Life with a Cat

I feel the need to say, first and foremost, that I am not a cat person.  I have never had a cat.  I swore that I would NEVER own a cat.  It would not be much of a stretch to say that I have always hated cats.  There is a definite stigma attached to "cat people".

But I have a cat now.  How did this happen?  I love animals-- in particular, dogs.  We are not in a position to have a dog since we are renting our current house.  I am also not in a position to want the work and expense associated with a dog.  But we love being pet owners and wanted to teach the kids some responsibility.  So... a cat.

It was free.  It was a rescue kitten.  The food, litter, and toys, etc. cost us all of $8.  Can't argue with that.  So, it has been a month now.  How is life with a cat?

The Pros:

The cat is easy.  We scratched its little paws in the litter box on the first day and he has never had an accident.  We leave food and water out each morning.  We can leave him for hours (even days!) at a time and we do not come home to any surprise messes or disasters.  There is no shedding.

He is cuddly.  He curls up on our laps each night and falls asleep.  Even supposed "cat haters" love this.

The kids and Lance take care of him.  They clean the litter box.  They feed him.  I am responsibility-free.

He is playful.  Its pretty funny to watch him play with his toys.  Like I said, I love animals.

The Cons:

Lack of unique personality.  I'm used to dogs, who exude personality.  Thibodeaux does not seem all that unique-- just a cute cat.

Lack of loyalty.  He does not always greet us at the door.  He doesn't always come to us when we call him.  He really doesn't seem to know (or care) about his name.  Maybe its because I always call him "Cat".

Lack of discipline.  He's really well behaved-- but on the few occasions in which he has done something undesirable (climbed on table, nipped at us, etc.) he doesn't seem to respond to any reprimands.  Kinda frustrating.

The Bottom Line:  I remain a dog person.  I adore dogs and their funny personalities.  However, if you are looking for a low-maintenance, easy pet-- you can't beat a cat.  I like Thibodeaux.

Here are a few Cat pictures: