The Truth About Cats: They're Good for Us

Discovery News ^ | 8-21-2012 | Jennifer Viegas

[Dr. Sivana]

I don’t like cats. They are not communal creatures by nature.

You haven't met enough cats. Many bind very well with humans. My best cat, Jean-Marie, jumped into my arms and licked my face like crazy when I came back from my honeymoon.

Our next cat, Dominic, taught our not-too-bright rat terrier Bella to clean herself with her tongue and to try to bury her poop. Dominic is no longer with us, but the dog still tries to bury her poop and does lick herself clean to the best of her ability.

Don't confuse a natural inclination to a superiority complex with an inability to have a bond with humans that goes ebyond the "yeah, I'll eat the food they give me."

regarding the tearing the furniture ... every cat is different. Our present cat actually USES the scratching post. Wicker might be hard to resist. A water pistol to a kitty in the act combined with sour apple spray applied to the furniture would probably do the trick.

[blueunicorn6]

My wife saw my post and told me I’d better apologize.

Ahem......

Cats are cool! Cats are great!
Cats look good upon a plate!

Ow! Ouch! Ow!

[Fawn]

They clawed up the chair legs of our wicker porch furniture. We got rid of them after four days.

Getting 'RID OF" a life over inanimate objects means something to me ....tells me alot about them.

[ZirconEncrustedTweezers]

I love all three of my kitties. Coming home from a hard day's work, I find it quite soothing to pick up one of the little fuzzballs and listen to them purr as I stroke them.

This is Apple. She's about four years old. I picked her up at a shelter as a birthday present for Mrs. Tweezers, who says she's the most affectionate cat she's ever known. Apple will smother you in head bonks when you pick her up.

This is Patch. I think she's about four or five years old; she was a stray that we took in last January. The Mrs. says that Patch is "my" cat, in part because she only allows me to touch her head. :) She's very loving to me and my wife, but still very shy around anyone else. I wish she'd get over her habit of vocalizing at three in the morning...

And this is Monkey. Patch was pregnant at the time she came to live with us, and Monkey is the youngest of her kittens (we've since had Patch spayed). She's about five and a half months old, and proving to be the most independent and stubborn of the three.

[TheRhinelander]

Yes, exactly. Every cat is different. No two are alike.

As far as allergies go, I used to be deathly allergic to cats (and every other animal on the planet). Two shots a week for seven years cleared it up. Now I can bury my face in a long haired cat and not even sneeze.

And cats are unparalled for rodent control. If you have a farm or live in a rural location they are a must. I haven’t had a chipmunk hole in my lawn in years.

[bgill]

Just obnoxious.

[fella]

You should see what my daughter's 350 pound cousin-in-law did to her wicker porch furniture in one evening.

[SMM48]

[cuban leaf]

--You haven't met enough cats. Many bind very well with humans.--

I'm 58 and have met a LOT of cats. Many of them I like. And many are cute, cuddly, etc. But they are not communal by nature. We also tried the water spray to no avail. And because we put pets in general WAY down on the priority list compared to human beings and our value and lifestyle, we are not willing to alter it much to accomodate them. We have one Maltipoo that we both adore. But I can never get attached to anything non-human. Not even a beautifully restored 1964 corvette convertible, candy apple red.

[dagogo redux]

ObamaCare will dictate that we now must own a cat. But who will pay for its food and kitty litter?

[a fool in paradise]

[Renfield]

That must be the least evil-looking cat I have ever seen.

[G Larry]

Look, if some young couple was unfamiliar with the costs of ownership of pets and decides to give them away, THAT is no big “moral” decision.

I’ll start worrying about animal welfare once all of the unborn babies in the world are safe.

[Altariel]

Cats need something appropriate to scratch. It’s your job to teach them what is appropriate to scratch.

Had you wrapped aluminum foil around the wicker porch legs, the cats would have suddenly been self-motivated to NOT scratch them.

[arasina]

I don’t like cats. They are not communal creatures by nature.

That said, we picked up three kittens from a neighbor to be outdoor cats to keep field mice away. They clawed up the chair legs of our wicker porch furniture. We got rid of them after four days.

Wow. What ignorance on your part. How exactly did you "get rid" of them?

[KosmicKitty]

If one cat is good for you, 5 must be better

[cuban leaf]

Cats need something appropriate to scratch. It’s your job to teach them what is appropriate to scratch.

Had you wrapped aluminum foil around the wicker porch legs, the cats would have suddenly been self-motivated to NOT scratch them.

---

Yeah. That’s why we got rid of them.

We live in a rural community now. Most of the cats here are “working cats” and when one dies, the attitude is, don’t worry, we’ll make more. Many of our neighbors don’t even feed them or feed them very little. They are there to keep the critters away, end of story.

[KosmicKitty]

Yikes

Sorry about that last picture, I thought I’d resized it.

[momtothree]

Looks like Kitty is saying, “I iz so pretty”. LOL!

[RedMDer]