Myth About Cat Ownership #1: Cats are easy pets because they don't need much attention.

I am starting out with this massive myth because it is probably the one that really gets to me. Certainly there are cats out there who prefer the least amount of attention you force onto them. The

ones that come to mind specifically are previously feral, or abused, kitties. But, you should not go into possible cat ownership thinking, "Well, this is at least easier than a dog". To me, if you are not willing to put effort into another life that is completely dependent on you then maybe pet ownership isn't right for you.

Let's start from ground one: "cats have less vet bills". Well, as someone who is an active veterinary assistant and client care coordinator, I can tell you first hand that this is true. For all the wrong reasons. It isn't that vet care is cheaper for cats (Arthur just had 3 teeth pulled, I can tell you that for a fact), it has to do with the fact that owners are not as willing to put money into their cat's long term vet care.

Hey, it is okay if you don't want to take my word for it. Go ahead and look at this study from 2018 discussing the willingness, or lack thereof, of cat owners to spend money on big ticket items such as surgeries, dental cleaning, and even basic annual wellness necessities like lab work. Kirk goes on to talk about how owners are more attached to dogs, or cats with dog-like behavior, and the more dog-like a cat is.... the more willing the owner is to spend more money on their care.

This leads us into the idea that cats as a species are aloof. I think if you are comparing cats to dogs then sure. Cats are typically more independent than dogs. But, this does not mean that cats do no show affection or have needs for affection - Even if it is not from you. Cats are much more likely to have an opinion and be clear that they don't want to put up with your shit. Dogs, often times, have the short end of the stick and will bounce right back to an abuser like nothing occurred due to the thousands of years of selective breeding.

But, the idea that cats are distant feeds into this "cats are cheap" trope. Behavior issues, especially aggression and inappropriate elimination, are often brushed off as the animal just being an asshole cat. Inappropriate elimination is most often urination, but you know that you have heard someone tell you a story of how their cat pooped on their bed. But, how many of those stories end in "And, then, the vet said..."? My own experience has been not very often.

Because dogs are so open and, dare I say, obsessed with us, we spot their warning signs of illness or stress much more easily. When cats do their best to tell us what is wrong... It is not received or treated in the same manner. Take a moment to read through this document created by Hill's and American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) discussing their cat behavior guidelines. Often times I see owners come in with their cats after their house has been drenched in the infamous smell of cat urine, and they are ripping their hair out because they can't get them to stop. And, again, often times a urinalysis shows a raging urinary tract infection. Or they didn't realize that a person/animal moving in or out of the home was causing their cat an immense amount of stress.

Moving away from the veterinary medicine side of it, referring back to the study above, it goes deeper than just vet costs. Owners of cats are less likely to buy specialty products for their feline companion - expecting their furniture to stay unscratched, their wires un-chewed, and plants intact. So many of our negative views on cat behavior comes from a lack of knowing what our cats need and what they are trying to tell us.

Next week we will discuss the myth that cats are emotionless little heathens who don't love their owners... or at least not as much as the family dog does. If you have a myth about cat ownership you want me to look into and write about then please reach out.