Is Your Love For Cats Hereditary?

[foxxycat]

Growing up it was I who wanted a cat. My sister is an animal person so we had her cat Pinecone and her horse who I forgot her name..i was very young when they sold the horse.

I don't remember much other than them putting me on the horse and i screamed and was petrified...I was 3...so not sure if it was scared because they wanted me to ride the horse or if it was because I couldn't control it like a bike ? And they made me sneeze and cough..so no horses for me..


My parents went along with the animals for us girls but my dad got very attached to them. I wish he would get his own animal for his home but he says no. He loves Honeybee and she sits on his lap when he comes over.

I remember my mother allowing me 4 cats..3 were from one apartment next town over...those cats weren't friendly but I sure tried. One was petrified of everyone except for me so that was the one I focused on...we had a dog too and the dog ignored the cats.

Zena the black lab looking dog. My mother rescued that dog. It was running down the center of the street with its leash cut off...she was working at the country store across the street from us...no ome came looking for the dog...we kept her for several years until I left then dad brought her to the local spca to adopt to a younger family.

We found she went with a family of children and knew it was the right thing to do. We knew she would have no problem getting adopted. She was very friendly and trusting...that dog spent every night on my feet on my bed while the cats slept up by my head...now that's a good childhood...zzzzz and pets sleeping...

 

[Draco]

i've grown up with dogs.

mom that was allergic, dad hated cats. So I sort of grew up not liking cats either for that reason. I hated the idea of cats digging in litter boxes, then jumping on counters, they were gross.

9 years ago I was depressed, rough stage of my life. I had moved out of my parents house, lost a job, struggling with bills, blah blah. Decided to look at puppies at a shelter, only to come home with a kitten.

Best. Decision. Ever.

I am a cat person now.

 

[Purr-fect]

Growing up, there was usually a cat in the family.

Years latter I have two cats, my sister has two cats and my brother has two dogs. We are all animal lovers.

Got our interest from my mom, father disliked pets.

 

[maggiedemi]

foxxycat --I love the name of your childhood cat Pinecone. What a great name!

 

[Sonatine]

My family (both immediate and most of the extended family) has historically been full of dog people. Now, I adore dogs so I wouldn't really call this a problem, but my father absolutely hated cats. My mom always liked them, but not enough to try and fight my dad over it. So we were a dog family.

I was always the kind of child that loved all animals, though, so I started taking petsitting jobs for my neighbors, some of whom had outdoor cats. Once I started that, I developed what I lovingly remember as my "cat posse"; a group of six cats who would play with me and come on backyard adventures when I didn't have any neighborhood kids to play with. I could just walk outside my house, call loudly, and immediately two to four furry friends would show up and I wouldn't have to play alone.

I was always secretly thrilled when they'd wait for me on the porch, or climb up our back deck (on the second floor; it made my dad so mad) to try and entice me to come out and play (they were really sweet cats, especially considering that three of them were intact toms). I'm pretty sure I paid more attention to them than their actual owners did.

After that, it was just a matter of biding my time until I had my own place, and waiting for the day when I could finally unleash my inner cat lady.

 

[di and bob]

In think it is more of a learned experience.....the generation before me had cats, but more for rodent control, not considered family members at all. I see people all the time telling their kids.."the only good cat is a dead cat" and have a brother in law that actually let his dog kill cats that came into their yard. I always made sure my nephews got to know how cats really were when they came to my house, and both nephews have dogs and cats in their families now. I think they first form opinions from what their parents teach them, but develop their own when they get older, and possibly from their friends. My parents always had dogs, but did not deny us the pleasure of any animal in our family. My own love for cats came when I realized and witnessed myself what cats go through. Hunters shooting them for sport, using them to train hunting dogs, and perverts torturing, maiming and killing just because they can. When I saw a monster actually drive up on the sidewalk to run over a 6 week old kitten, it changed something inside of me froever......

 

[NY cat man]

Growing up, my family had a series of mutts, but no cats. At age 14, I want to work at a local gas station/ garage, and the owner had a bunch of barn cats. They would bite if you tried to pet them, and claw if you DIDN'T try to pet them.
The funny thing is, though, that cats seem to be attracted to me (maybe they are just being sadistic buggers)
Anyway, my wife and I have our 5 adopted ferals now , and we wouldn't part with them for anything.

 

[MeganLLB]

I don't know. I'm confused whether or not my family likes cats. We had two cats growing up that everyone loved. They were the best cats. Everyone in the family all agrees that they were the best cats ever. My sister added a third cat to the mix when the other two got really old and she ended up being really mean and only liking my mom. My nana and aunt have an indoor outdoor cat that they seem to like. They don't seem to have much of a relationship with her, but I guess they like her. I think Little Kitty tainted my family's view of cats because she is so mean. Before that they liked cats, now not so much. I'm not sure if they like my cats. My cats can be a bit annoying. They are only 2 years old and they have a lot of energy and get into things, demand attention, chew things, and I think that annoys them, so Idk.

I think my family likes certain cats or would like having one really nice cat, but I don't think they are cat lovers. I don't think I'm really a cat lover either. I don't like other people's cats. I like my own cats. And if I got another cat I would like it, but I don't really like cats in general.

 

[cassiopea]

I've grown up with lot's and lot's of doggies, main ones being German Shepherds - my parents were animal people and were kind with cats but were mainly dog and horse people.

I always had a lean towards kitties as a kid though, I would often hang out with the stable kitties for hours on end while my parents were in the middle of their equestrian training.

Granted they have recently been converted to being cat lovers too *Evil Laugh* Especially my mom, she really enjoys their company and discovered how wonderful companions they can be!

On my mother's side, other then my Grandpapa and his ancestry everyone else weren't really animal people, let alone kitty people. Never malicious and would be polite around pets, but not interested either and kept their distance if able. Some to this day are pretty skittish around my own horse, or don't fancy getting too dirty Ah well, they are not evil people and would never wish any creature harm and would jump into help if given the opportunity, so it's alright in the end. Even if it does make me feel a wee bit different from them!

On my father's side, there is a long line of animal people whether as family companions or in the military with bonded horses and canines. Even all my current cousins on that side have lot's of spoiled dogs and cats. Which is so nice! Since even if they are on the other side of the world I get a bumload of their social media pet pics and their adoration and commitment. And animal advocates too!

I even have all these old family pictures from 70+ years ago of little kittens sleeping in shoes in the house or on the bed, or people snuggling with them or the dogs etc So I have a strong suspicion a part of my cat affinity bloodline came from those family members


So I guess the answer to the Q is a mix of both, I feel like I developed it independently, with the help of actual genes kicking in naturally.

 

[vince]

Always had lots of pets, of which cats were a significant part. I had several cats when I was younger, but with the hours I was working, it proved to be difficult.

I got the two cats I have now primarily to combat depression when I retired, with my doctor's concurring opinion. It proved to be exactly what was needed. My two give me something to care for.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

We had a very special family dog for 15+ years while I was growing up. Her name was Misty. My mom was allergic to cats, so we never had a cat. I do remember a little orange tabby kitten in the neighborhood, though, it was probably 6-8 months old. I can't remember if it was a stray or someone's kitten who lived on our block, but I have memories of a bunch of us as kids playing with him. A cutie! And we dressed the poor hapless little guy in some doll clothes. Red and white polka dotted jacket and trousers.


My first kitten came into my life 32 years ago, my special lynx point lover girl. I had her until 1997. My second one was from the Humane Society, a wonderful tabby. She was in our lives from 1999-2014. Since I was previously a dog person, I taught those two cats "dog tricks" (sit, come, get down, etc.), so they were very much "doglike cats".

We've had Milly since June 2015. She's my first "catlike cat", lol. She doesn't do dog tricks. Not that she's not trainable or a good girl! She just won't sit, come and get down on command, no matter what treat I offer. No way.

 

[aliceneko]

It was really interesting reading all your responses and to see whether you grew up with cat and animal lovers or not!

 

[nunnc84]

My mother grew up with barn cats, and so did her mother, and so on and so on.
My dad had an outside dog.
We got a cat before they divorced. My mother kept the cat for me (so she says). After the cat left we didn't get another cat. Her siblings have cats, and one of them has a dog.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Is your love for cats hereditary (i.e. you come from a cat loving family) or is it something you've developed independently?
My mother's family have always been cat lovers on both sides. My great-grandfather (on my grandfather's side - I don't know my father's family so I don't know if they're cat lovers or not) had a cat called Itzmar named after his time in the Battle of Gallipoli. My grandfather had grown up with Itzmar and then a series of cats when he was a child and a teenager; and my mother and aunt have also had cats for most of their early years (my aunt used to have a cat that sadly got shot before I was born - it was a very tragic story as she'd recently given birth to a litter of kittens and nobody knows what happened to the kittens since she had given birth to them before my aunt adopted her as she was a stray) and my aunt currently owns a tabby now. Of course, my mother and I own Toffee and Fudge now.
My cousin also has two cats - my grandmother's family were always too poor to afford cats having grown up in the London slums, but she had always been fond of them and often looked after my aunt's cats when she was elderly.

In a word, YES. My family, on both sides, of both genders and all ages, going back into the mists of time, has ALWAYS loved cats, as far as I know. We have many cat "tales" of different family members loving, adopting, rescuing, and caring for cats. I was born into a home "with cat" -- he was 3 when I came along, and my "big brofur". We did everything together. Cats, to us, have always been family, never "pets".

 

[1 bruce 1]

We always had animals of all kinds when I was growing up, but I was more of a dog person until DH and various cats I've known "converted" me. I love all animals.

Dogs and cats are IMO like peanut butter and jelly. Different but go SO well together in most cases.
Dogs are needy, dependent, trusting and always loving and cats are not usually needy, not usually dependent, not always trusting and make them mad and forget "love" for 4 months or so depending.
We have both and appreciate both for what they are and find them both to be very loyal friends.
For that loyalty, old fashioned trainers can borderline abuse dogs and still have those dogs lick their hand in forgiveness, but treat a cat this way once and say good bye to any kind of relationship with that animal.
Which is one of the reasons I admire cats. They don't always forgive immediately because they are (IMO) more self aware and less domesticated than dogs, and don't trust a crazy person that hits them or yells at them then says "sorry about that" once the emotion dies down.

 

[Maria Bayote]

I grew up with dogs so basically I am a dog person, although I had 2 cats while I was growing up but not so attached to me because I was asthmatic. My love affair with cats started when I started working in the Middle East, a not-so-friendly place for domestic animals. I saw a lot of stray cats outside my apartment. First I fed one, then 2, until they grew by the numbers. They know what time I wake up in the morning, and what time I come home from work. It did not take long before I started rescuing them, several I have already re-homed, and 3 I managed to adopt as my own. I guess if you are an animal lover it comes to you automatically. And it will break your heart if you turn a blind eye on these beautiful felines that need your help.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I grew up with dogs so basically I am a dog person, although I had 2 cats while I was growing up but not so attached to me because I was asthmatic. My love affair with cats started when I started working in the Middle East, a not-so-friendly place for domestic animals. I saw a lot of stray cats outside my apartment. First I fed one, then 2, until they grew by the numbers. They know what time I wake up in the morning, and what time I come home from work. It did not take long before I started rescuing them, several I have already re-homed, and 3 I managed to adopt as my own. I guess if you are an animal lover it comes to you automatically. And it will break your heart if you turn a blind eye on these beautiful felines that need your help.

May you be many times blessed for putting your caring into action for cats, Maria Bayote ! Yes, what you say is so true, and it is not only sad, but counter to tradition and how we are instructed to be kind and compassionate. There are many stories illustrating this and holy writings compelling us to do so. As in the rest of the world, too many people seem to take what they are told by those whose knowledge is limited or whose practices are selective. But we are not instructed to do so. ALL of what we are instructed in is supposed to be taken into our hearts and lived.

 

[aliceneko]

In a word, YES. My family, on both sides, of both genders and all ages, going back into the mists of time, has ALWAYS loved cats, as far as I know. We have many cat "tales" of different family members loving, adopting, rescuing, and caring for cats. I was born into a home "with cat" -- he was 3 when I came along, and my "big brofur". We did everything together. Cats, to us, have always been family, never "pets".

Ah, that's lovely! It's been wonderful to see the response and reception this thread has been getting.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Ah, that's lovely! It's been wonderful to see the response and reception this thread has been getting.

The greatest gift my folks ever gave me was that of love, kindness and compassion for our feline brothers and sisters!

 

[banana queen]

My mum hated animals, and she was the one who raised me. The most my siblings and I could persuade her to let us have was a fish. She did eventually allow me to befriend a stray cat and let it in the house, but my next door neighbour looked after it properly and did most of the care, including vet treatment. The neighbour then gave me the cat when I moved out. I still have her now.

My nan liked cats though. Always had loads, but neither of her kids grew up liking them. My uncle now has a cat though, even if he doesn't like it, because my cousins wanted one.

My dad's side are cat lovers though. My grandparents had loads, my first cat memory was when their cat had kittens when I was five and my dad brought me over to see them...they ended up keeping them all, although maybe that wasn't the best idea because they didn't keep up on litter duties and they weren't particularly house trained.

When my parents split up when I was 7, my dad started a relationship with my stepmum, who loves black cats. She brought one, and then they adopted a little black kitten together. I grew up with her, she lived until I was 24, although I always presumed she was immortal. 3 out of my four current cats are black, Ive always liked black cats the best. My stepsiblings have also mostly had black cats too-one had a tuxedo cat, who unfortunately ran away months ago and hasn't been found, and the other just adopted two kittens, a black one and a ginger one.