What have you learned about cats since owning one?

pearl99

Pearl, my labrador who loved cats. RIP.
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How much they can love you and how important you can be to them. Mine get sooo content when they get their laptime, brushing, scratchies etc.- like their whole world is just fine.
Also how expressive their faces can be. Mooshoo has this way of cocking her head sometimes and getting this look in her eyes of "What!!! Why is Gracie on your lap???? And I"M NOT???"
 

aliceneko

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I'm a first time cat owner so I've learnt a lot about cats since having Toffee and Fudge, but these are my favourite things I've learnt about cats:

- Cats really don't care about your business, to the point where they'll wind you up when you want them to get in the carrier for a vet appointment.
- Cats are just as sociable and affectionate as dogs - just on their own terms.
- Cats leave you toy presents more than live ones (or that might just be Toffee and Fudge).
- Ferals/semi-ferals have so much love to give if you let them.
 

Tobermory

“What greater gift than the love of a cat.”
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My first cat claimed me when I was 20 years old, and cats have owned me since that time—more than 45 years of continuous feline companionship. Of unconditional love.

I’ve learned, in no particular order:
  • I don’t need to take vacations.
  • Having a spotless house is just not that important.
  • Cat hair goes with everything.
  • Every cat is different and my bond with each will be different, too.
  • I don’t have to get a kitten to develop a deep and abiding love for my cats. I can love an adult rescue just as much.
  • Getting a mistreated feral cat to trust you is one of the greatest joys there is.
  • I thought I didn’t want a calico. I was wrong. Color, hair length, girl, boy...doesn’t matter. I love them all.
  • Diet matters.
  • If I really love my cats, I’ll keep their litter boxes immaculate. (I wasn’t always good at that at the beginning. :( )
  • There’s no greater love than to let my beautiful friends go when it’s time and help to ease them gently on their way—no matter how much it breaks my heart.
 

aurorabee

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Also...how unique they are, like snowflakes. Some may have similarities to others but each is utterly unique. When you look into their eyes, you feel the soul presence, the anima, the holy spirit - whatever you want to call it. That's why it's so painful when one of our beloved passes and if you are there and look into the eyes of the dearly departed and know the spirit has transitioned - but it's a cruel trick when the beautiful physical body is still present.
Also, their tenacity. We've all seen the stories of cats that have snuck into moving vans and miraculously been reunited with their families. I personally had a cat that survived her many months 'walkabout' and knew another cat that found her way back to the family home kms away through the wilderness. It's just incredible.
I do love dogs but personally haven't experienced that 'soul click' with another dog. I have grown up with cats my entire life and still my pleasure in life is just to relax in the evening in their company. My husband has joked that some of my cats and I must have known each other in past lives!
 

maggieb17

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On a lighter note, it's impossible to have a peaceful pee when you have a cat because closed doors are stressful for cats.
Why is that? I have noticed that as well and I am trying to keep my bathroom (with all my makeup out on the counter) my one cat free area in my apartment!
 

Joan M

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I too grew up with dogs; my grandmother raised show dogs and we always had one or two in our home which she had given to us who were our pets, plus my mom was allergic to cats. So I was a dog person. Cats were fine, but from afar.

Now I, too, am an 'animal person' with two previous cats and one current cat.

Two things I've learned are: #1 - all cats are different, just like dogs. I don't know why that surprised me, but it did. And #2 is when a feral decides to adopt you, it still takes time and patience while they get acclimated to being inside - but what a love bug you get. I think they know they have it made!
 

flybear

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I was never a cat person and after having our first cat Forster ... not only did I discover that my husband of 16 years is actually a cat person despite his allergies but ... I also discovered how many misconceptions I had about cats ... Cats have an interesting and complex social structure and are not the loners and territorial creatures I thought they were - they have their individual personalities and can form friendships that are not as hierarchy based as with dogs ... Our first kitten was miserable on his own ... he genuinely likes other cats. Watching cats snuggle with one another is adorable. I also learned cats talk ... not the usual meow we think of but an incredibly sophisticated language of murmurs and sounds they use for all kinds of situations. Their tail language is another fascinating thing to watch ... Cats are also not all that cleaner than dogs lol ... I also learned that I am severely allergic to bentonite cat litter and not to cats - my entire life I assumed it was cat fur ... nope ... we use wood litter and I have no reaction whatsoever. I was also surprised how affectionate cats can be ... they have that reputation of being aloof and love you on their terms but my cats are at least as reliably devoted to our family than my dogs- however ... cats are way more set in their ways than my canines ... in that way they are almost like my birds - not fond of great change ...
 

JulietteTruong

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Many many things, but one thing comes to mind for me is that even short-haired kitties need their furs to be groomed regularly. Before having Juliette, I was under the impression that only long-haired cats require frequent brushing and combing.

One summer shortly after getting Juliette, I noticed her fur on her backside felt lumpy. Turned out, she got a few mats! At that point, I only brushed her like once every couple of months. I tried giving her a bath, and using mineral oil to loosen up these little mats on her back. But they were too tight and knotted. Finally, and very carefully, I snipped the mats, little by little making sure to not cut her skin. Poor thing ended up with bald patches for a few months.

Ever since then, she gets daily brushings!
 
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