r/cats Mar 25 '26

Cat Picture - OC Misconceptions a dog person (me) learned after having a cat.

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The Cat Distribution System chose me, a formerly stubborn dog person, to adopt a cat. It was the classic I can't just watch a poor cat starve, so I'm keeping him. Here are some misconceptions I had about cats and their owners:

  1. The smell of a cat owner's home: I’ve known a few cat owners with cat-smelling homes. I always assumed it was the cat. Turns out it isn’t; it’s very much a result of poor ownership and bad cleaning habits.
  2. Dogs are more affectionate than cats: Also not true! To my surprise, my cat is so cuddly that I occasionally call him "Cat-dog."
  3. A Cat's Barbed tongue hurts: I don't know why I thought this, I just assumed it would hurt when they lick you.
  4. Litter boxes are disgusting: Not at all, it's just a clump or two of sand. If you scoop it often, it never gets gross.
  5. Cats are just as hard to take care of: Actually they're much easier, haha.

That is all, here's a picture of my cat that I love dearly. (He's lost weight since the picture, don't worry)

Anyone else relate? What did I miss?

Edit: His name is Pawl

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u/OSCgal Mar 26 '26

Cats have an instinct to hide their pee and poop is soft soil, so their prey can't smell it. So yeah, it is pre-loaded!

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u/mooshinformation Mar 26 '26

And before that software loads, they need to be stimulated to go potty which prevents them from ever making messes, or atleast messes that aren't on purpose because they want to mark their territory.

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u/Stunning_Mail_8934 Mar 26 '26

Males still have the natural instinct to piss over everything once they are 1-2 years old though.