Making the decision to get a cat was one of the best
decisions I've ever made but it was not one that I took
lightly. I did a lot of research into the pros and the cons.
In today's video, I am going to share the pros and cons of owning a cat.
Hello hello! Welcome back to The Whole Happy Life. I am Ria.
Today's video is a special video because it was requested by
a subscriber. She was curious about getting a cat and she wanted to know the
benefits of having a cat but I think that beyond
the benefits, it's really important to know the cons
as well. When you know the pros and cons you can make an informed decision.
Before we get into the core of this video I wanted to provide a little bit
of context. One: this video is about the pros
and cons of strictly indoor cats. My experience with cats has
been with indoor cats. The pros and cons of an
outdoor cat will be a little bit different. The second thing I want to
mention is that I've had both cats and dogs in
the past so a lot of what I'll be mentioning in this video is from my
personal experience of having both cats and dogs and I'll
also be talking about things that I learned from books and other resources.
You can find the links in the description. Let's begin.
Number one: cats can be wonderful companions
and this is the biggest pro for me personally.
I got my first cat in 2013 at a time when i was feeling very
lonely. I was working from home alone and I was going through some tough emotional
times because a family member had passed away and I needed that companionship. I
craved it and I got my first cat and he was a
wonderful companion. He brightened my day.. I felt less alone ...he brought a lot of
peace and comfort into my life. So if you're looking for a companion a
cat can be a really great choice. Number two cats can be very entertaining.
There is a reason why cat videos are the most popular videos on YouTube.
Cats are very entertaining. Every single day
I get a good laugh out of something that they've done. They entertain me every
single day... they bring a lot of joy and laughter
into my household so I think that is definitely a very big
pro. Number three: cats can be affectionate
and give you a lot of love. There is this big myth out there that
cats are not affectionate and they're incapable of giving you love
and that they're selfish. I used to believe this myth but now that
I've had three cats and I've also had a dog
I recognize the fact that cats can be very affectionate
but their affection is different from a dog. So if you are
looking to get a cat and you've only had experience with dogs
know that the affection from a cat is just going to be given in a slightly
different way. It's not as you know.. forward.. it's not as
"in your face" as a dog and it takes a little bit of
time to earn their trust so you can get their affection.
When I got my first cat it took about three weeks for him to really warm up to me and
once he did, he was very, very, very loving. I have to say he was
more loving than the dog I used to have.. so each cat and each dog is different but
don't believe the myth that cats are not affectionate. They can be very
affectionate. Number four: cats can reduce stress and
anxiety. I used to be a very stressed out and very anxious person
and I have to say that since I got the cats I
am less stressed out and much less anxious than I used to be. I've made
other changes too but having the cats just brings that sense of calm and peace
into my life so that's definitely a very big pro.
Number five: cats can be good for your health in different
ways. So I'm gonna put a few links in the description in case you're interested in
learning more but I wanted to mention two things here.
One is that cats can reduce the risk of heart disease. I thought that was really
interesting when I found out that there's some research on that.
The other thing that they said was that cats can help
women especially sleep better and I do find that that is the case.
When I sleep next to my cat I have a much better
night's rest compared to when they're not around so I definitely do think that
they can have a positive impact on your health. Number six: cats
can be ideal for apartment life. Now this is not a pro for
everybody ..if you live in a house this might not be applicable but if you live
in a small space like I do ..if you live in an apartment..
it is something to consider when you're getting a pet. I
initially wanted to get a dog but because I live in an apartment
I decided against it. I just wasn't comfortable with the idea of having a
dog in the apartment.. not enough space to run
around. I used to have a very small apartment before
so I ended up getting a cat. So if you are debating between a cat and a dog do
consider your lifestyle.. consider where you're living because it
does have an impact on the pet. Number seven: cats are relatively low
maintenance pets. I want to underline the word
relatively ...they're not completely low maintenance.. there are things that you
still have to do but compared to a dog I do find that
they are lower maintenance. When I had a dog he had to
be walked every day... he also had to be bathed regularly.. he would get into a lot
of things....he was quite high maintenance. Now that I have cats I
realize how much less I have to actually do for them
compared to a dog. So if you're someone who's looking for a
lower maintenance pet a cat can be a good decision. Number eight: cats
don't smell. So I have a very sensitive sense of smell
so this was a consideration for me. I've had dogs in the past
and with dogs the thing is that they do smell a little bit especially on the
rainy days... that wet dogs smell.. it it permeates the entire place but
with cats I found that they don't smell as
much. I could pick up my cats and sniff them
and they don't smell like anything. With cats the smell really comes from
their litter box.. if you keep their litter box clean...the
cats themselves don't smell very much so that was definitely a pro in my opinion.
Number nine: no loud noises. So cats are all different some are more vocal
than others but in my personal experience I have found that cats
are much much quieter than dogs. I was making a decision between cats
and dogs back in 2013 and this was something that I had to consider
because i live in an apartment. I didn't want to get a pet that would disrupt the
neighbors so i ended up getting a cat and I have
to say that they're pretty quiet. They don't really make too much noise.
So if you are looking for a quieter pet..a cat can be a good decision.
Now let's move on to the cons... so the first con
is that cats can shed a lot. So each cat is different.. some shed more than others..
my experience has been primarily with long-haired cats and boy do they shed.
They don't shed that much year-round but there are
certain times of the year where the shedding is
intense and here's the thing.. even when it's not shedding season they still shed
a little and I have to vacuum more often and also
there is fur everywhere! So if you're someone who doesn't like the idea of
having fur everywhere.. on your clothes.. in your bed
just in the air.. then having a cat might not be the right
decision... having any furry animal might not be the right fit for you
but if you don't mind the fur and if you're willing to stay on top of it with
the vacuuming..a cat can be a good decision. Number two:
vet care can be very expensive and I think this
is a con that everyone needs to know before they get pets.
A lot of people who've never had pets don't realize how much vet care can cost..
it's really really expensive. I have spent thousands of dollars over the
years on my pets. Thankfully I had insurance so it was
covered.. 80 of it was covered but I know people who
have no insurance and then their pets get sick
and they are spending thousands of dollars.. just an important consideration..
you need to know if you can pay for the medical attention your pet might need
so it's always important to think about whether or not a pet fits into your
budget. Number three: litter boxes need to be
maintained regularly. This is by far my least favorite chore..
taking care of the litter box but here's the thing..with indoor cats you're going
to have a litter box ..it's where they're going to do their business
and you need to keep it really clean because if you don't they won't use it.
Cats are really finicky.. they want really clean litter boxes and it's a lot of
work. If you're not interested in doing this
then maybe a cat isn't the right fit for you.
Number four: cats can potentially damage your furniture
and this is a big con for a lot of people. I personally don't mind the
damage to my furniture.. it's pretty minimal..my cats are pretty good in this
department but each cat is slightly different. Now
there are things that you could do to reduce the damage to your furniture..
One is to have scratch posts around the
house everywhere. I have scratch posts in almost
every single room and also teach them to use the scratch post.
Another thing that is very helpful is to trim their nails
regularly that way they're not damaging the furniture as
much but here's the thing even though i trim their nails regularly
and I have scratch posts everywhere.. they will still
scratch my dining chairs..there's still some damage. I personally don't mind ..I
have let go of worrying about my furniture but if
you're someone who's very particular about the way your house looks
and how your furniture is maybe a cat isn't the right
decision for you... you need to think about whether it's something you can handle.
Now there are people who get their cats declawed..
I wanted to shed some light on this practice.. it's actually a pretty cruel
and inhumane practice.. it's even banned in some countries.
So I'm going to put a few links in the description.. so you can read
more on it. Number five: many people are
allergic to cats. So I think it's very important to know if you're allergic to
cats or not before you get a cat.. the last thing you want is to get a cat..
fall in love with the cat and then have to re-home the cat because you're
really, really allergic. Now even though I'm not allergic to cats thankfully and
neither is my husband.. I know many people are and many of my
friends are.. so it is a bit of a problem when they
come over. I have to give certain friends antihistamines as soon as they step
into my condo so that's the thing you gotta handle if you have cats.
If you're not allergic you may have family members that
visit or friends that visit that might be allergic so it's just something to
consider. Number six is inappropriate elimination..
this is when the cat is not using their litter box to do
their business and I wanted to mention this as a con because it is by far
the most common reason why people get rid of their cats.
It's because they're not using their litter box and they're doing their
business elsewhere in the house.. that's really important to know that
this can happen to any cat at any point in time..a lot of times when cats don't
use their litter box it can be a medical issue.. so the most
important thing is to go to the vet and see if it's a medical concern. I had
an instance where that happened to me. My cat Caiyo had a urinary tract
infection so he was having trouble with the litter box.
I got that checked out by the vet.. he got medication and he was fine.
So I think it's really important to know that this can happen and the first thing
you want to do is go to the vet. The other issue with not using the
litter box is basically behavioral.. it could be many many different things
and sometimes working with a cat behaviorist
can be helpful or just you know changing the litter box and doing things a little
bit differently. I'm going to put more links in the
description in case you want to learn a bit more about this problem.
Con number seven: I can't travel as freely as I did
before. So when it comes to owning a pet... whether it's a cat or a dog or another
pet you need to make sure that they're well
taken care of when you're away. So when I am away on vacation even if
it's a small trip.. I need to make sure that someone can
take care of the cats because I don't have family and friends who can take
care of my cats.. some are allergic.. some don't know how to
take care of cats..Ii end up leaving my cats at the vet's office for boarding.
It is expensive and I have to book it in advance so I definitely can't travel as
freely as I could before and well right now no one's traveling
anywhere but in general I think it's important to
have that as a consideration when you're getting a pet. If you're someone who
travels a lot.. who's going to take care of your pet
while you're away? something important to think about. Number eight:
it's harder to sleep in... so while sleeping next to the cats gives me a lot
of comfort and i have a good night's rest..
I can't sleep in anymore.. they don't let me. Cats
like to wake me up the crack of dawn.. they're excited to get their day started
and that's the same with dogs too.. it's really hard to have the same routine you
had in the past when you have cats and dogs..
just because they are animals that thrive on a routine something like
sleeping in.. they just don't get it so if you're someone who values sleeping in
and doing things on your schedule keep in mind that it is going to be a
little bit of a change when you get a pet.
Number nine: I have less free time than I had before..
so this applies to all pets not just cats. When you get a pet
there is a lot that goes into it in terms of your time
and you won't have as much free time as you had before.
I have to do a lot more cleaning.. I have to cuddle with them.. well I don't have to
I want to cuddle with them... to feed them.. there's all these things I
have to do so i have to say that I probably have an
hour less free time every single day compared to before.
So if you're someone who's already strapped for time
do consider this when you're getting a pet.. do you have enough time
to put in to your animal? If you don't then maybe reconsider getting a pet at
this time ..this is something to keep in mind. Now that
you know the pros and the cons of owning a cat I hope that you have a lot more
insight into what it's really like and you can
make a more informed decision. Getting a pet of any kind...cat or
otherwise it is a long-term decision.. especially in
the case of a cat because they live so long...so it is a decision that I
personally think should be well thought out.. not something
to be taken lightly. I actually did a lot of research before
I got a cat and because I did all that research..
because i was aware of the pluses and the negatives..
it ended up being a very good experience because I knew what I was getting into.
So definitely do your research... as always I have lots
more links for you to read in the description.
So if you have any recommendations for cat related videos that you want to see
let me know in the comments below I will see you next time.
bye bye.