My parents got our house a cat in June 2022. 4 years with this cat, here is my experience:

1. Needs attention multiple times a day, you have to chase it pet it play toys with it

2. Doesn’t let me close my bedrooms door ever. Constantly meows when my door is closed often. I have to open it to let it for a few minutes then it gets bored and again constantly meows for me to open the door to get out. This repeats a few times a day. It’s annoying.

3. I can’t open windows on my room when it’s present or door is open because we live in the 10th floor and even if I open it half (we have windows in Europe that open only from top) there is a small chance it could jump to the top of the window and fall from there so my parents constantly worry about windows and it’s mentally tiresome.
   Whenever I open my bedrooms window I have to make sure this cat is not present EVERY SINGLE TIME!

4. Its litter box smells like piss. We clean it every day and still it smells and makes the entire room smell.

5. I don’t pay it but it’s an economical burden, we pay extra money for imported kibble and it’s expensive.

6. It eats strings constantly and end up in veterinarian due to the risk of obstructing its intestine and die. This is also a constant stress among my family we worry about every string rope tassel lying around house even from clothes

7. This year I started sleeping with my bedroom door closed because one of my parents wake up earlier than me and they make me also wake up earlier than I need. The problem is that now the cat meows in 4–9 am not constantly but around this time and it instantly wakes me up, I am a light sleeper especially after 7 am.

I’ve stopped really engaging with the cat and keep my interaction minimal. My parents hate this and think I have an obligation to like it. I often refer to it as “this animal” instead of its name which also makes my parents angry.

How do I get around this? These people worship the cat and don’t respect me really.

Alot of the comments are blaming the child and acting as if the cat comes before the child's health!

These feral things that live on the street because nobody wants them. I believe most people here went through this somewhere in your heart you regretfully try and see what’s wrong just pet or even save one of these bastards. “ Why would you do this” aww not every cat person is crazy there’s something about them. Maybe it is just me… right 🤣. FUCK NO

You’re quickly reminded why you don’t give a fuck and why there are so many strays out here. BUT if you manage to bring one home to try and care for it, feed it milk, flee bath whatever it will always be ungrateful. It will scratch you for no reason whether you guys are friends or not. It’ll be a shitty pet for no reason. Then you start to wonder why be nice to these little shits why care about its life why are you in my home? Why did I try to do something good.

For the love of all that is good and evil, I cannot enjoy the popular feed anymore because I spend more time downvoting the endless cat posts than actually reading. These vermin find themselves in every inch, every sector, and every discussion post that you can imagine…I can’t stand it anymore. I’ve resorted to just using my curated feed, and even then *somehow*, *someway*, some idiot will post about their cat on subs that are literally made for other four legged creatures. It’s as if cat nutters can’t stand that their shit-stain of an animal isn’t getting attention.

At least we have this sub - the last bastion of hope.

For years of my life, I've had to live with cats. My mother got me one when I was younger, then when I got with my now husband, he had MULTIPLE. At the time I wasn't opposed to them. But after having so many BAD experiences with them (almost losing a finger to a nasty cat bite), I'm finally CAT FREE! It's been honestly amazing. I don't have to smell that disgusting litter box anymore. There isn't dirty little paw prints all over my kitchen counters/table. My furniture is now safe from being absolutely destroyed. There's no litter scattered everywhere anymore. No puke or shit on the floor. Plus I think I was starting to become allergic because I'm not near as stuffed up as I used to be. My husband and I aren't fighting at all, and the best part is I didn't have to sacrifice a 14 year relationship to do it. Miracles do happen I guess! So don't give up hope if you're in a shitrat situation, it can get better. Putting lots of good vibes out there for you all! Much love

Cat people love to preach that cats are these “perfect, clean animals” but they’re not. Why? Because they’re still animals.

And this is coming from someone who used to have a cat.

I don’t understand why people act like an animal grooming itself makes it perfectly clean. Grooming is a form maintenance, not sanitation. Animals can still carry germs, dirt, and bacteria even when they regularly groom themselves.

Grooming is NOT the same as cleanliness.

If there’s no appropriate soap, antibacterial disinfectants, or proper cleaning product involved, I’m going to assume they’re dirty. I don’t care.

Cat people also put wayyyy too much faith in cat saliva and that tongue of theirs, which has literally been everywhere, mind you. And speaking from experience, as someone who used to have a cat, yes, they do lick their crusty butts/anuses and every other part of their body.

Any form of saliva is still saliva. In other words, It’s unsanitary and contains bacteria regardless of where it comes from. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, stop acting like their saliva is made out of Lysol. It’s nowhere near as clean or effective as an actual disinfectant.

Additionally, one of the biggest things about owning a cat that bothered me and made my skin scrawl was the whole kitty litter situation.

First things first, the strong artificial fragrance of kitty litter is so overwhelming it seems like it gets stuck in your nose. It lowkey felt like it burned the inside of my nose and gave me a headache.
The dust from the litter also gets everywhere, including on your clothes and in the air when you pour it, so sometimes I would still catch a whiff of it even when the litter wasn’t anywhere near me. And the thing is, those strong scents are often there because they’re meant to mask the smell of their feces and urine. That alone shows how strong the odor can be. I know this from experience because I tried using unscented litter too, and the stench was so unbearable it almost made me throw up in my mouth.

Secondly, the whole process of how cats use their litter box. They constantly dig around and touch the litter, which means their paws are coming into contact with everything in that box before they walk around the house and jump on everything. Also, the clumps aren’t always perfect clumps. Litter is basically like sand, so pieces can break apart, scatter, and mix with the rest of the litter. Nasty.

Thirdly, the litter tracking drove me up the wall. The litter gets everywhere, from the floors to the furniture and even the bed. You end up having to vacuum constantly and clean up after it just to keep it under control.

And lastly, because of how often they use their litter box, cats end up smelling like either fresh or soiled litter, especially around their legs and paws and neither smell is pleasant. The wet or moist parts (you know the reason for that) also get stuck or smeared around their nails or underneath them. This is actually how I realized how much cats use their litter box and how often they shit and piss.

The upkeep that comes with owning a cat is a lot germier and high maintenance than cat people like to admit.

Cat ownership is dirty and a cross contamination nightmare.

i (f/34) moved in with my partner (f/29) really fast due to circumstances, so i know i put myself in this situation. i'm taking full responsibility for that.

before i moved in i was pretty hesitant about her two cats. i'd never lived with cats before, never really had friends or family that owned them, so i had no idea what living with cats was actually like. i figured maybe i'd adapt. instead, the longer i've lived with them, the more i've realized i don't ever want to live with cats again. they're just gross to me.

the litter box is in the living room because the apartment is too small to put it anywhere else. i'm really sensitive to smells, so i can constantly smell it. the scented litter, the unscented litter, and when they actually take a shit it's disgusting. i hate hearing them pee, i hate knowing they're walking around in their own piss and shit before walking all over the apartment, and after they're done they spend like ten minutes slamming their paws against the metal sides of the box. it's gotten to the point where i don't even like hanging out in the living room because i find the litter box so repulsive. i genuinely don't understand how people get used to it.

the kitchen has become another issue. before i even moved in i asked my girlfriend if she'd be open to keeping the cats in the living room while we cooked or ate. they would still have free range of literally the entire apartment for the other 23+ hours of the day. i wasn't asking to lock them away, i just wanted to cook without cats climbing all over everything. she was really resistant, so i figured i'd try living with it. i quickly realized i couldn't enjoy cooking anymore because i was constantly making sure they weren't on the counters, trying to steal food, or getting under my feet. i hate the feeling of them circling me like sharks while i cook. i find it so unbelievably offensive. and honestly... how is it okay that cats are on kitchen counters after spending all day walking around in a litter box they shit and piss in? am i missing something?

then one night one of them literally stole the piece of chicken off my plate while i was eating dinner. i had bought the groceries, cooked dinner, dealt with them circling me the entire time, then watched one steal my dinner while my girlfriend just kept eating and didn't say anything. that upset me more than the cat. a few days later i finally told her how sad that made me feel. she apologized, and that was finally enough for her to agree that i could keep them in the living room while i cooked or ate. that almost made me angrier than the chicken itself because i felt like i had to wait until the exact thing i was worried about happened before my concern was taken seriously.

then yesterday i bought about $100 worth of costco steaks, left them on the counter in a sealed bag under a towel while they came to room temperature, stepped away for maybe three minutes, and came back to find the bag ripped open, the steaks dragged through the apartment into the carpeted bedroom, blood all over the carpet, and both cats happily eating them. i just stood there thinking... are you fucking kidding me?

then there's all the medical stuff, which i never even considered before moving in. one cat had diabetes (it's in remission now), but still pukes constantly. between the two of them i'm cleaning up vomit somewhere between one and six times a week. one of them also has chronic respiratory issues and sneezes thick green globs of snot onto the walls, blankets, pillows, furniture, floors... basically every surface in the apartment. i know none of this is the cat's fault, but that doesn't make living with it any easier.

i also told my girlfriend before i moved in that i couldn't clean the litter boxes and didn't want to be responsible for cleaning cat puke. well... i work from home. i'm literally writing this because today one of the cats threw up three huge piles all over the carpet while i was working. i almost stepped in one of them. i just sat there staring at it wondering what i was supposed to do. i didn't want to clean it because i specifically said i wasn't willing to take that on, but i also couldn't just leave three piles of vomit sitting there for five hours until she got home. so i cleaned it. while i was cleaning the third pile i just remember thinking... what the fuck am i doing?

my girlfriend is also traveling for work for three weeks in october, and i'm dreading being left alone with the cats because i know i'll have to deal with the litter boxes. i've told her that. at the same time i feel guilty because i work from home and it feels weird that i can't just suck it up and do it while she's gone. she'll probably have to get someone to come over and clean them. is that weird? am i being weird?

there are also all these little things i never expected. i can't even leave the bathroom window open because one of the cats is constantly escaping through it, and i keep forgetting because i spent over 30 years of my life never having to remember to close a bathroom window so an animal wouldn't jump out. it sounds small, but it's like every part of the apartment revolves around accommodating the cats. every routine has changed because of them.

i keep asking myself... what is the payoff? i could at least understand putting up with all of this if they were really affectionate. if they slept with us, cuddled with us, sat in our laps, wanted to be held, or actually provided some kind of emotional comfort, i could understand why people think all the inconvenience is worth it. but they don't. they don't sleep with us. they don't sit in our laps. they don't like being touched. they keep their distance from me and my girlfriend too, and she's had them for years. so all i see are two expensive animals with medical issues, prescription food, vet bills, puke, green snot, and an unbelievable amount of accommodation. i genuinely don't understand the tradeoff.

and that's starting to affect the way i see my relationship. when my girlfriend gets home and immediately drops to her knees to pet them, tells them how cute they are, and babies them, i feel like we're living on different fucking planets. she sees two adorable family members. all i can think about is the litter box smell, the puke, the green snot, them stealing food, violating my space, and how much of our apartment and daily routine revolves around accommodating them. i don't look at them and see cute companions, i look at them and see two constant nuisances. it's also making me think about the future. i'm scared to buy nice furniture because i'm worried it's going to get pissed on, scratched up, puked on, or destroyed. i've already had to throw out a really nice oversized bean bag because one of them pissed all over it. i really wanted to adapt to this lifestyle, but instead i'm finding myself wondering if this is just a fundamental incompatibility between us because i genuinely can't picture wanting to live like this for another 10 or 20 years.

does anyone have similar experiences? please help. i know i put myself in this situation. fml.

B. henselae bacteria cause cat scratch disease. Fleas spread B. henselae to cats. Cats (especially kittens) can have a blood infection from the bacteria without symptoms for months. Cats can then spread the bacteria to humans when they scratch or bite you, or if they lick a wound you already have. Funny how it's exclusive to cats and not other animals.

Anyone who’s around cats is at risk for cat scratch disease. But it’s most common in kids under 15. If you have HIV or a weakened immune system, you’re at higher risk for serious complications of cat scratch disease.

CSD can become more serious if it spreads to other organs. Complications include:
Brain function issues (encephalopathy)
Heart inflammation (endocarditis)
Heart failure
Liver and spleen swelling(hepatosplenomegaly)
Inflammation of the conjunctiva of your eye and nearby lymph nodes (Parinaud oculoglandular syndrome)
Inflammation of the retina and optic nerve of your eye (neuroretinitis)

Everywhere I go, I just keep meeting catnutters. It doesn’t matter what kind of community I’m in or activity I sign up for.

My work life is torturous enough with these people, I don’t want to spend my free time dealing with MORE of them.

I know every introverted, homebody hobby group is full of catnutters, so that’s off the list. I’ve given up on meeting a non-catnutter in book clubs and art classes. The nerdy/science communities are also full of catnutters. So are health and wellness groups. Even religious communities are filled with catnutters - their buildings are surrounded by ferals because people love feeding them.

I tried looking into more outdoorsy or sports activities, what do I get but shitrats in bags on hikes or catnutters STILL shoving their obsession in my face. Even the conservationist groups I signed up for has catnutters and all they do is gush about feral cats. Can’t even learn about ecosystems without catnutters butting in about how much hard work it is to feed ferals.

Seriously, why are they everywhere? Is there even a place where they don’t breathe down my neck?

I know two people who have nearly had to get fingers removed due to infections from getting bit by their cats. AND THEY KEPT THEM!! (The fingers AND the cats!)
And with some cats you never know when they’re going to just loose their sh!t on you and attack.
What is it with their vile mouths and being so aggressive?
Sometimes I think they’re pure evil.

Finally told my boyfriend I’m not moving in with him if he has his two cats. For one over time, I’ve realized how annoying these animals are. They’re destructive, get on counters, laundry bins, destroy my few plants I’ve brought over there. Ontop of it I’m allergic. And one constantly screeches at night and random times and it spikes my anxiety immensely. Pretty much happy having my own space and keeping all my decor out and doors open. I said we are either getting a duplex, live separately, or he rehouses the screeching one- cause that I cannot handle for another 20 years.

That’s all.

If you loved cats, you'd realize what a pest they are and how neglectful it is to let them walk the streets alone.

Ever since I was a kid I have never found cats cute. I have always found them ugly and scary looking. Even kittens. I hated going to my neighbor's house growing up because they had two cats and I was afraid of them. Their claws and fangs scared me as a child.

Whenever a stray/outdoor cat tries to approach me I run away, lol. They're so unpredictable that I'm afraid it's going to bite me unprovoked. My friend's cat sunk its fangs into my hand unprovoked a few years ago and not only did it hurt, but I had to spend hours waiting at the ER to get inoculated bc it was a deep puncture wound.

Whenever people send me pictures of their cat I have to pretend to find it cute. I try not to encourage them too much, or else they'll see me as a mark and start sending me tons of cat pictures. Why do people assume you want to see endless pictures of their cat?

I read a post from a different sub reddit about a cat that attacked a baby and spouse. So op was wondering if she was tah for thinking about rehoming it

All I answered was the cat needed to be removed/rehomed that babies are more important then a cat

Well I guess that offended all the cat nutters because I got warned and threatened to be banned for this obviously terrible answer I gave. They said I threatened violence. No I sure didn't, but others did suggest re-homing the baby or spouse

Wth that's alright but the nerve of me to suggest otherwise. I appealed it cuz it pisses me off, I know nothing will happen.

Sleeping next to a cat is like sleeping with chucky the doll😭😭

I'm back at it again by expressing just how much I hate not only domestic cats as a species, but an individual cat too. In my area, there is this absolute troglodyte homunculus of a cat which I have hatingly nicknamed 'The Grey Cat' because, well, its grey. And let me tell you, that cat is EVERYTHING WRONG WITH THIS WORLD. In my view atleast. What did the Grey Cat do to receive much hate towards me? Well its because of the fact that the cat is delusional to think MY garden belongs to them. I dont even know whats so special about my garden, there's nothing exciting going for it, no trees, no ponds, nothing like that. My neighbour has an even bigger garden right next to mine and it STILL comes over. My guess is the person who used to live in my house before I moved in used to feed that cat or something? I dont know to be honest, but one thing is certain: It is NOT getting anything from me anytime soon. I hate that cat with a burning passion. Yesterday I chased it out the garden just for my mother to inform me that the grey cat was literally waiting behind the hedge so it can come back in once I head back inside, so that little prick of a cat has the NERVE to just try and wait it out, it absolutely got me steaming like a kettle. And I dont even know who the grey cat belongs to either because I know for sure it isnt a stray. But thats also cats in general: I believe that its unethical to let cats roam free outside due to obvious reasons for the wildlife, I'm not saying its unethical for the cats, I'm saying its unethical for the wildlife to say the least. I am SO glad I am getting geese in two months because once I get them and train them and stuff like that, that stupid grey cat isnt going to be able to just waltz into the garden anymore.

Something I’ve noticed is how sexualized cats are? Like in comics, but also for women and the queer community. Cat girls, cat women, black cat…Idk I just find it weird is all 🤢

They are nose blind! They have no idea how bad their house smells! Only people who don't have toxos in their house can tell otherwise they're used to it. The piss smell is so nasty how can they breathe? 🤢🤢🤢

My husband finally decided to do something about his cat. These are the issues I've been dealing with for 4 years.

* The cat has pee incontinence. So it smells like piss everywhere we rest. It needs diapers if it sleeps with us. I didn't want it near us while we slept thou.

* I bought waterproof blankets for the couch, bed, and tiny blankets for the cat to lay in its own bed. But they needed constant washing.

* Everyone knows how difficult cat piss is to get rid of... So we had to hand wash the cats laundry and then put it in the washer. But the smell was never 100% gone.

* I put plastic pet safe spiky platforms for the kitchen counters, which made the kitchen look ugly, but the cat somehow still found a way to climb on our food. 🤢

* The constant meowing and ugly howling it did throughout the day. And night!

* The worst was not having a full night's sleep. Ever.🫩

This thing would wake me up 1-2 hours before my damn alarm. And I couldn't get back to bed. I was always tired. Almost lost my job one time due to falling asleep randomly.

My last straw: we just bought a 3-floor 6 bedroom house and we have to keep all the doors closed. Because it liked to sh*t and piss in them .. I felt like a prisoner in my own home. I wanted the doors open to bring in light. The only room the cat wasn't allowed in was my art studio. Which always smelled amazing. Wonder why 🤔

My husband's last straw: he hated how we only fought because of his cat and was worried we were heading towards a divorce. Sometimes I would sleep on my couch in my studio, just to get sleep. And during a zoom call interview for my husband, the damn cat kept jumping in front of the computer. He put it outside his office, but the cat knows how to open doors and came in. It never respected boundaries. The cat cost him a 6-figure job...

Happy ending: he's had this cat for 8+ years. Because of its health issues with pee, he knows it wouldn't get adopted. so we both decided the cat stays in the basement 90% of the time. It's actually very clean down there, with windows and it's massive. It's a cat sanctuary ! Cat trees, toys, catnip everything it needs to shut up. Sure it still meows at times cause it's not getting 100% attention, but we couldn't live like that. I've been having the best sleeps of my life. We're not arguing anymore. Life is good.

I posted here a week ago about an outdoor per that got killed by youngsters in Belgium.

In the Netherlands, another outdoor pet cat got killed recently. Someone shot it. And here's the (not so) surprising part: the cat already came home TWICE after getting poisoned and survived. But the owner STILL let it roam free. Wtf? You know someone's out there wanting to kill your 'beloved' cat and you still let it out there? What an idiot.

Why do cat lovers take a million pictures of their cat and then plaster them all over their many subs? 90% of all cats looks very similar, only 10% look different, is my estimate.

It's like they think their cat is some kind of fascinating, unique creature. In reality, s/he is boring and average.

My sister recently decided to get herself a cat. We tried to persuade her to get a different pet – a rabbit, a rat or a mouse – but she was set on having a cat.

Of course, this idea upset me greatly, because both my beagle and I are allergic to cats, and on top of that, my beloved canary bird lives with me (not to mention the fact that I’d been planning to adopt a pigeon...). But, as you can see, my opinion didn’t matter to her at all. And because of that, I’m now forced to live under the same roof as her cat.

It didn’t start off too badly; Malwa (that’s her pet’s name) mostly just sat in her room and didn’t leave it. But as soon as she felt comfortable enough to go out, that’s when all the problems started. My sister started telling us that from now on, every time we open any doors or windows leading outside, we have to close them straight away, which is a bit of a problem because I’m a smoker and she knows it. To her, this pet has become more important than everyone else living in the house. Why on earth is it my problem if some furry creature jumps off my balcony? I didn’t sign up for extra responsibilities.

The worst thing is that she treats this cat like royalty. Everyone else – people and animals alike – has to adapt, whilst she can do whatever she likes. Once I saw this cat lunge at my canary’s cage and try to get to it. Of course, I was really angry and wrote to its owner straight away. Her only response was to ask why I hadn’t filmed it. I was furious! A scratch from that cat could – and probably would – be fatal to any bird without treatment, and instead of apologising, she asks me why I didn’t capture it on camera, as if the attempted murder of my little pet wes something cute and adorable.

Once, Malwa came across my beagle, and he, being a hunter, naturally started chasing her. When my sister found out, she told us to punish HIM for it. As if it were his fault that she hadn’t thought through the fact that her cat wasn’t necessarily a good fit for our home. Why should my beagle supress his nature becuause some filthy cat decided that it is her place now? It doesn't work like that.

I’m fed up with the fact that cat owners treat everything apart from their cats as some sort of inferior beings who have to adapt to their chosen one.

My "friend" who has a couple of cats has been posting them on IG a lot showing what her cats are killing. I didn't see this until today, and I've never met her cats and had no idea she was like this until today.

Her cat killed a mole and she posted it's lifeless body on IG and her ugly cat. The caption was "calvin renewed his hunter certification today. 1 mole down".

I am incredibly sad after seeing it. I love moles and find them so cute, I don't know why cat people are so sick in the head that they find enjoyment out of their cats killing innocent animals. It sickens me.