I Thought I was a Dog Person

Then we got a cat

I told people that I hated cats. Why did I think I hated cats? Because my dad told everyone he hated cats. I was programmed by my father to hate cats. So, for the longest time, I pretty much did.

Dad claimed cats were the devil. It was all because he loved birds, and cats eat birds. He also went on and on about how cats can’t be trained, and dogs love you but cats never will. Funny thing is, I don’t think he knew anything about them.

His dad hated cats, too. He just followed suit.

I bought all of my dad’s arguments. Dogs don’t sneak up on innocent birds and eradicate them from existence. Dogs can catch mice too, and it’s okay to eradicate mice from existence, just not the precious birds. Cats don’t have the ability to show affection or love you like a dog will. Dogs are way, way smarter than any cat could be. Dogs are wonderful. Cats suck.

Dogs are gods

There were a lot of dogs in my life over the years. We loved them, and they were great companions to our children as they grew up. We were privileged enough to live with black labs, a couple cross breeds of mixed heritage, three pugs and a shitzu terrier. Not at the same time, of course. Most of them were rescued or unwanted and desperately needed a home.

Times were good, and times were bad too. They loved us, and they chewed on stuff, and sometimes they pooped in places no poop should ever be. but after the cleanup and the uproar, we loved them anyway.

Eventually were were down to one dog, and the kids all moved on to live their lives. Just over two years ago, our little old lady of the house, Lily the pug, left us. She was elderly by pug standards, could barely walk and didn’t see or hear very well either. We coddled her to the end.

We were heartbroken.

After our adult children all moved away, Lily was the last living creature under our care. The house was empty without her, but we just didn’t feel like she could be replaced. We didn’t even consider adding any new creatures for a long time.

Dogs are a lot of work

As much as dogs enrich our lives, they also add a lot of complexity, responsibility and planning. They aren’t set and forget. It’s a big commitment. Once you bring another life on board, you’re responsible for it.

Leaving the house for extended periods of time is impossible unless you bring the puppy with you. If you’re lucky you have a dog sitter or can leave the dog with someone else. Sometimes you can’t find a solution and you just stay home.

Dogs need walking, no matter how crappy the weather is. Don’t feel like going out? Doesn’t matter. You’re going.

A new dog might wreck stuff- chewing on shoes, pooping on random things, peeing by the door. He or she might bark and make a lot of noise.

It might bite people and hurt them.

We decided not to get another pet. We wanted to be able to travel at a moment’s notice, without ruining the poor dog’s life by leaving it with anyone else. And we just didn’t want all the work.

To the rescue of a cat

A few months later, my wife rescued a terrified little girl that no one wanted.

It took a couple days before we could lure our new friend out from under the china cabinet. She didn’t trust us at all. I didn’t have much hope that this was going to work out. I thought we were wasting our time.

With a lot of effort and time, we convinced her that we were loaded with treats and fun to play with. She gradually started moving around the entire house and making herself at home.

We got a cat tree and set her up with toys. As she got to know us her personality came out. She’s feisty and energetic and cuddly, but a little pointy on four ends.

We named her Pakhet, after the Egyptian goddess, the Night Huntress. She fiercely patrols her environs, ridding it of any small flying insects and spidery crawlers.

She loves to race around. Her racetrack includes the back of the couch, a window ledge, and the cat tree. Sometimes she misses a leap and lands funny, then walks off the pain and with embarrassment, pretends it didn’t happen.

Pakhet is the first one up and the last one to bed, always waiting for us to appear in the morning and entertain her. And Pakhet’s claws are legendary, even in hell.

I feel protective of her

My feelings for Pakhet are stronger than they ever were for the puppies. Maybe because all of children moved on to their own lives, leaving my paternal instincts searching for some poor little critter to look after. Maybe because she’s so adorable and feisty. Maybe I’m just going soft.

We are this cat’s entire world. She doesn’t leave our house, and relies on us for everything. We rescued her, then gave her a home and our love. And now we are responsible. It’s up to us to live up to her trust.

We need to protect her well-being by being considerate of her feelings and needs. I never realized that cats could be this affectionate, or that cats could be so sensitive to things like changes in food, new people, or even new furniture. I definitely never imagined making different life choices to keep my cat comfortable!

I’m a better pet “owner” now

When I look back on our life with our various dogs, I can see that I didn’t always deserve them. They aren’t human, but being a mammal with feelings, how can we say that their feelings are less strong than ours?

Now that we have only one dependent creature, Pakhet, we give her a lot of attention. We aren’t focusing on our children and their needs at the expense of our pet’s feelings and needs.

Not only that, but children complicate the whole animal/ human dynamic by being cruel to a dog or cat when you aren’t looking, or feeding it piles of unhealthy human food, or letting it outside unattended so it can run away.

Countless other things could and do happen, meaning that in many ways a pet just means more work for a parent. That means sometimes, the dog loses out.

Our cat is the only kid in the house

Without children messing things up, I can be free to love the cat for what she is instead of being the referee at the main event that is three children and a pet in an enclosed space.

I realize that I like cats very much. My dislike of felines was misguided and misplaced. It was leftover programming from my childhood. I never chose dogs over cats, my dad and my grandfather chose that for me.

While writing this, I wonder how many other things I am programmed to believe about the world. What else am I missing out on because my parents or society told me how to think?

I’m really glad that my wife convinced me we were taking in a rescue. She changed my life.

How about you? Do you ever question your programming?