Cats are a pain not?

[31133004Taff]

AIBU that cats are indeed a pain to live with?

Have had dogs my adult life but now it’s not reasonable to have one.

People highly recommend a cat and I can see the appeal, love the idea of coming home to a friendly purring cat. Regularly check out the older cats on the local rescue centre listings.

BUT ... Is the the reality being woken up at ungodly hours by drooling and head butting; gifts of rabbit, mice, bird entrails; decimation of my wild birds; howling scraps; peeing in dark corners.

Am I unduly influenced by the trials and tribulations of cat ownership on MN?

Cats are the best; and you are privileged if one lives with you. The Egyptians used to think cats were gods, and the cats (at least mine) still think they are.

Why is it not reasonable to have a dog?
You could also offer to look after other people's dogs when they are away, or at work during the day.

Cats are way easier than dogs, we now have a puppy, OMG is the cat easier.

But they do still take work, getting them to the vets, vet bills, cat sick, mine catches mice and brings them in. One cost me over £2K on vets bills. But generally day to day pretty easy.

MILs cats miaow incessantly. She's regularly getting up 3/4 times a night to let them in/out which seems ridiculous to me

I have three cats, all lovely, I have the Mother cat, and her two male offspring. Non of them have ever made a toilet mess in the house. One of them is a bit of a hunter, and has brought in a mouse or two, but that's par for course,if you live in country village with fields etc.

I wouldn't just decide to have a cat on some whim though, you have to accept that some cats are going to be a bit spiky or bothersome, and not like my three, who are all chilled out and friendly..

Cats are much easier than dogs! We have a 2 year old rescue cat and he's sooo easy. He's very quiet. Never wakes us up. He just amuses himself until we get up. 90% of the time he goes to the toilet in the garden - behind a bush and buries it so we don't see it! He doesn't eat a great deal so is cheap to feed. He's very friendly/affectionate and loves nothing more than curling up on our laps and having a little nap. He doesn't demand our attention though. He might come up and miaow but if he sees we're busy he'll let us get on with it. I know dogs are very loving pets but I could never imagine having one. So much work, like having another child and so dependent. I'd feel bad every time I went out or went on holiday.

By the way, my cat has only once brought an animal in (a mouse). My previous cat never brought an animal in.

By the way, my cat has only once brought an animal in (a mouse). My previous cat never brought an animal in.

You clearly associate with the wrong cats 😻

Depends on the cat really, mine is 19 and has really disgusting habits meaning aquvaccing at midnight and being woken up by being bitch slapped across the face with claws out at 5am.
Also no volume control as she's deaf.
However, my other 6 cats (variety over the years not all at once) were all great, no trouble at all and cute as buttons.
I still love this one but she's hard work.

I have a dog and a cat.

I grew up with cats as did DH, he also grew up with dogs as well whereas I only grew up with cats.

We are getting another dog, definately not another cat!

The cat is sweet natured and gentle admittedly but she is naughty.

She’s peed on rugs, she bites pockets out of my coats and cardigans if I put dog biscuits in them, she’s damaged a lot of stuff by scratching - sofas, bookcases, bed posts etc etc
She is a dreadful food thief, she’ll try to snatch straight out of the dog’s mouth/your hands.
She swiped a chicken wing off DSs plate yesterday, I would have let her have it if she’d just stripped the meat but she started crunching through the (cooked) bone.
OMG the growls!
She was something feral, it all turned out to be noise thankfully and I avoided getting bitten/scratched to pieces.
She had a paw injury recently, couldn’t get a proper look at it.
Same when another cat attacked her previously, she bled over the floor but I couldn’t get a proper look as she wouldn’t let me handle her.

Dogs tend to do as they are told.
I prefer dogs

My cat and dog sleep together in the back room so don't wake us up in the night, leaving a cat have free roam of the house at night is asking for trouble :p My cat has never gone to the toilet anywhere but their litter tray

Thank you all for your replies. 2/3 of replies - YABU!!!

I assumed that many more people would be keen to tell me YANBU.

I am heartened and will take the plunge. I would prefer an older rescue. As people suggest, but more of an established personality. Reassured that the hunting instinct reduces as the cat matures.

Continue to be delighted to hear your views.

Cats are addictive, you can never have just one

I do love cats and they are easier to look after then dogs BUT I wouldn’t have one as a pet now ( we had cats growing up though)
We have lots of wild birds in our garden and I’d be gutted if my cat kept killing them. My next door neighbours cat is a horror ( cute but naughty) and is constantly prowling for them but she knows not to come in our garden ( probably from me chasing her out all the time!)

You don't have to take them out for walks, they need little training and if you have your own garden or a bit of technique with litter tray changing, there is no need to pick up steaming turds the size of a rat with only a scented plastic bag between you and the offending article multiple times a day.

Win-win, really.

Said as an animal person.

I've had cats for many years, but when the 3 I currently have go , I won't have anymore. All of mine have been from the street and I'm happy that I've given them all homes. The problem is that I'm very drawn to cats, so I know it'll be a nightmare trying to resist them

I agree that cats are generally easier... If you get a laid back breed... I have a bengal... And a siamese, both highly intelligent, both loud, both complete nightmares lol. I wouldn't be without her though. However, they're very dog like and don't like to be alone for long periods of time.

Research your breeds before you get a cat, they're not all stereotypical laze around, pur, sleep and eat.

Mine sometimes wakes me by patting my face, but that’s when I’ve forgotten to fill his food before I go to bed. He sleeps with me and is a very comforting presence. He’s a rescue- he was 3 when I got him and is now 15 and the most chilled out cat ever. He’s brought voles in, in his younger years, but we were always prepared, as he has a special meow for gift giving. I dread the day he leaves us- he’s my best friend.

Entirely depends on the cat, we have 2. We don't get woken up early because they are lazy lumps. They're indoor cats so they don't go hunting. The only time we had wee in the house was stress induced and easily fixed. Mostly they're just good company.

My cat dragged a bird in through my window the other other night and ate it on my bedroom floor. Didnt realise until morning as he had snuck back out. They aren't normally allowed out at night but he had escaped through our window

My cat is 5 and he is always catching mice and bringing them home sometimes he kills and eats them and leaves a bit (maybe for us?) can be a bit messy, every couple of days he brings them in alive and they can be difficult to catch depending on what room they end up in. Just had one in the lounge for a few days as it kept going under the settee which is heavy and difficult to move, I would hate to squash one, been bitten a few times too. I'm glad to hear he might grow out of it. He's also very greedy and raids the fridge so we had to buy a fridge child lock. Once past the kitten stage has never peed in the house. He doesn't wake us up in the morning, he sleeps downstairs but we lock the cat flap at night so he can't go out as we live on a busy road. He's very friendly when he wants food and always knows when its time for something to eat.

I have 2, neither wake me up at unearthly hours as they are downstairs cats. Neither have peed in the house outside of the litter trays in the 3 years I've had them. One does bring occasional presents but we can normally stop.him bringing them in, the other shows no sign of hunting.
They mostly eat, sleep, curl up on us and give us head butts
Ginger is more chilled, tabby black and white is the occasional hunter

I have registered pedigree ragdolls and they are my world (after the kids of course). They are brilliant they really want to be around people. They don't like not having my complete attention and the young female gets very jealous of the older boy cat if he gets a fuss.

We do get woken up early, but stopped that by shutting the bedroom door and creating a barrier so he doesn't scratch it (annoying)

But none of the other issues you raise are a problem - they bring us leaves instead of rodents, haven't peed in the house in years

My two chat to me, but I love it and chat back. Beyond that they just want the occasional fuss and somewhere comfy to sleep