What do cats do that make them worthwhile to own?

They are very affectionate. They rub against you with their heads. They purr when you stroke them. They sit in your lap.

They are very funny. They will chase toys and bat at them. They can be natural clowns.

I don’t think that with your attitude, you should own a cat. Perhaps if you have firend who has one, you could observe it for awhile.

If you get something stuck in your curtain railings, you can send a cat up to get whatever it is down

Contrary to popular belief, cats don’t just sit around all the time. They are affectionate sometimes.

@marinelife

Agreed, although when they start chasing each other around the bedroom at 4 in the morning, it can get a little much.

@KaiHallarn111 Or purring in your ear (she knew where my ear was) early in the morning asking to be fed.

Tell your daughter that cleaning the litter box IS worth it when you love the cat(s). Cats are affectionate companions that don’t require walking at midnight in a snowstorm, or that you have to go home to walk instead of going out after work or instead of spending the day out. You can go on vacation for a few days and leave them food, unlike dogs, who will need to be walked and may tear your house up. Don’t get me wrong, I love dogs, too, but I find a cat fits my lifestyle better.

@marinelife
Or sitting on your laptop keyboard when you are in the middle of typing something because it’s nice and warm :P

Well for one they…..erm, yeah there’s the way they…..I seem to be struggling here.

@ucme
Is that possibly because you don’t have a cat?

@jca I think she would have kept their cat had it been affectionate. I was around this cat many times. All it did was sit on the back of the sofa and, when you’d walk by , it would lash out at you with it’s paw. After she “relieved herself” on a white velvet chair she got rid of it. She is now strictly a dog person.

To own?
We don’t own cats.
Cats own us.

Our cat plays fetch with little paper balls. When her mouth gets sticky, the ball ends up in her water bowl. It’s frustrating and surprisingly funny, at the same time. I must love her, because I haul her rump to our office, whenever there is going to be someone in the house she doesn’t know. She nudges us, when she wants her head rubbed, and shows her belly, when she wants us to know she trusts us.

@KaiHallarn111 Oh we have a cat, well the kids claim ownership of the moggy anyway.
I’m more of a dawg fella myself, but hey cats can be cute, only very rarely though.

@annewilliams5
My ex’s kitten does it with dried pasta

@ucme
Ah, fair enough. I must admit I do miss having a dog around the place.

Mine are all really affectionate. They kinda lose it if I’m not petting them within 30 seconds of walking in the door, or of waking up, or they wake me up just to cuddle… They’re snuggly. They’re also squishy, and this is something they have on dogs – dogs are quite bony and hard, cats are like squishy, furry pillows. Mine are really actually much more affectionate than most humans. And dogs always seem so needy to me – they need to know that I love them, but often aren’t content to just chill out. Cats will just curl up on my lap and stay there, purring, for a long time. But the key is to have a good relationship – if you’re constantly assuming they’ll be cold and mean, and that they’re too stupid to know their own names much less learn any commands, they’re definitely gonna be like “fuck off, asshole”. But you treat them well, they treat you well.

The poop thing… Look, every animal poops. With dogs, you gotta pick it up. Parents have to change the diapers of their infants. If there’s love, then it’s ok. If there isn’t love, then it sucks.

@KaiHallarn111 Does the kitten pick it up, and bring it to your ex? Now that’s entertainment. Mine has a couple of other “toys” she does this with as well. But, you can’t crumple a piece of paper, without her running up and begging to be played with. She likes ice in her water, too. She knows what the sound of the freezer, being opened, means.

@ucme Erm? Where did you get that? I’m sorry. That sounded abrupt. I didn’t mean it to. It’s just that I’ve seen it before in a comic, that is not very well known. Just wondering…

@annewilliams5 Erm…no, you’ve lost me there.

@annewilliams5
Oh yes. She also has a little eeyore toy which she likes to run around the house with.

Where’s Milo on this?

When I am in my home office, I look up and there’s a warm, furry water bottle curled up on the ottoman that’s decided that it wants to be near me. When I go into the living room and turn on the television, that same soft, warm bundle follows me and sits on my lap. When I go to bed, it follows me and purrs, content to be near me and enjoying my company. When I get up during the night and then return, it resumes purring without moving or opening its eyes, happy to acknowledge my return. It watches in apparent (daily) fascination when I shower and brush my teeth.

What’s not to love? (Ok, it sounds a little stalker-ish, but he’s great company, and only occasionally barfs on my sweater.)

Cats teach valuable life lessons. Stuff like, “Don’t get attached to mere possessions”; “The digestive tract is not a one way street”; “Primates are overrated”; ”‘Gross’ is a relative concept”, “Most plants can be a salad in a pinch”; “When it comes to urination, think outside the box”.

They’re affectionate, playful and charming. And the very presence of cats has a calming effect on me.

I love cats because I love my home and after a while they become its visible soul.
– Jean Cocteau

There has never been a cat
Who couldn’t calm me down
By walking slowly
Past my chair.
– Rod McKuen

“There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats.” – Albert Schweitzer

Do all cats jump up on the dinner table and counters?

@Aster Not if you train them not to. It can be done.

I had one who loved ham and corn cobs. It was hilarious watching her drag a corn cob almost as big as she was along the floor.

But as long as there were no corncobs or ham left on the counters, she would stay off of them.

They allow you to own them and in return give you their loyalty and love!

@Aster: Mine don’t. If and when they do, a loud “NO!” will scare them and teach them it’s not ok.

I love cats. They’re so playful and fun… they love to play chase, fetch, climb the door and love stalking moving things. Just watching them watching the computer mouse move is the best comedy act ever… And the best part is they don’t even need to go out to gain some exercise. They’re a lot more easier than handling dogs as you don’t need to take them out, and even if you don’t play with them in the house, they’ll keep themselves occupied…
They’re lovely buddies to sleep with, are easily made happy. As long as they have food and a warm bed they’re satisfied. I don’t see cats as an ‘animal’ in the house but rather a member of family. They are a lot like humans in the sense where they’re just like an independant adult… they don’t necassarily need you, but like to be with you. They can take care of themselves and are a lot more mature than dogs in nature. And they’re also a lot not like human beings as they aren’t too demanding, can’t nag you, don’t steal your blanket in the night, don’t kick in their sleep, hardly ever snore loud enough to disturb you, and don’t give a damn where you go and who you meet.

Well, they have 9 lives so they can be used 8 times for some, uh, stress relief.

Not everything needs to serve a purpose, have a function or fill a need. Cats are here to remind us of that.

Plus, KITTENS!!!! Nothing cuter. NOTHING!

@tinyfaery a dead kitteh?

They choose to be with us. If a cat doesn’t like you, it will find someone else. Same with cuddles. They decide when they want to be cuddled and played with.

I love that about them.

They eat spatzies. Bwuahahahaha!

Some of my cats are better trained than my dogs @Aster. I’ve had toilet trained cats. I’ve never had a toilet trained dogs ;)

My cats come when called. Two of them sit on command. All of them are well trained.

All four of my cats kiss me. All of the pur when I pet or kiss them. All obut one are lap cats. Our kitten prefers to sleep on or next to a human for all naps and for the entire night.

One of my cats (recently passed on) could smell cancer. He also warned us of problems (he was a talker) and would sit up with anyone that was ill. He was my best friend during my pregnancy. He didn’t leave my side.

Personally, I’m allergic to cats. There’s no way I’d ever live without one, though.

We have two cats. Yes they can be a pain with the litter box, vomiting, damage from scratching, hair all over the place, and other odd and disturbing behaviors. But I overlook all of that for all the genuine love that they give. When I come home from a long stressful day at work I just hang out with the purring cats for a few minutes and all the stress in me just melts away. Soon I’m feeling good again. That is better than any drug.

Cats rule! They are clean, quiet, not sloppy, beautiful, affectionate.
They are funny, playful, have quirky personalities, are loving and best of all, they are low maintenance. Either you’re a cat person or you’re not.

You can become acquainted with your vet.
You have something to throw your remote at when you are mad
You’ll never have to worry about people wondering if you have a cat – they will immediately know once they walk into your home (if they don’t have a clogged nose).
They will frequently provide a good excuse for you to buy new sofas and other furniture.
Your dog will not feel as bad as he won’t be the only beast causing fleas infestations in your home.

MIlo here; What an odd question.

Gail spends five minutes a day emptying the litter box. That’s 35 minutes a week, plus a monthly scrub that takes about 15 minutes. Occasionally there is a dead mouse or a hairball. No big deal

Would you not have had babies because you have to change diapers?

Would you skip having a partner because s/he poops?

In terms of the benefits, this comes to mind.

“Financier J.P. Morgan was asked by a reporter how much Morgan’s yacht cost to operate. ‘If you have to ask, you can’t afford it,’ was Morgan’s reply. The point is that there are questions that tell a lot about the asker just because the questions were asked.”

Cats are my favorite animal for a pet because they are affectionate, but yet not too overbearing and needy. They are generally quiet and low key, perfect for an introvert such as myself. They can be incredibly loyal and understanding. It is hard to explain but you either like them or you don’t I guess.

@Charles

A home/apt in which there is a noticeable cat smell says a whole lot more about the laziness of the owner’s litterbox maintenance habits than it does about the cleanliness of the cat. Thats a fact.

@Aster

Theres a great product available if other techniques fail. Look up Scat Mat.

There is proof that cats are smarter than dogs. There is now way you could ever persuade twelve cats that dragging a sled through snow is a fun idea.

I’d settle for persuading one that using a snow shovel is wonderful exercise.

Ha ha. Yeah, maybe in an alternate universe. A REALLY REALLY alternate one.

:D

Besides, Milo doesn’t need any more exercise. Hes just perfect as is. At least thats how he sees things :)

Mouse control.

Am I really the only person to mention this benefit of owning cats? If I’m not, my apologies. I skimmed the previous responses rather quickly.

@jonsblond: You and I agree that mouse control is wonderful, but if someone balked at emptying a litter box, imagine explaining how to get rid of the corpus or corpi in various stages of delecti.

@gailcalled ” The point is that there are questions that tell a lot about the asker just because the questions were asked.”
Why do I feel annoyed by this unnecessary, unhelpful remark?