The love of a cat?

I never had a cat growing up or was even around them much and I was a total dog person but after my poodle died my husband agreed to let me get a kitten since he was a cat person. I wanted a pet so badly that I agreed. I got Ripley and my patience and my feelings towards cats was greatly tested because he was so wild. He would stalk me, attack me and made my life miserable. I almost gave him away a couple of times. Then one day that started to change and I could tell he loved me. His stalking turned more into fits of rage directed solely at me but I kept working with him and dealing with it. I swore that I would never get another cat because I assumed they were all like him but then last summer I got the bug to adopt a dog and in the process fell in love with the cats at the shelter and discovered they aren't all like Ripley.

I adopted Jazz a very sickly kitten and she and I formed a bond that is so similar to the one I had with my precious poodle years age. Now that I've adopted Scout I'm slowing earning her trust and love and it is the most rewarding feeling. It took a long time but now I am a total cat person.

I literally cannot remember a time in my life when I didn't love cats! My mother has said, on many occasions that I was "born with it" and that I'm "cat mad."

I bonded with my first kitty, a ginger orangie, when I was five years old. His name was "Ginger" (zero points for originality) and we were like peas in a pod. He followed me everywhere, and slept in my bed every night. He was killed by a dog, and I think this may be why I've never bonded well with dogs. But, I don't "hate" dogs and I find cruelty to dogs as abhorrent as cruelty to cats. Which is why it perplexes me that "dog lovers" can hate cats with such vitriol.

I guess I find it easiest to love cats rather than dogs because they are similar to me in nature. I only give affection on my own terms, take forever to get comfy at night and sometimes I hiss, spit and scratch! :)

I would say yes, there would be something missing in my life without being loved by a cat. I have always been more a cat person that a dog person.

Even as a kid, I was like that, I cared for the strays in the backyard and sometimes one of them has learned to trust me so much that it would come close and allowed me to touch it. Those were moments of happiness during my childhood. My parents did not allow a cat in the house, so I got my first one when I was already 18.

Since that time, I have never lived without a cat, except for a few weeks, when I lost Aysche, and later it was the same when I lost Katz. I cannot imagine a life without feline company.

I have no children, but when Luna comes into my lap and lies in my arm like a baby, it's a moment that means the world to me. :)

Like the others have said; dogs live in packs and cats are (more or less) loners, they chose their company, and when they show you their love, it really means something... :)

Kirsten

Loving a cat is nothing easily explained. I have Nicki, a big gentle hearted dog that I love with every fiber of my being. I fought to keep her when I moved in with my husband (his dog attacked her a lot - Sammy actually tore gashes open on her face that needed stiches.) I enjoye nothing more than a great walk on a beautiful day with her.

But the cats... ahhhh, my cats. I had a tuxedo cat growing up. He slept in my crib as a baby and I think the lifelong bond was formed then. When I was ten, my mom developed a severe allergy to cats, so we had to give Tiny to my Grandmom. I didn't have a cat in my life again until I was almost 30. In that 20 years in between I became a dog person. I now consider myself more a cat person - that doesn't mean I love Nicki any less. For some reason, the cats are my stress relievers. They make me laugh.

If you watch your cats... really watch them, you'll be amazed at how they interact with each other and the little things they do will make your heart soar.

My husband didn't want the cats.. he said every cat he's ever had messed all over and was not a good cat. Now he admits he was wrong - sure we have one who insists on peeing on the basement floor - but these two are well behaved and sweet. One is a lapcat, the other is not. Both are loving and have melted everybody's heart in my family. Even my mom with her allergy can't help herself (she makes sure she takes Benadryl before coming over!!)