
Cats are the best. Sure, dogs are man’s best friend, but cats are the real deal. Take a glance at
this picture of my beloved cat Lily and tell me to my face that she’s not the best pet in the world.
Here are ten reasons why cats are the best.
1. They Rule The House
The great Winston Churchill said it best: ‘dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs see us
as equals.’ Cats know their place in the household hierarchy and it’s at the very top, above the
humans and especially above the dog. Whichever seat they’re in is their seat (Lily loves stealing
seats). They don’t like their food? You bet you’ll be buying them a new one. The dog will whine
when the kitty is in his bed, but won’t do a thing to stop it. Whatever the case, they rule the
house and they know it. It doesn’t matter how nervous or skittish they are when you bring them
home for the first time, they’ll have you wrapped around their paw within days. I’ve even heard
of cats who force their owners to cede to a certain bedtime. Every whim is catered for. They
probably have a better bed than you. Their cat bed costs more than your children’s toys.
Would you have it any other way? No.
2. They’re Cute and Soft
Let’s not beat about the bush here. Cats are VERY cute. There’s a reason why pictures and
videos of cats get a hell of a lot of likes online. Whether it’s their little triangle ears, pretty fur or
long tails, you can’t help but admire those little creatures. They use this to their advantage when
they’re in trouble too- you can’t get angry at that precious face. Unless they’re a sphinx, they’re
also very soft. Lily for example isn’t particularly fluffy, but she’s very soft, which we put down to
her excellent grooming and us brushing her.
3. They’re Funny and Quirky
Cats are weird. That’s just a fact. They have weird little quirks and acts that we just adore.
Perhaps they only eat in a certain way, sleep in an odd position or have an unusual item that
they’re obsessed with. If you have more than one, perhaps they alternate between being the
best of friends and mortal enemies. They also definitely make odd noises, especially if they’ve
seen a bird. No cat is the same, which makes them unique. Lily, for example, loves being
brushed and lets us touch her tummy, which most cats would NOT allow. She’s also a bit of a
dumbass. Whatever the case, every cat has something about them, usually something that
makes us laugh. After all, they don’t *always* stick the landing.
4. They’re Athletes
When they do stick the landing, however, it’s quite something. Cats are pretty amazing apex
predators, so lithe and athletic. They jump up into spots that make you question just how they
did it. Lily once got up onto the roof of the house, which was impressive until we had to fetch her
down (and the fact it was the middle of the night). They leap and climb onto doors and walls and
all number of other things. So long as they don’t require you to get them down, it’s cool.
5. They Sometimes Come Via The Cat Distribution System
The Cat Distribution System is the theory that the universe presents you with a cat in unusual
circumstances when you are ready to receive it. There are thousands of stories of people
finding cats in their gardens, garages, cars, dumpsters and all manner of random places. These
thousands of stories have one thing in common: the cat gets adopted by the finder. Imagine
being a sad little stray who appears at the door of a house, meows sadly and is cute enough to
get away with it. To paraphrase something I read online, it’s a pretty impressive evolutionary
trait.
6. They’re Useful
Cats are also terribly useful animals. Historically, they’ve been mousers and pest catchers. This
is the role that your barn cat might have. Even if you have a house cat, they’re more than likely
to catch and kill spiders. Can your chihuahua do that? Didn’t think so.
7. They’re Not Easy To Please
We never really domesticated cats in the way that we did dogs, which means they’re a lot more
independent. Therefore, we must try just that bit harder to befriend them. That’s not to say every
cat won’t immediately be your best friend and that every dog will be your BGF straight away, but
as a rule, you have to work to please them. I once got to stroke the incredibly beautiful but
notoriously shy cat from down the street and whilst I haven’t been able to do it again, it was
pretty awesome. It makes it all the better when they do respond to you, like when you study
really hard for a test and do well. At least the test won’t make you cry.
8. They Win Hearts (And Steal Them)
Cats seem to know when someone isn’t a cat person, and will target them until they’re suddenly
feline fanatics. I can’t tell you the number of stories I’ve read of people who weren’t cat people,
got a pet via the CDS and suddenly fell in love with them. It’s likely down to the bad rep cats
have compared to dogs.
One of my favourite things is the Cat Being A Homewrecker. The men in the household, usually
husbands/partners or fathers, are the ones who generally fight against getting the cat, or come
into the relationship after the pet has been adopted. They will proclaim their disdain for the cat,
but will soon fall in love. The woman may care for the cat, feed it, clean up its droppings etc, but
the cat will solely become devoted to the man. There’s a fantastic FB group called ‘This Cat is
Jolene.’ In it, women will show pictures of their cat cuddling with and loving the men of the
household. The cats often look smug or even murderous when a picture is taken of them.
Imagine being replaced by a tiny animal.
9. They’re Actually Sweethearts
Cats have a reputation for being evil and that is not fair. They may not be as buddy buddy as
your Labrador, but they are fundamentally sweet animals. Cat owners will surely have evidence
of their pet cuddling happily up to them on the sofa, purring away whilst being stroked. They’re
also often very nursing when a human is poorly or feeling low, cuddling up to them until they’re
better and not leaving their side. It’s said that cat purrs are actually healing. I’ve also seen lovely
pictures of cats who are devoted to human babies and children. They will stay by the side of
babies and let children handle them in ways that they wouldn’t let an adult do. Whilst your cat
might not be as open with their affections, they do love you.
10. They Rule The World (And The Internet)
I maintain the theory that cats remember that they were worshipped by the Ancient Egyptians
and have never quite forgotten that. For centuries, cats have been revered across religions,
cultures, societies and groups:
● Muslims believe that cats were favoured by the Prophet Muhammad
● Cats are prominent in Japanese folklore and history
● The Chinese goddess Li Shou is often depicted as a cat
● Cats were a protected species in Wales all the way back to 936 AD
● Ancient Romans considered cats a symbol of independence
● Ancient Egyptians were famous cat lovers, to the point that killing a cat was a major
crime
● Cats in Turkey are particularly respected, and stray cats in Istanbul are famous for being
treated well
● Cats in Russia are perceived as being lucky and are permitted to enter temples
We have many historical figures who loved animals:
● Florence Nightingale owned over sixty cats in her lifetime, believing them to be uniquely
empathetic and intelligent. She spoiled her cats, giving them special plates and letting
them scamper about the place.
● Freddie Mercury was very much a cat person, and had a number of very spoiled feline
pets.
● Victor Hugo adored cats and wrote about them frequently in his diaries.
● Mark Twain loved cats, frequently walking about his house with one in his pocket or his
arms. When his beloved cat went missing, he put out an ad in the paper with a $5 for his
reward. He wrote about the independence of cats and how they bowed to no man. He
also trained his cats, which is no mean feat.
● Ernest Hemingway was famous for his love of cats. His home in Key West, Florida, is
famed for the many polydactyl (six toed) cats that visitors may admire.
● St. Gertrude of Nivelles is the patron saint of cats.
● Pope Paul II loved cats in a time when they were considered in league with Satan. His
personal physician attended to his cats and he mourned when it died.
● Catherine the Great was more delighted by the gift of a cat than of expensive jewels,
calling the Angora ‘the cat of all cats.’ She had two cat colonies in her palace, and
working pusses got pay and rations.
● Abraham Lincoln coddled his cats, giving them food from the table and taking on strays.
During one war meeting, Lincoln had three kittens cuddled on his lap and ensured
afterward that they were cared for.
● Edward Lear was a cat lover whose beloved tabby Foss appeared in numerous works,
letters and was even apparently the inspiration for ‘The Owl and the Pussycat.’ Foss
received a grand funeral, headstone and obituary.
● Théophile Gautier was probably the biggest of all cat people. The French literary great
wrote a book about his domestic life with cats, and often waxed lyrical about their
greatness. His grave even has a carved cat placed upon it.
For centuries, we’ve loved them. It was the internet, however, that made cats even more
accessible. Cats cover the internet, from memes to beloved Instagram accounts. A particularly
famous cat can make their owners millions from advertising. Well-known cats and memes
include:
● I Can Haz Cheezburger?
● Nyan Cat
● Grumpy Cat (Tardar Sauce)
● Lil Bub
● Jorts
● Tombili
● Larry the Chief Mouser
● Mayor Stubbs
● Longcat
● Tater Tot
If you have a cat and you put a picture of it online, it’ll likely get more likes than your normal
posts. Don’t take it personally, your cat is cuter than you.
At the end of the day, dogs may be man’s best friend, but cats are far and away the superior
animal. Now go scoop its litter box as it gives you a death glare for existing. Shoo!
I’ve been bitten and/or scratched by many a cat in my day, including the one I let live with me to save her from being executed by her former owner. She liked to hide behind my couch, wait for me to walk by, then leap out and scratch the s*** out of my legs.
My rescue mutts would never.
Team dog.Report
Also Team Dog. Although some dogs are assholes (and were probably made that way by asshole humans who mistreated them as puppies), the vast majority of dogs are very eager to please their people and as a result are generally just doofuses. Adorable doofuses.
Cats? Some cats are sweet and loving. Some cats are aloof and demanding. And some cats are actually psychotic. This seems less to do with how well treated they were by humans as kittens, and more the product of their personalities and/or mental disorders. You do not want a cat with too rich of an inner life.Report
Cats don’t slobber or bark. Their fur doesn’t make your hands greasy. They purr. I’m sorry if a mistreated cat scratched and bit you. Mistreated dogs kill children. Cats!Report
Toxoplasmosis isn’t that bad, really. It’s got upsides, anyway.
And falling asleep with one of them under your hand? I can’t imagine falling asleep any other way.Report
Until it randomly decides it no longer wants to be touched , and instead of just… moving away, like a sensible creature, sinks its teeth into you instead.Report
Those are just toothy kisses.Report
Maru is missing from your list.
https://www.youtube.com/user/mugumogu/videos
No list of famous internet cats is complete without Maru.Report
For me, this is the ultimate cat video: https://youtu.be/JW2CiTVUfhc?feature=sharedReport
Of all God’s creatures there is only one that cannot be made the slave of the lash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat.
– Notebook, 1894Report
I prefer dogs, not least because you can eventually train them not to poop in your house.Report
A misconception…you didn’t train your dog not to poop in the house. Your dog trained you to take it out daily, rain or shine, to leave its crap on the neighbor’s lawn (or, ick, pick the stuff up with a baggie.) A well-tended cat’s litterbox in an out-of-the-way corner is a once-a-week hassle. No fuss. No muss. Cats!Report
My wife and I are both animal lovers, but she came into the relationship preferring dogs and I’ve always been more of a cat person. When we bought our first house and figured we would be settled there a while (over three decades ago), we got a cat and a dog from the shelter.
Since then we’ve had about 10 other cats (multiples at a time, largely due to the cat distribution system) and no other dogs — the main issue for us was mainly that dogs have to be walked, even when it’s 10 below outside, and my wife left those freezing walks to me to take on. Also our dog was quite protective with us and hostile to other dogs, which caused us a decent amount of hassle.
Dogs are fine but cats are (mostly) easy. And we’ve been lucky to have a lot of very friendly lap cats. We did have one foisted on us who terrorized the kids and the other cats, but we were able to pass her along to a cat-free family after a few months, where she was a lot happier.Report
The cat distribution system is no joke. There should be someone that we could write a letter to.Report
That first cat was the only one we got where the intention to get a cat was the first step of the process.Report
Domestic cats kill on the order of a billion songbirds per year, just in the US. It’s easy to tell you’ve moved into a neighborhood with a thriving feral cat colony because there are no squirrels or other small rodents, and no songbirds.Report
When I owned a house on the NW side of Chicago, there was a feral cat colony nearby. They must have been terrible hunters because we had birds aplenty (yay!) and squirrels galore (BOO! I used to take potshots at them with my son’s BB gun. I knew it wouldn’t do anything, but it gave me great satisfaction.)Report
Simple solution…just don’t let songbirds into your house (or your cat out.) Cats!Report
I grew up with dogs and during my marriage we had a dog. When my youngest and I moved to Florida she talked me into getting a cat. Cats and Dogs both have their points, but cats are much less maintenance.
The cat is a true emotional support animal for her so I’m really glad we got him. He fits our current lifestyle better because we don’t have a yard.Report
Among historical figures who loved cats, I’ll add Andy Warhol and his famous 25 cats all named Sam.Report