever get a cat, it’s getting declawed.
EDIT: Here’s the video for those who have not seen.
I’ve never had to buy a shit box. (OK I’ve got one but it never gets used) I could be wrong but I’ve never noticed them spraying or anything like that in the house.
Now I’m currious, I’m going to have to go buy one of those UV lights.
And cats are NOT useless! They are great hunters that do more than you might thinks against rodents and crawlers in general.
I like cats, but I find a friendly and sociable cat is far less common than friendly and sociable dog. I don’t know if its the type of person who raises cats, part of their evolutionary background or domestication process but most of the cats I have encountered would rather be left alone than be with their owner, let alone a stranger.
I value independance in people and animals. I respect individuals. Cats are definitely that. Dogs will love you unconditionally. I have had dogs and I loved them, but I respect cats a great deal more for their lack of need for people.
I am a person that doesn’t need to be doted on. I don’t need to be worshiped. I don’t mind sharing my space with either people or animals if they carry their weight. I think cats do that.
I’ll probably be gang-clawed by the cat division for saying this, but most if not all of the negative behaviour associated with cats by non-cat people - urine smell in the house, semi-crazy behaviour (attacking owner or others, hiding from people in basement, etc.) and shredding furniture and possessions comes from keeping cats indoors like you are “supposed” to.
Indoor/outdoor cats are definitely less likely to have these issues. Though they are or course much more likely to get killed.
Fact is, a cat would much rather do its peeing outdoors if given a chance and if let outdoors is much less likely to develop personality issues. Keep anything locked up inside all the time and you risk it going stir-crazy.
I know that a cat owner can entertain and educate an indoor cat so that it doesn’t go nuts, but in reality few have the time - particularly if they work all day. Alternatively there are many indoor cats that, left to their own devices, do fine - but it is a gamble.
Okay, also going with the whole outdoor cat thing…
The people I know with outdoor cats basically have their cats out most of the time. I don’t get the point of that. Why have a pet you’re not going to see most of the time?
I also don’t appreciate outdoor cats. Our next door neighbors had one years ago and it vastly preferred to stay in OUR yard. Spent the vast majority of its time around our house, wanted US to give it attention, would get mad when we had to, I dunno, go inside our own frickin house (winding around our feet to keep us from walking, jumping onto our arms and holding on with its claws, etc.). Excuse me, but why am I having to deal this much with YOUR cat?
I don’t like it when they claw through my jeans trying to sit down on my lap, or pounce on my socked foot thinking it’s a mouse. Sharp little teeth hurt.
Depends on if you are home most of the time. In my neighbourhood, pretty well everyone works - it is largely “2 professionals” couples. Only ones here during the day are the nannies and housekeepers.
So it works pretty well - let your cat out in the morning, and she’s waiting for you to let her in when you come back (in summer) or let in and out when you are around or by the nanny (in winter). You don’t miss her when she’s out largely because you aren’t there. When you are, you can enjoy your cat’s company - with the added attraction that it is entirely voluntary: the cat doesn’t have to come back (in my old neighbourhood cats would in fact ‘transfer’ to another house if they didn’t feel right where they were. We got, and later lost, a cat in exactly this way - we took it in to save its life when the neighbour vanished, abandoning it; but we already had a cat, and this cat never really felt comfortable in our house - so it waged a campaign to get accepted accross the street. The neighbour came to us quite fearful that she was “stealing” our cat, and we just laughed and wished them well).
If your cat is bothering the neighbours then it is a problem letting her out of course. Fortunately, our cat isn’t the bothering sort.
It sounds to me like that cat is trying to get you to accept it, because it likey you or your house better than its owners.
I’ll admit I liked talking to the kitty and playing games with it. Our dog (and every other person in the house) would never have wanted her, though.
I mean, I don’t hate cats. I don’t dislike them. I don’t even feel meh. I like cats in the “I don’t want one” sense. I like most animals and they can be really cute to watch (and their good moments ARE really nice, admittedly). I think if I found some random cat that NEEDED a home, I might take it in just because dammit, a little animal needs some love (though it’d be a problem with my fiance, who’s allergic ;)).
Two things mainly.
a) They walk in their own crap, in the litter box, then they jump up and walk around on your counter tops and furniture. Ugh! I have to gulp down the bile sometimes at cat owner’s houses.
b) Cat owners. When their cat sticks its butt in your face the owners expect you to coo with pleasure because it “likes you”. When it kills some neighborhood animal they go into the “that’s just how they are” mode but if a dog barks at their cat they freak out.
I’ve have/had many different pets over the years. None were allowed to walk on the kitchen counters.
The pros of owning an indoor cat don’t outweigh cons of shredding your property, litter boxes, psychotic episodes etc.
Dogs. With a little effort, you can train them out of the standard cat issues. They’ll also alert you to strangers lurking around and aren’t anti-social.
I range wildly from “they’re rather pointless” to “get the gun”.
I like kittens. But people are notoriously irresponsible with their cats. Outdoor cats? Where we live less than a mile from a 50 mph road? I may not like your cat but I don’t want to run over your daughter’s beloved pet. And they come into MY yard and shit all over and make a mess and fight and fucking YOWL at four am because they haven’t been fixed.
Plus I’m pretty allergic to a lot of cat dander.
I like birds and reptiles. If I like birds, of course I hate the damn cats that are killing the birds. I’m thinking of hanging a bird feeder next year except I’m afraid of the two cats that come into my yard. I haven’t decided yet. One of them has a collar, and I’m even more afraid some asshole is going to sue me if he sees me yelling at the cat, and it gets run over or some such thing. And we rent, so there’s only so possessive I can be over my property.
That’s not to say there hasn’t been a cat or two I’ve liked, but they’ve been indoor cats.
Describe your level of aversion to them:
<<Please get it away from me.>>
I’m horribly allergic to cats, being in a house where cats live or have lived recently will make me miserable. Initially my nose runs and my eyes water… if I stay I will shortly begin to get hives over my entire body, and eventually I will start to swell (most apparent in my face, but all the mucus membranes swell, including my throat, whcih makes me feel like I’m choaking). Much depends on how many cats there are, and how much cleaning is done, but for most 1 or 2 cat households the first symptoms will start to appear within about 20 minutes.
If I touch a cat (or a cat touches me), this all accelerates, and I’ll be swelling up and struggling to breathe in less then an hour.
this allergy has gotten worse over the course of my life. As a kid, I could pet cats, and only end up with water eyes or sniffles, but even then I did not like cats as pets.
Cats are beautiful creatures, and I have no problem with them working rodent patrol on a farm or large property… but for me, they don’t make any sense as indoor pets. While there are exceptions, most cats are very independent, and seem like they’d perfer to lead their own lives with as little input from humans as possible. Keeping them as house pets seems to be forcing a naturally solitary animal to be social, which just seems wrong.
2) What specifically do you dislike about them?
As long as they do not enter my world, there’s nothing wrong with them. I very much dislike cat owners who live in apartments or small properties in towns or cities, and let their cats roam free. First, this is dangerous for your cat, I may not like cats, but I’ve no wish to harm one, and I’ve nearly hit several while driving on neighborhood streets. And secondly, your cats roaming free are a danger to me. I’ve had cats come at me from behind my own bushes while I’m trying to weed the garden… (I understand that I probably startled the cat, but it has no business being on my property to begin with. And in one incident I was bending over to pull weeds, so the cat rubbed right across my face as it fled… which landed me in the ER because the swelling restricted my airway so fast I couldn’t get myself treatment quick enough). I’ve also had to remove cats from inside my fenced back yard to keep them from being chased and potentially harmed by my dog. Again, I realize that I’m the one with the allergy, and I do take steps to protect myself, and have appropriate meidcations close at hand, but there’s absolutely no reason in the world why I should have to deal with other people’s cats on my private property, but the town restricts how high a fence I can have, and the cats seem to have no issues getting in. I cannot understand why the cat owners believe that their cats have the absolute right to roam from with no regard for the rights of the actual HUMANS living around them.
Do you like ANY kind of terrestrial pets?
I love all kinds of animals, I have a dog at the moment, and have had other dogs and various small mammal pets throughout my life.
As long as they keep their pets under control and on their own property, I have no problem with other people having pets of any kind they choose. those who choose to have cats (including my sister), I simply cannot visit their homes. I will gladly meet them elsewhere though.
Somewhere between Meh and get the gun - depending on my mood and the cat.
Simply put - they are gross. Many of the reasons have already been stated: the cat piss smell (that none of you seem to think you have), living in a house with a box of cat piss and shit and thinking it is normal, digging through said box to clean it, knowing the cat has walked through the box of piss and shit before it hopped all over the couch and counters, knowing that just before the cat walked up to you and rubbed its face on yours to kiss you (oh how cute! squeee!) it probably had its tongue on its asshole, they shed and get hair everywhere, they eat disgusting smelling crap that has to be left out. Oh, the list goes on and on.
I enjoy petting other people’s animals. I would not want a dog, and our cat is really a neighborhood cat. It comes to our screened in porch for some mild petting and to eat the birds and squirrels and whatever and we feed it in the garage but that’s as far as it goes. I feel about the same way about dogs (they stink, they lick their ass before they lick you, you have to pick up its poop if you are in the city).
And just think - I work in a pet boutique. I am friendly, I promise. I just don’t want them in my home.
