Are men with cats odd?

Astronuc

I've had cats and dogs. We usually have two or three cats to one dog. Except for our current dog, all our cats and dogs have been strays, although one was adopted from a shelter. Our current dog was a pet for my mother-in-law until she couldn't handle it, so she came to live with us.

I've thought about adopting a greyhound or two, because I like greyhounds, and it would be nice to go running with them. However, we'd need to move to a larger place.

QuarkCharmer

Silly talk.

Everyone has cat's and/or dogs and nobody thinks anything of it because it's so common. Just don't start collecting them. The more important question you should be asking yourself is "am I ready to commit 12+ years of my life to caring for this animal".

DoggerDan

That you're posting this and that I have an opinion on this is scary.

Well, cats don't like dirty socks, but they do identify their food-providing owners with whatever odors their owners supply, so they're probably comforted by your socks.

I'm allergic, but that didn't stop girlfriends or a wife from taking up the nasty habit. Actually, I like the little critters. All have learned a prolonged scratch on the head is NOT a prelude to lap time. I love 'em, but at a distance. So long as I reminded them I love 'em daily, they're fed and their litter box is changed on a regular basis, they've left me more or less alone. Long stares of mutual appreciation across the living room and all that. They like my company, and know I like theirs, within reason.

The cool thing about cats is that once litterbox trained, they fend for themselves quite well. Even if they tend to overeat, it's difficult for them to do so in a week, and a couple of days of water/food malfunction won't hurt them, particularly when you have two long-term food/water stations instead of just one.

Can't answer the first one.

Depends on how they interact with their cat. I've never had a cat as a single adult male. I inherited them with the fairer of our own species. Loved them right along with their owners.

Why not? The best cats I ever had I raised from eye-opening or earlier.

TheStatutoryApe

You can at least back that up with some sources man...
http://articles.sfgate.com/2005-01-0...n-single-women
Oh and some gratuitous material for some of our other members...
6 Packs, 9 Lives

FlexGunship

I, uh... don't know how I feel about the term "cat-dad." I don't think I'm her biological father... although, if she's 12... that means... hmm... the circus... And people who treat their cats like children are... uh... more lonely than I.

Oh god... this does NOT resolve the concern that a single man with a cat is of questionable sexuality.

Anyway, I've been thinking more about it and I've been browsing some shelter websites locally. I don't think I have the time to help a kitten not die. Don't get me wrong, I can be very dedicated, but I found a stray kitten once and took care of her for about a week before her owners claimed her and she was pretty darn hyperactive. I would leave her for the day when I went to work and come home to her limping and some piece of lighting being broken.

At least with an older shelter cat, some of the quirks might be known quantities that I can evaluate. With a young cat, it's all up in the air... for all I know, the cat might have laserbeam eyes and a general dislike for the movies I love.

EDIT: Also, I want a cat that snuggles with teddy bears. I saw it on YouTube.

Dembadon

It's the name. It's killing me!

FlexGunship

I just assumed it meant beer.

turbo

I have never been a cat-owner, though a cat "owned" me for a while. My wife and I lived across the street from a couple that had 'way too many cats. The cat that adopted me was called "Midnight" because Dave said that was the only cat they could see at midnight. She was a fluffy white Persian with blue eyes, and deaf as a post. I could stare at the other cats, and they would avoid me. Not Midnight. She'd shadow me as soon as I came in the house, and as soon as it'd sit down somewhere, she'd be in my lap, purring like a chain-saw and rubbing her head all over my chest.

It was pretty comical, really. Some cats are much more charming than others. My sister's litter-mate cats (Yin and Yang) were destructive and a handful, even when they were a few years old. Go to the shelter and "audition" a few older cats. You should be able to tell if the cat is properly socialized and is comfortable with you.

FlexGunship

That's my plan. Just lonely coming home to an empty house everyday. I've had live-in girlfriends off and on over the last few years, and they're nice... but the cost of ownership goes up steadily (first it's a pair of boots for the snow, then it's a pair of matching shoes to wear after the boots come off, then it's a new sweater with matching Lexus).

A cat should be nice... it'll need attention (and I love to give attention), and maybe it'll watch movies with me, or listen to the music I write... or... conspire...

turbo

Sounds good, Flex. I always loved having a pet to come home to.

The ferret in my avatar was Turbo, and he was almost like a dog because he loved attention. We had Pergo flooring in the living-room (my office was on one end) and he loved to play "ferret-bowling". He'd come to me, playing keep-away until I caught him, then I'd scale him across that slippery floor. He'd work like hell trying to get his feet under him and scrub off speed, just so he could run back to me and play keep-away again. We'd do that for probably 15-20 minutes at a time, until he came back to me and put his front paws up on my leg, letting me know that he wanted to be held so he could take a nap. That was good for both of us.

FlexGunship

Even I have to "awww" at that. I hadn't considered a ferret. They're cage pets, though, right?

turbo

No, none of my ferrets were ever caged. They are easily litterbox trained and had free run of the house. You have to ferret-proof your place, though, because they are the most inquisitive little critters you can imagine, and they have a great deal of dexterity in their "hands" so that latches and catches have to be installed on cupboard doors and anyplace else you don't want them to go.

rhody

Your "maintenance comment" cracks me up. On a practical note, try to find one that regardless the age, is not like a hair trigger ball of fire about to spook or pounce at a moments notice. You say you need a mellow cat, there are plenty of those. It will all fall into place, trust me grasshopper.

Rhody...

Pythagorean

There is no such thing as "men with cats". There are, however, "cats with men", and by all statistical definitions, yes, they are odd: they are among the 1% of cats that have male servants to take care of their survival needs while they strut around chasing tail and sleeping in precarious places. They will occasionally toss scraps to their servants (in the form of a dead bird or rat) without a care for the emotional integrity of the servant, but for the most part, they could hardly notice that you are there, bending to their every need, holding up the foundations they strut about.

zoobyshoe

Wow, by complete accident it turns out at least one woman agrees with what I said:

DoggerDan

Let's just say even the most cat-wonderful cat owners I've met were able to maintain their grasp on reality.

My cats have all had very unique and different personalities, despite the fact I raised them all pretty much the same. Some were spastic. Other's were cool and calm. Others were princesses. The one thing I noticed over the years is that none of them became bitchy princesses, the cool and calm were never arrogant or demanding, and the spastic knew when to chill out. This is in contrast to other owners and their cats.

My deduction is that some aspects of a cat's personality are learned, others are genetic. That's hardly news, though, is it? I have kids, too, and see much the same.

Are you questioning my sexuality on the sole basis that I've been a single man with a cat? If you would, Sir, I'd be happy to address your concerns with four or five well-reasoned arguments...

Seriously, that's crap. Guys and gals are people. I prefer dogs, but as I was always coming and going, cats were just so much less maintenance.

FlexGunship

So, I found a shelter I like... mostly because that post biographies and videos of each cat. These are the finalists:

Hubble - http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/21088276
Hunter - http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/20927676
Kit-Kat - http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/21038725
Tulip - http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/20989181

Each one has a video you can watch.

EDIT: A friend of mine convinced me I'm only interested in Hubble because of her name. That's probably true.