Question of the Day: Sunday, February 5

[gilmargl]

Good morning everybody!

Just a quick question today.

Did you inherit your love of cats from your parents, or are you the first in your family-tree to keep kitties?

As children, we had a poor, undernourished cat in the family called Peter but he soon learnt to go to the neighbours for extra food. Their cat was very well fed! Perhaps Peter encouraged all six of us children to keep cats (and in some cases dogs). There is no longer any danger of these being undernourished.

 

[iPappy]

Definitely runs in the family.

 

[NY cat man]

I don't recall my parents ever having a cat; just a succession of mongrel dogs. My older brother provided for a stray cat with food and a place to sleep in his barn, but that's it. I am the first in my family to actually have indoor cats, although Michele's parents took in a number of stray/dumped cats over the years.

 

[Snowagate]

Good morning everybody!

Just a quick question today.

Did you inherit your love of cats from your parents, or are you the first in your family-tree to keep kitties?

As children, we had a poor, undernourished cat in the family called Peter but he soon learnt to go to the neighbours for extra food. Their cat was very well fed! Perhaps Peter encouraged all six of us children to keep cats (and in some cases dogs). There is no longer any danger of these being undernourished.

We always had Siamese cats. My dad only wanted animals that he could breed to make money from the offspring. I loved them and the kittens.

 

[denice]

We weren't pet people. I always had a dog that started out as a friendly stray. There were always cats around but most were feral. There was one cat that was friendly. She was part of a trio of kittens, the other two didn't make it who knows what happened to their mother. I kept working at trying to pet her or him, don't really know, and since she was a kitten she finally let people pet her. We lived on a farm and animals stayed outside.

 

[Jem]

While both my parent loved animals...I was the first to experience having animals as a child. Growing up my Dad did not have any pets, my Grandmother was terrified of most animals and especially cats. And my poor Mom, is allergic to anything with fur and feathers. It wasn't until my parents divorce that we could have animals...at my Dads house of course. Dad's second wife came with a cat, then we got dogs as well...Then when the second wife was no more, (her cat passed away about a year before the split) my Dads third (and still current) wife is also an animal lover so that's when things really took off and we had a zoo...3 cats, dogs, a bunny, fish, geckos, gerbils, birds, a snake...so many animals. When it comes to cats though, I am the cat lady of our family. While most of my family tend to gravitate towards having dogs...I lean to cats as my preferred companion.

 

[Winchester]

My mother loved cats and we had them from the time I was a little girl. But only one (rarely two) at a time. I kind of went overboard with eight of them, now down to three. My sister had nine, now eight. My brother had five, now none.

I think we may always have at least one, probably two, cats in our lives. But no more than that. I cannot imagine ever being cat-less.

 

[misty8723]

I inherited love of animals from my mother, and we had all sorts when I was growing up. I was more of a dog person until I married my husband. He is a cat person, and I learned how awesome they are. Due to traveling and such in our earlier years, we did not adopt our own until 2005. Both of those heart kitties are gone, and we lost another little one to FIP, before getting the two we have now.

 

[neely]

My dad loved dogs and my mom grew up with a cat but we didn't grow up with either. We had turtles and fish but that was it. My husband grew up with dogs and when we were married I took him to look at kittens. He basically ignored them but after adopting two kitties he became a convert and couldn't live without cats now. We both love dogs too and have had a multi-animal household.

 

[rubysmama]

My parents had a cat when I was born, so I've never known life without a feline in the family.

 

[Lari]

My parents are not animal people. We had a few goldfish, my brother had a box turtle for years, and I talked them into a short lived hamster as a teenager, but cats and dogs were no go. They're okay with the cats at our place and like visiting them, but don't want to live with them.

 

[Katie M]

My mom's family is all about cats! I got my first one when I was almost five.

 

[cassiopea]

My parents were animal lovers (Thankfully!) but they always had dogs and horses. Never disliked cats just was never had it in their mental repertoire to consider getting kitties until a couple stayed with us when we got our hobby farm. However, my parents have a indoor cat now who they absolutely adore and realized more so how affectionate and attached they can be - especially now with my dad's health not being the best so he appreciates a little bed or lap buddy that is easy and quiet. A dog would be too rowdy or demanding.

*No longer have barn cats. The proven high mortality rate quickly proved too much.

But I'm pretty sure I inherited my love for cats from some of my ancestors. When I look through old family photos ranging from Edwardian era to the 1960's I see family members like great grand parents, aunts/uncles and distant cousins snuggling and holding cats. Even have old school cat photos, like a picture of a kitten sleeping in a shoe lol so I definitely got it from somewhere! Which is really reassuring and positive.

 

[maggiedemi]

I fell in love with cats when I was a kid after we took in a pregnant stray.

 

[sivyaleah]

My parents disliked having pets. I know my father never had any and didn't even like when dogs would be friendly to him and my mom may have had a cat when she was very little but I've never been able to fully confirm this.

I had to beg like crazy for a puppy and we wound up having to rehome it several weeks later. Neither parent wanted much to do with it (and actively resented it) and all us kids were far too young to have full responsibility for taking care of it.

So my love for them certainly didn't come from my parents.

Both of my sisters had cats before I ever did, but only because their then boyfriends had them and both also have dogs now. My brother seriously dislikes animals and wants nothing to do with them, won't interact with any of the family pets.

I always loved animals but probably cats more so as I got older I can't imagine living without one or two now.

 

[susanm9006]

I grew up with horses, rabbits, cats and dogs. None were particularly well cared for and never neutered. They were mostly outdoor pets but a few of the cats spent more time in the house. It seemed there was always one that would seek me out and I was always the one who awoke in the middle of the night to let them in if they came to the door. Lives were short though, inevitably their just disappeared or were hit by cars.

I was never fond the dogs but as an adult I got a cat as soon as I was able. Spayed, pampered indoor pets as it should be.

 

[JamesCalifornia]

~ We always had pets — small dogs and cats. They were always part of the family ...

 

[strider rose]

it is a family thing . i had a cat ever since i was at least 5 years old

 

[OopsyDaisy]

We moved all the time with my dad's job. We always had dogs but I only vaguely remember one cat. I'm not sure what happened to it. My parents probably gave it up for adoption. I was so young, I don't remember. I've had my own cats and dogs all of my life since I got married and had my kids.

 

[Margot Lane]

It’s in my blood, my DNA, going back 3 generations. Would be sort of unthinkable not to have a cat! (Though w/ vet shortages, I might have to volunteer to TNR instead).