Why DO we have cats??

[Linda_Wells]

Apart from the problems with Ben, on  Wednesday a.m. Peaches was sick on the carpet. Thursday a.m. Rosie and Saffie were sick on the carpet.
Last night Oscar caught a bird (Malcolm went out in his underpants to rescue it - not a pretty sight!) This morning Saffie used the litter tray in the bathroom (put there because Ben went in to do his business on the bath mat) - and missed! I smelt this awful pong in bed, couldn't find it until I went into the bathroom.
Tia is using the net curtains as a ladder, Rosie has the snuffles again (MORE antibiotics!)
<<sigh>>
And it's sooo difficult to type with a Siamese cat sitting in your arms purring into your ear!
I suppose that says it all!
Linda

[quenelle]

Why DO we have cats?  In particular Siamese cats?  It's because deep down we must be masochists!  We love the sound of their voices as they 'speak' to us.  We adore the fact that they climb everywhere that they shouldn't, knock things over and smash things as they just aren't as graceful as they look - they're AWKWARD!  They help themselves to our food, they are past masters in the art of stealing, they chew our belongings, they are so naughty that they have us in tears, then while sitting weeping one feels a little graceful paw tapping our shoulder and our heart melts again!  That's WHY we have cats, in particular Siamese cats, they give so much love and devotion.  When I bought my first Siamese cat around 25 years ago, I asked the breeder how I should treat him, her reply was "Like a mentally deficient four year old child!"  That's it in a nutshell!

[Chaos_and_Company]

Woke up this morning plodded out to the kitchen, to brew some coffee, an absolute must in our house.  One eye open and the other one blurry from sleep, as I made my way to the coffee machine.  Oops!! Splat!  Right into a big gooey, barf.  There is nothing like cold, slimy barf, on your bare foot to start your day off.
After cleaning my foot off, I rounded the island to make the coffee and there was another vomit...just waiting for an unsuspecting human to step into.
With coffee cup in hand, sat down at the computer to calm my nerves and read the new posts...'Why Do We Have Cats?'
At that particular point in time I didn't have the foggiest idea why anyone in his or her right mind would want one of these furry abominations.
I continued to read on climbing up curtains, hmm, "They've been there done that"...litter box missing, "Oh yeah, that happens frequently."  Then I started adding in some of my own pet peeves, scratching new couch, even though I spent beau coup money to buy them a fancy scratching post, knocking down lamps, vases and anything that is in their flight path.  I began to wonder why I liked cats at all, never mind why I had them.
Then I read Linda's last paragraph how it was difficult to type on the computer with a Siamese cat sitting on your arms and purring in your ear. I smiled to myself and thought...
That's why we love them and can't do without them.
They are such a comfort, when you may be feeling a little lonely, or sad.  The cat is always there with a warm cuddly body, and a calming purr to cheer you up.
Let's face it most of the time you have to laugh at some of the things that they do, even when they are not to our liking.  After all we are not purrfect either.  What would we do without cats in our lives, I think there would be a very large void, I know there would in mine.

Bobbie

[Linda_Wells]

Malcolm says a Siamese cat is twice,
Twice as noisy, twice as clumsy, twice as silly, twice as destructive... etc?
Linda

[Miles]

Any excellent question, Linda....tho we have so far been very lucky with both Bailey and Ribbons - we've never had a litter "accident", we've never stepped in a pool of barf at 4:00AM, and they've never used any of our furniture as a scratching post....but also we're not so naive to believe that none of these things will ever happen...!
Why do we have cats...specifically, why do we have SIAMESE cats...?  Here's why (an excerpt from a project I'm working on):

"Not even a goldfish..."....that's what Debbie and I had always said whenever the subject of pets was brought up.  It's not like we were strangers to having animal companions, we had both grown up with them and had them in our own families as well...we just felt it wasn't time for us to consider bringing a cat or dog into our home, and right up until it "happened" we both felt we would probably never actually do it...but things DO change, don't they...?

So why did we decide on Siamese cats...why not a dog?  My mother breeds dogs - dachshunds and shih-tzus - we could have easily had one of those, or literally any breed we desired with my Mom's contacts in the dog breeding circles...so why not a dog...?

We like dogs just fine, we've both had some great ones in our past...but as we're currently living in a 2nd floor apartment, we have no "yard" to speak of - the prospects of taking a dog out for a walk 3 or 4 times a day/night rain or shine, or in the middle of an old-fashioned New England "Nor'Easter" winter blizzard did not hold a great deal of appeal for us.  Not so for a cat, they're much more suited to living exclusively indoors...but that's the easy answer - there are many reasons beyond that.  Even if we had the right residential conditions to own a dog, I'm quite sure we still would have decided on a cat.

But why a Siamese...?  Aren't they noisy, mischievous, always looking for trouble...?  If that's what you've heard about Siamese, you probably heard it from someone who doesn't much care for cats anyway...!  I grew up with two Siamese and was familiar with the breed and its traits before Deb and I made the decision to get our own, so allow me dispel these notions as best I can:
"Noisy" - yes, they DO talk...in fact, you can have a running conversation with them...after spending a very short time with a Siamese in your home, you will come to know exactly what they're saying to you - and it goes much deeper than almost all other breeds, whose "verbal" communication most often consists of little more than "I'm hungry - feed me" or "let me out/in".  
"Mischievous" - that's a tough one, because there is probably some truth to that (probably..??)...but it also points to one of the most desirable qualities of a Siamese: intelligence.  Siamese are quite possibly the most intelligent breed of housecat there is...it takes intelligence and a reasoning mind to be "mischievous", and perhaps the reason they may be more so than other breeds is due to the fact that they're simply "smarter than the average cat".  This is not to say that other breeds of cats aren't intelligent, aren't "the sharpest pencil in the box", because that's not always true...but if you have ever had contact with a Siamese, I think you'll know what I'm talking about.  
"Always looking for trouble" - this points to another uniquely Siamese trait - an insatiable curiosity about their world and everything in it (and by logical extension - YOUR world and everything in it..!).  Siamese seem to be on an eternal (and most often nocturnal...!) quest to understand the "why" and "how" of the universe they inhabit...and if that isn't the evidence of a reasoning mind, I don't know what is...!  This is exactly what we were looking for in a companion animal - intelligence, communication, affection, a joyful willingness to participate in our lives....this is why we have Siamese cats...and if you need yet another reason, I can only offer this:

"Dogs don't purr"

Miles

[Ann]

Good question Linda! There is currently an article on www.catsup.co.uk/ann's%20page.htm entitled "The Change of Life" which details all the changes I've made in the 2 years the boys have been living with me. I stopped at change number 19 as I was beginning to get shell shocked!

quenelle

Welcome to the Board. Please tell us about your cats, past and present. I like the sound of the breeder you mentioned!

Ann

[quenelle]

Hi Ann.  Thank you for your welcome!  I own one Siamese cat at the moment and have a lodger.  My neighbour fell in love with my two Bluepoint Siamese about a year ago.  Henry, unfortnately died last year aged 12 years.  Oliver pined for him, then my neighbour bought a Sealpoint kitten, and named him 'Trevor'!!!

Trevor promptly moved in with us, he visits home occasionally and the people he owns are kind enough to pay all of his Vet. bills!  I don't think that Trevor really knows where he should live, but I do think that he likes to be with Oliver, well, that's what I tell my neighbour anyway.

Oliver is a real character.  Now nine years old and very handsome, I could be a little biased I suppose.  He is extremely intelligent like most Siamese, but at times can be a bit stupid, such as falling out of trees.  We all admire their beautiful graceful shape but as we all know, they can be incredibly awkward.  He has 'played up' a bit since we lost Henry.  At night he will go out through his cat flap, then climb over the roof of our two story house and howl outside the bed-room window to be allowed in.  He does actually sleep in our bed!  On the third or fourth 'letting in' I am just about exhausted and am always aware that I might knock him off the roof as I open the window, which is set in a steeply sloping roof.

Oliver has found that if he rattles the door knocker then the door magically opens!  My grand daughter coined the phrase.  'Oliver let me feel his teeth!'  If he doesn't want to be stroked or fussed then he does just that and if you persist, then the bites get a little harder, the children know this now so always give him the respect he deserves, and should be given.

Trevor too is a real character!  Once got himself stuck on a chimney pot, he had been there for hours with so many of us trying to persuade him to come down.  He must have been getting desperate with the call of nature, in the end he climbed right on top of the pot, positioned himself just right and wee'd down into the chimney.  Every one just collapsed with laughter!  He came down unharmed soon after.  

I've really enjoyed reading about all the other cats, this is a lovely site.

[Daisy]

:-*Daisy's Ladyperson again, why do we have cats?  Because we NEED somebody to tell secrets to.  Even the most secret of secrets has to be spread and Siamese cats just lay in your arms, give long langorous blinks and listen. They don't interrupt or judge and they DON'T WATCH WRETCHED FOOTBALL!

Our daughter is an only child and when she was little she needed somebody to tell her troubles to, how awful Mum and Dad were, and what had happened at school today - and so there was Peanuts - seal point and just like a baby.

We all need somebody to confide in and cats are exactly right!
M

[Ann]

quenelle,

I enjoyed reading about your cats. It just goes to show that the old saying about cats choosing you, rather than the other way around isn't far from the mark. Trevor clearly knows where he wants to be!

Ann