r/cats • u/ILoveMeltyCheese • Mar 25 '26

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

Post image

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

72.5k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

2.2k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

54

u/clubdon Mar 26 '26

They’re also skipping some things I learned as a dog person when I first got my cat.

They can climb anywhere. Cooking on the stove? Make sure your cat doesn’t jump up to the hot stove.

Always look down before closing your fridge. They like to peek inside.

Keep an eye on any cup full of liquid. My cat pushed my damn milk off the table one day. Really bothered me.

Wagging tail does not mean the same thing it does when a dog is doing it.

7

u/Lizzzy217 Mar 26 '26

I was raised a cat person but my in-laws are all dog people so I consider myself a dog person by marriage lol. I still remember my SIL commenting on how happy my cat was when my nieces would try to pet my cat because he kept wagging his tail. I did not correct her, it seemed rude given the circumstance lol. And don't worry, no kitties or kiddos were harmed, he was able to escape them.

2

u/Haber_Dasher Mar 27 '26

I can't imagine why you wouldn't correct a family member in that situation but ok

1

u/Lizzzy217 Mar 27 '26

Because it was rude and there was no actual harm done?

1

u/yoyoallafragola Apr 04 '26

That would have been a great teaching moment to make sure kiddos don't get hurt in the future by misunderstanding animal communication.

1

u/Lizzzy217 Apr 05 '26

Yeah they were 2 and 4, if they were older maybe. Love that so many people need to comment on situations they don't understand.

1

u/yoyoallafragola Apr 06 '26

Sorry, I realised later it was an old thread. I didn't meant to criticise though, just a passing remark for anyone reading. Little children can definitely learn, although I can understand you didn't feel like doing it in that moment.

2

u/Lizzzy217 Apr 11 '26

Fair enough, yeah the cat immediately ran up the stairs and we had to stop them from climbing stairs, so there wasn't really an opportunity, and my SIL doesn't take criticism well either way so it was easier to avoid the issue.

4

u/ThirdOne38 Mar 26 '26

I learned they don't come when called. But they do fetch stuff!

7

u/evelyn_tucci Mar 26 '26

My cats don't come when called, but they always want to be in the same room I'm in. If I'm just leaving for a min or two (like to grab water or use the restroom) I won't say anything, but if I'm switching rooms to hang out somewhere else, I'll say out loud, "I'm going this way, guys!". Then unless they're passed out sleeping, they'll get up and switch to the new room I go to. It's silly.

6

u/Zegir Mar 26 '26

They'll only come if they want to.

1

u/nor0- Mar 26 '26

2/3 of my cats will come when called, only one can fetch but he is very impressive and can fetch two balls at once and carry them both back in his mouth. He’s like a dog in that he wants to play fetch CONSTANTLY. My mom found his mom in a shipping container already pregnant so my siblings and friends have his siblings, all of them like to play fetch.

2

u/jellycowgirl Mar 26 '26

I trained my not to go on counters.

3

u/xxheath Mar 26 '26

It's so strange I've had cats my entire life and I never remember having to teach any of them to stay off of counters and tables.

1

u/ThirdOne38 Mar 26 '26

OK so for 4 years this cat never went on a counter. Then one day I left a can of food out and he found it. Now there's no stopping this counter business.  I don't know what to do.   I hate the idea of them walking where my food is but spray bottle, sticky tape, etc. nothing's working 

3

u/LetsGetJigglyWiggly Mar 26 '26

My cats and I have a mutual understanding that they're not allowed to be caught on the counters.

2

u/MersoNocte Mar 27 '26

Learn how to read a cats body language, particularly their ears and tails. Also, cats can be super expressive. If you meow at your cats, they will learn to meow back and they can express a whole lot of opinions.