Cats, in general, are relatively affectionate animals. Though, they can be independent and unaffectionate, too.
They can be playful and comforting. Furthermore, it can be calming to stroke a cat – calming for the cat and calming for the person doing the stroking.
Nevertheless, they can scratch your new couch and you, they can shed hairs all over the place, and they can pee and also poop anywhere they take the fancy for doing so.
Before we consider additional advantages and disadvantages of owning a cat – the pros and the cons of having a cat – let’s have a look at some cat facts.
Cat Facts
1 Sleep: Cats, on average, sleep around 13 or 14 hours per day. Approximately 70 percent of their lives is spent sleeping.
2 In the U.S., cats are the most popular pet, easily outnumbering the number of dogs kept as pets…
Cats kept as pets = 88 million
Dogs kept as pets = 74 million.
3 What’s a group of cats called?
No idea?
A clowder.
4 Cats can hear sound pitches of up to 64 KHz. Humans can hear sound pitches of up to 20 KHz. In turn, this intensely acute level of hearing means they can easily hunt small animals.
5 In ancient Egypt, it was unlawful to kill a cat (even though you could have easily gotten away with killing a fellow human being).
6 When cats meow, they do so, not to communicate with other cats, but to communicate with humans. It’s a way to attract attention, often because they are hungry.
7 Cats have been domesticated since around 3600 B.C.
8 Female cats are called mollies or queens. Male cats are called toms.
Advantages of Owning a Cat
1 Regular walking
You don’t, quite unlike dogs, have to take your cat for a walk. Cats are self-sufficient in this respect and exercise themselves.
2 Little space
Cats can comfortably reside in a very small home. As long as it’s fairly warm, a small-sized home is an ideal home for a cat.
3 Low maintenance
You do have to change the litter box relatively often, and you do have to provide fresh water and food frequently. But otherwise, you can even part company with your pet for an entire weekend.
Cats are, as mentioned, very self-sufficient animals, and thus, are also low maintenance. They even clean themselves, so no need for showers or baths.
4 Pests
One reason among many that cats were domesticated was it was a way to reduce rodents and other types of pests.
5 Affectionate
Cats can, when they are in the right frame of mind, be particularly affectionate.
It helps to reduce stress when stroking a cat, so the benefits can work both ways – in favor of your cat, and in favor of yourself.
6 Entertainment value
Cats can be great fun to watch and to interact with. Cats have a tendency to be particularly playful, regardless of no interaction with them.
Disadvantages of Owning a Cat
1 Clawing
While you can invest in scratching boards and an assortment of alternative accoutrements to deter it, cats love to claw at furniture.
2 More clawing
While cats love to scratch at furniture, they also love to scratch people.
Don’t try to stroke a cat’s stomach when it’s not in the mood for it.
3 Hair
Cats have a tendency for shedding hair, and they can shed a whole lot of it. Furthermore, the hair has a tendency for getting almost everywhere.
4 Allergies
Many people have allergies to cats, while some people have a phobia of cats.
That, in and of itself, can have a negative impact on your social life and your love life.
5 Vet bills
Vet bills can mount up for the average cat owner, particularly so when your cat gets sick.
6 Fleas
Fleas can prove to be a problem when you have a cat. Fleas can be costly to get rid of.
7 Litter box
It’s never a pleasure to clean out a cat’s litter box. This is one thing that most cat owners simply has to live with.
8 Sickness
Oftentimes, cats are physically sick. This can be caused by hairballs or by something they ate. The act of vomiting is part and parcel of cat ownership.
9 Natural-born killer
If your cat enjoys the outdoors, you could find a variety of wildlife in your home. Most of this wildlife may be dead, some not quite dead.
10 Have you ever tried training a cat?
While dogs can be trained, cats simply cannot.
Cats maintain their own will, and there’s not much you can do to stop it.
11 Noisy
While cats are not really noisy, as such, they do have a tendency for meowing to get outside, and meowing to get inside. Doesn’t matter what time in the early morning hours it is, either.
In which case, if you can, it’s advisable to install a cat flap in one of your exterior doors.
12 Danger
If your home is located anywhere near a busy road, you better watch out.
Cats don’t always sense the danger that a busy road poses to them.
Image by cocoparisienne from Pixabay