Problems with cats. How CAN it be discussed then?

Dont you see though jjordie, its purely because you are a cat LOVER that you are prepared to forgive cats more than dogs or children.
Some people allow kids to do exactly as they like because they LOVE children.
Its a one sided view.

 

Mmmmmm cats, dogs and children - its abit difficult to compare them in practice.

Dogs can be trained and in the main look to you for affection, food, and a lead.

Kids can be trained and in the main look to you for the same things, til adolescence of course.

Cats look to you when they want to, have the art of rejection down to a fine art, and will do what you want them too when they want to.

If you have a cat that goes outdoors, it is impossible to train them to stay within your garden. If you keep them indoors, then gone are the days of open windows and doors without great care.

It may be that cats are popular pets because of their independance - a dog and a child need a lot more attention.

Unless cats are banned as pets - then its just a case of living with the effect of them - and as I said before, I'd rather them, than white fly and vine weevil.

 

I like all you say, Fran - just one thing - usually you don't have the choice between having either cats, or those two... and you could have all 3 :eek:

And I don't know anyone who keeps vine weevils or white fly as pets..... wonder if you could train them :rolleyes:

 

I spotted my first greenfly this week

 

I see what you are saying Pete but dogs can/should be trained and obedient, likewise children, all done in the nicest possible way I hasten to add. But cats are free spirits and do what they want to do, which I suppose is what annoys most people that do not like cats. They can be taught various things I know but if they don't choose to comply then they don't! :D

Fran like what you say and agree BUT ban cats as pets??? :eek: :D

 

That might be true in some cases, pete, but I'd take a bet that many parents allow kids to do what they like because they either can't be bothered to discipline their children or haven't a clue how to do so.
In earlier generations parents generally disciplined their children much more; it certainly didn't mean that the kids weren't loved. My own parents were fairly easy going, but If I stepped a bit too far out of line the resulting punishments were all-the-more effective for being so infrequent. I see so many kids being moaned at all the time these days by grim-faced parents not much older than their offspring with the result that the complaints just become the norm and the kids take no notice of them.

 

Good point there, Jack. My sister-in-law had five well-disciplined kids and when I asked her what her secret was she told me "You let them get away with the little things so when you take them to task over a big thing they know you mean business!"

From what I observe in the supermarkets, mums either totally ignore their screaming, whining kids or are constantly screaming back at them with a terrible expression of anger. The kids take no notice of her frustration because that obviously how mum always 'talks' to them!

 

If you can be bothered, and put up with the unsightly bit, one thing that stops cats wandering over borders is 2" mesh plastic mesh. It means hours of painstaking cutting gaps in the mesh to go around plants but it does stop them. The problem is that I have a fairly large garden which is why I found other ways but we won't go into that!

As far as kids are concerned, perhaps there ought to be a test before people are allowed to even have kids. Oh, and dogs too. And cats.

:-D

 

Dendy it would so useful if you could indeed train white fly and vine weevils :D :D

 

:D