5 Reasons to Have Cats as Pets

I’m a pet lover. My family had pets—dogs and cats—as a child, but they were outdoors. We lived in the country and didn’t even take them to a vet. Thus, they weren’t the “family members” that many people consider their pets to be these days.

As an adult, I got my first kitten, “Kitty,” (original, I know!) after I bought my first house. Within a year, I had three cats. Over the past sixteen years, my cat total has ranged from three to a whopping, current SIX cats! In my defense, one was an adorable stray, an orange kitten demanding to join my household. She did, and little Trudy Jane became a darling addition. And the last one was a nearly 17-year-old cat who was blind in one eye. Prince Albert belonged to my dear old neighbor lady who passed away, leaving her old gray cat with no home.

I said all that to say that I’ve had some experience with these fabulous creatures, and I’ve come to know the advantages of having these exquisite cats in my life.

Outdoor cats can catch mice, birds, and who knows what else if out in the wild. They are resourceful. My cats are indoors, though, and so they DO depend on me for their food and water. What I do appreciate about their independence is the same thing that I appreciate in humans.

Being independent is a trait I admire in humans. So do I in cats. They come to you when they want to, not necessarily running to you and licking you in the face just because you’ve walked in the door.

I don’t care what anybody says; cats ARE smart. My Oliver talks to me. He looks at me and meows, then starts darting for the bathroom. If I don’t follow, he comes back, meows louder, and runs back toward the bathroom. He does that until I follow. Then he jumps up on the counter and commands me to turn the faucet on for him to have fresh running water.

Oliver and a couple other of my cats also learned to ring the cowbell hanging from the back sliding doors to the screened patio when they want to go out there. How did they learn this? From watching the dog? From experimenting and it working? I’m not quite sure.

My scaredy-cat, Simon, knows the signs of my getting ready to leave the house, so he knows right when to hide out in the house, so that maybe I can’t find him to make him stay on the patio with the rest of the gang.

Cats are conducive to a good night’s sleep. Cats are warm, and they purr. On cool nights, they curl up next to me, warm and furry, with the natural rumbling purr that they produce.

I think mine—four at the time—got me through the cold nights during the power outages caused by an ice storm a few years back. AND—an added bonus—they are natural alarm clocks. Mine wake me up at about the same time every morning; I will never be late to work with them around! I hear that meowing…or have one climbing on my head.

I have always taken tons of pictures of my cats. Cats possess so many different qualities. Some are sleek and elegant. Some are fat and soft. Cute and cuddly. The list goes on. And their expressions are remarkable. Their eyes are beautiful. I can’t keep myself from snapping pictures of my photogenic cats over and over.

Okay, so yeah, with six, I do scoop the litter box twice a day. But I never have to bathe them like I do my dog, as they have the magic sandpaper tongue! While many dogs will gobble up all their food that is put out, cats seem to know to eat just what they need at the time. Plus, when I go out of town for a weekend, I can put out enough food and water and litter for my cats to get by. My dog, however, has to go with me, or has to have someone to come by to make sure he hasn’t eaten all his food, and to let him go out to do his business.

With all that said, I adore my dog, that I got nine years after my cat family. He fits in great, and I am totally in love with him. I just want people to appreciate cats, too, as these spectacular felines don’t often seem to get the respect that dogs do. As for my little feline and canine clan, we’re one big happy family!