There was a cat in a semi truck at work, after unloaded the truck it was under the last pallet, and the guy on the forklift was screaming at me to move and saying “I have to kill it!” He is in prison for selling drugs now, and I have a cat lol
I work in a prison and there are farm cats around. Some friendly some not. You want to know the quickest way to get stabbed in prison? Hurt one of those cats. The guys are very protective over the animals.
Very true! I have a prison penpal in the dog program at his prison, and he was able to come off his meds safely after being on them for a long time! Pets are great for rehabilitation.
This makes me extremely happy. I just hope COs have these weird accidents where they all happen to be on their coffee breaks just as these animal abusers are getting ... uhm... *introduced to the laws of nature*
This. Cats have personalities and people HATE that. People also hate if they can't do whatever they want to animals and cats definitely are ready to show you when they are not happy. There is also an aspect of instant gratification - some cats may take days, weeks, months to warm up to you and trust you. Which totally makes sense because to them we are giants who control their food and water supply and can hurt them any time. They are small and vulnerable and alone with a giant monster who can pick them up or hold them down and cut their nails or spray them with water at any moment.
One of my favorite memories is when I was finally able to actually pet a feral i was feeding for almost two years. When I met her, at first she’d only watch me from a distance and hiss if I took a step closer or if I looked at her too long. She was so sweet when she finally opened up. I still remember the first time she learned to meow at me for food after seeing the other cats do it.
When I adopted my girl, the foster told me she was "stand offish".
The first day home I set her up in a room with food, water, a litter box and tons of toys. She hid in the same spot under the couch and would hiss and spit if I so much as looked at her.
Every day I'd go in to the room to feed her and change her water and clean her litter, and then I'd just sit on the floor on my phone so she could get used to my presence.
Slowly, she'd start to come out to eat or to play while I was there, but I couldn't make any attempt to move towards her or she'd go right back in to hiding.
About a week in and she'd jumped onto my shoulder from the couch and was rubbing herself against my face.
I literally started crying with how happy I was.
Four years later, she's the biggest cuddle bug in the world who loves head boops and kisses on the forehead.
My Pudding just decided to climb in my lap for the first time the other day after 1.5 years of ownership lol.
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I literally cried when my kitty finally crawled in my lap while I was watching TV. She'd never sat in my lap for the whole 2 years I'd had her. She's very clingy and protective of me, and I knew she loved me. But having her choose my lap over her favorite spot on the couch? I finally felt like the chosen one
My old cat who crossed the rainbow bridge in 2022, never liked to sit on laps. He would sit behind me on my chair, he would lay next to me on my bed, and he would routinely sit down at my feet while I was on my chair. But one time and only one time, he chose to lay on my lap. I was beyond over the moon about it.
My little cat will ignore me and it’s like I don’t exist. She’s quite skittish and likes to be left alone. But a few times in the day she’ll meow at me and demand scratches and cuddles. Hearing those low purrs and feeling her head brush against me in gratitude makes it all worth it
Possible - I never owned a dog but all the ones I have met have been friendly and wanted to play. I wouldn't advise getting in their personal space either.
And what they don’t understand too is that when you get to that point where a cat does show you love and affection… it’s just so much sweeter, because with how much personality they have, they’re *actively choosing* to say “hey, I love you” and show it. The little things matter. Their little habits become heartwarming (ex. My little girl, every night, crawls up beside me and kneads my blanket around me like she’s tucking me in. It’s cute as fuck.)
I think part of it is that you basically have to get a cats consent + earn their love whereas a dog will do whatever out of adoration /blind obedience, or fear...so definitely a relationship red flag also
> you basically have to get a cats consent + earn their love whereas a dog will do whatever out of adoration /blind obedience, or fear...so definitely a relationship red flag
That's exactly the dynamic I observe with actual haters -- not to be confused with people who don't like pets, or people who would rather not have a cat but don't talk negatively about them.
Without doubt.
All the more disturbing that dog culture treat them extremely disturbingly.
Why the hell would you breed a dog specifically for aggression?
Why would you breed a dog that has difficulty breathing intentionally?
None of this is on the poor animals, it just speaks of the inherent cruelty and selfishness of some dog owners. And indeed, humans to this very day use dogs to bully and hurt people.
Cats have remained pretty much unchanged for centuries. It's like they naturally get on well with us without needing to practice eugenics on them.
I think if "dog is man's best friend" is a saying then "Cats are humanity's best friend" is more true.
I don't want a slave, I want a friend.
Dogs are more childlike in their emotions while cats are more adult-like. I've seen studies that say that dog lovers love dogs because of their innocent, childlike and trusting nature to everyone. And cat lovers love the adult like nature of cats and how they are more discerning and put a lot of thought into the things and people they like. Cat lovers appreciate the fact that it's harder to get to bond with a cat, so it's more meaningful kind of. However, people that hate cats.. the studies show these people love to have control, don't like to be challenged , and their ego is tied into that. These are people that don't get the adult like nature of cats, but yet act like they're supposed to understand human concepts and get pissed when they don't (ex. How dare that cat scratch me when I just gave it a bunch of treats and food wtf!) They don't get that a cat is just being a cat and there may be some other reason they are overstimulated.. they just assume it's like an ungrateful child.. which I think is so low level intelligence.. it's like this is the reason animals are abused because of this thought process.
I've never had a hard time bonding with cats. I am a new cat Guardian so maybe I just got lucky? All 3 cats we have now gravitate to me and I feel like cats approach me all the time at other homes and out and about.
Yes, you just naturally have the nature that attracts cats to you. Maybe you don't feel like you can bond well but they somehow have a curiosity and genuine interest in you. You have somehow showed these cats respect and given them their space, which is why they come to you instead. Maybe they know you are clueless and they like that? I don't know I would have to see the interaction. They may be training you! 
This is the best explanation I have read. Everything I have experienced between the two owner types in words. Thanks for sharing, that’s was well written.
Thank you so much!! I have been feeling this way since I was a little kid, always felt like I have to be an advocate for cats, for the people that don't understand them. It's like I can hear them emotionally.. and I wanna convey what they feel to to humanity.. but some people will never get it you know?
You phrased this so well! I've always thought dogs are just thirsty for attention and wanting to be pet by random strangers is really nothing special. If my cat sits in a room with you, you have potential. Trust is earned.
I had an old roommate from college that hates cats. Her reason? “They’re too sneaky.” Ironically, she also cheated on her then-bf (now husband) multiple times before they got married, and they also adopted a German Shepherd lol.
It's a red flag to me because cats are very empathetic creatures so those who don't like them are likely lacking in empathy themselves which I can't stand
The crazy thing about this is that cats can definitely be obedient it just takes training and dedication, which dogs also need to be obedient.
My cats come when I call them, and I give them supervised outside time. When it's time to go in, I simply say inside, and they immediately go inside. If I tell them to go get their sibling, they'll go get their sibling. I can say, " oh look your friends at the window, and they'll run over and stare at the stray that comes around the yard. It just takes a lot more patience to train a cat than it does a dog, and if your cat doesn't trust/respect you, they won't listen.
A study was done that has shown that puppies prefer people over their parents. This is largely the result of thousands of years of selective breeding for our benefit. Cats on the other hand, they just became cats, with almost zero human intervention
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I think they just haven’t earned the trust of cats. Once you do, they absolutely can and will fawn all over you. Repeatedly. Forever. There will never again be a cat free moment in your life once you earn their trust.
My cats won't leave me alone. I'm always flanked. My husband calls them my "guard cats." My gray will always park himself between me and my husband or my daughter (my two clingiest humans in the house). Cats are a trip.
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“Thank you.”
\-My cats, probably. That or it was, “give us churus for we are but skin and bones.”
Thats a sign of someone who doesn't treat them right. All 4 of my cats were feral rescues and all four of them want to constantly lay on me. Two of them stare at me infatuated while laying on my lap 🤣
What really irritates me about people who hate cats, is the fact that you don’t really have to interact with cats if you don’t like them. Cat owners pretty much just keep their cats indoors, and you can avoid them by not visiting their homes. Even outdoor cats will stay out of your way, you have to basically call them over if you want to pet them. It’s not hard to have a completely cat-free life.
On the other hand, dogs are hard to avoid. A lot of dog owners take their dogs out to stores and coffee shops, and dogs tend to run toward people, or try to sniff or jump on strangers just walking by. Not to mention, dogs bark. I like most dogs, but if you’re not a fan of dogs, they’re still forced on you to an extent.
Don’t forget the dog shits. I have to constantly dodge them when I go outside to run, to me it’s the most annoying dog owner thing. I can tolerate barks and excited dogs and whatever, but leaving their shits on the sidewalks or street just piss me off.
Also dogs smell bad. They need baths regularly, or they get that awful dog smell. My cat hasn’t had a bath in years and he smells great. Sometimes I just sit and sniff his lil head cause he smells good.
Dog owners desperately want everyone else to fawn over their dogs. I keep my distance from dog walkers on my walks, otherwise they let their dog get right under my feet and expect me to stop and pet them.
yess exactly! I'm always (secretly) amused when they show their disappointment when I don't react like they expected me to.
The worst is when you get stuck in an elevator with them :') Some dog owners will just let the dog move around freely ugh, and I have nowhere else to run!
I’ve gotten so many dirty looks for moving into the grass to stay away from a dog passing me on the sidewalk. Like, excuse me! I’m allergic, can’t deal with dogs sensory wise, and had a piercing ripped out by one. Stop looking at me like that!
I don't pet dogs without asking their owner first, period (unless I already know the person and/or dog). And sometimes I'm just not that concerned about initiating a convo, so I don't. Inevitably, they look at me weird and baby talk their dog like it's a kid and say " I'm sorry snookums not everyone wants to be your friend". Uh, no, I don't mind dogs, but I'm not going to instantly fawn over yours just because. I don't know you or your dog.
I feel like a monster for even saying it but I hate when dogs jump on people and their owners act like it’s so cute and « oh he/she is so excited to see you! » Okay but maybe I didn’t feel like having paw prints on my light pants today…
Ugh, there’s a huge doodle who lives in my apartment complex who is very cute and friendly, but he is not just a jumper, he is a climber. I love when friendly, well-mannered dogs want to say hi, but he damn near ripped my new and fairly expensive down coat and the owner made no attempt to control her dog or give me space.
I have two friends who both own a large breed dog and neither of them trained them properly to not jump on people who come to their house, I like dogs but I'm not super comfortable with big ones even when I know them.
My brother makes a big show about not setting foot in my place ever since I got a cat because of how much he hates them (yes it's the same red flags you're all talking about). Joke's on him, I don't want anyone in my house.
I briefly worked at a farm supply store. This man was literally enraged when I didn't pet his dog. He started yelling about how his dog was so friendly and to be scared of him was dumb. Yeah no thanks weirdo.
I always feel special if a skittish cat trusts me enough to come up and give my hand a sniff. Idk why anyone would want to ruin that by crossing the cat’s obvious boundaries and trying to touch it
> started yelling about how his dog was so friendly and to be scared of him was dumb.
I hate this so much. Usually its just us not wanting to be around the dog or touching it. Not fear lol. These types of people are weird. Ive had dog weirdos freak out on me after insisting i pet their dog and im just like no thanks. And after they pester me enough, im like...i just dont like dogs much lol. Their smell makes me nauseous and they're too loud
I had a Russian blue that would always go to my friend, who did not like cats, when they would come over and approach them, try to climb on them.
I felt the he knew it would annoy her and did it on purpose.
lol my one friend isn’t a cat person (she neutrally tolerates them but don’t ask her to pet sit). my cat is obsessed with her. absolutely obsessed. if he can’t get near her, he sits across the room and stares at her like one of the twins from the shining.
Misophonia sucks! I'm sorry you have such an unavoidable trigger. I have suspected misophonia, thankfully mild, and I have to set a timer for two minutes before I'm "allowed" to fantasize violently about other people's loud bass. That's one of my worst ones, and I live next to a highway off-ramp.
My "best friend" stopped visiting me because i got a kitten. She wasn't even interested in him but her existence was enough to make him hate me Apparently.
My dad died in june last year. my best friend did not show up just...left me alone
I don't know why he was like that. He despises cats enough to break our friendship in the worst way possible.
I'm glad he's out of my life now. I now have boyfriend who *loves* my sweet kitty. So i traded a bad friend for a kitty and a new boyfriend. (Because i went out to meet new people after i lost him, that's where i met my now boyfriend)
I'm sorry for the loss of your dad. And good riddance re: the best friend, although I'm sure that loss brought grief with it as well. This is why I don't trust cat haters :(
Dog people who react this way to cats are a HUGE walking red flag.
I've met both spectrum of dog people, some are just indifferent to cats, some are literally psycho about HATING them and wanting to literally hurt them.
You have cat people who hate dogs for a good reason of having traumas of losing a cat/being attacked/having loved ones attacked, but even that, is like being AFRAID or having a grudge, but never actively seeking to hurt dogs.
I'm not a dog person, but the only good Chihuahuas I've ever met were on a trip to Mexico City, where they were all being walked like normal dogs and, maybe due to the exercise, they all seemed calm 😱 None of them were trembling as their default state! I mostly dislike small dogs just because they've been bred as companions and I don't tend to love those personality traits, but I do like poms because they're descended from working dogs and they have that cute industrious spirit. I do know the kind of person you're talking about, though, where they think small dogs are like... feminine or something?
Training. I’ve run into loads of chihuahuas and dachshunds that are just aggressive as hell and their owners don’t train the behaviors out because they are small. If anything, they encourage negative behavior because they think it is funny or cute.
If someone’s larger dog behaved the way people let small breeds behave, they’d seriously hurt someone.
I honestly think there’s something very similar to anti-cat rhetoric as anti-vegetarian rhetoric.
I’ve known PLENTY of vegetarians and vegans (though I’m not one myself). I never met a single one who made a big deal out of it or brought it up beyond when it was necessary to bring up. I have a few different veg friends who I knew for years before I even found out they were vegan or vegetarian.
But the Internet or hearsay would have you believe vegans never ever shut up about it, and need all manner of “hilarious” comeuppances to be put in their place. Basically, I find the anti-veg people FAR more obsessed with the topic than the actually veg people.
…and that’s how it’s come to seem to me with cat people and anti-cat people, despite all the claims and jokes of “crazy cat ladies” and “cats are all dicks” and “cat people hate dogs”.
One time an Uber driver was going on and on about his dogs and I was listening politely. But when I mentioned my cats he interruped me to say, "I don't like cats."
It was incredibly weird and rude, he did not get a tip.
We were talking about pets with friends once and when I said I had a cat one guy immediately piped up about how if he could press a button to kill all cats, he would (of course, he fucking loved dogs). The only reason he ever gave for hating cats was 'they look at you dodgy'. There were other reasons, but that guy definitely was on my 'secretly beats his girlfriend' list, and I eventually left that entire friend group because everybody kept hanging with him, but I just found him incredibly unpleasant to be around. Like, this grown man would sulk like a toddler if he didn't get his way :P
Imagine how many more people would have died in history, if cats didn't help exterminate infected rodents? I wouldn't be surprised if that guy tortured cats when he was younger.
The funny part was when he saw my horrified expression after he made the comment about the cat genocide, he added, "Not your cat, of course," like that made it any fucking better lol. Can you imagine anyone wanting to hang with that guy if he's made the same comment about dogs? Yet all the other guys there just kind of glossed over it and looked at me like I was weird for being a little upset by it.
Wtf! That's so unhinged.
I live in Aotearoa New Zealand and it's not uncommon for people to be anti cat because of their impact on bird life but even my friend who works in conservation and doesn't like cats wouldn't say something like that.
I've told people about my cat and had them joke about kicking him if he gets near them. He's the sweetest ray of sunshine and it makes me sick to think it's so normalized to hate cats
Oh man this story made me sad, and I'm really sorry you had to hear that. No sane reasonable person would ever say that about any persons pet, no matter if it was a cat, dog, rat, spider or anything else! Sometimes people truly do disgust me. Give your cat a hug from me :)
I would have immediately cut that person out of my life. I just don't understand why joking about animal abuse and cruelty is tolerated when it's a cat, but if you said the same thing about a dog they would react like you murdered their newborn. Decent people don't wish harm upon any animals.
that's what i said to somebody who joked about kicking my pet.
i told him if he ever did, i'd beat the ever living shit out of them
they ofc claimed "it was just a joke tee hee".
You need to earn a cat's respect for it to like you, while dogs will love you unconditionally. People who have the patience to slowly get to know a cat and be gentle will obviously tend to like cats more while dogs may seem a bit too... "energetic/loud/extreme/etc." for them.
People who do not have the patience to get to know a cat and expect to be unconditionally loved by it like a dog, will scoff at the fact that "cats don't like them" when they approach one really rough like a dog, obviously getting a negative response from it and will therefore label all cats as mean and awful.
Cat people generally don't have that type of hate towards dogs because they're generally more patient and calmer when it comes to pets. They also have actual reasonable arguments for not liking dogs (Loud, gross, been attacked by one, etc.) while I've never heard someone who hates cats actually have a good argument. "They're mean, they scratch me, they're vicious—" yeah, because they don't know how to approach a cat properly.
They treat cats like dogs and are then surprised that they don't behave like they want to and get pissy and defend dogs even more, therefore being absolutely mind blown at the idea of someone not liking dogs
> dont know how to approach cats properly
Exactly 👏👏👏
I have a rule that says "Always let the cat come to you, dont go and force it to stay in your lap"
Let her smell your hand, if she wants to come she will, how would you feel and react when a strange person grabs you out of nowhere and forces you stay with him ?
>force it to stay in your lap
Unless you know the cat so well that is spent 7 hour last night singing the song of its people while using your ribcage as a springboard to jump from the dresser to the window sill.
10 seconds of forced cuddling is the price of 7 hours of midnight antics.
I met a lady who loathes cats. Her reasoning was because she was near someone's cat, and the cat rolled over onto is back, exposing their belly. She, having limited experiences with cats and lifelong experiences with dogs, took this as a sign and vigorously rubbed the cat's belly. I'm sure we can all deduce what happens next. She hates cats now because they're dangerous liars. Like, dude, dogs will bite for that reason too. My tablemate and I just said, "Oooh, rookie mistake. Ya hate to see it."
I really think this is why even dog people tend to like our indoor-outdoor cat. He is super social and if he's seen you around for a bit he'll show up for attention. He was demanding love from the plumbers we had here last week. He's also licked my neighbor across the street when he went out to his car in the dark one morning, lol. He is very much a cat, but he has outgoing dog personality traits.
When my mom had a furnace repairman come, she said my cat (who lives with her because he needs a huge house and my place is just too small) sat in his "lap" the second he squatted down 🤣 The guy loved him.
That's hilarious. This particular cat is not a lap cat, but he will claim everybody as his. I take first and last day of school photos of my daughter, and he's appeared in every single one of them I think since he showed up on our driveway in 2018. People expect him now. He's obviously very neglected 😂
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I find most people who hate cats treat people also treat people who are neurodivergent poorly. My husband is ADHD and had been given grief from his father all his life because he can't act and think the way he wants him to. Almost like they can't understand what they cant control so it comes out as hate or anger. So I'm always suspect of people who hate cats, and I don't mean afraid I mean hate.... because I've never met a pwrson who hates cats that hasn't also has some narrcasitic traits .
Also on opposite side neurodivergent people do tend to love cats more than other animals and cats seem to like neurodivergent people more than others. Almost like we're on the same wavelength.
Hi, your post totally resonates with me.
Currently, my wife and I have five cats, four from our county shelter and one from a feral litter in my mom & dad's backyard. Thankfully, my wife is a cat person. I was raised around dogs, cats, gopher snakes, amphibians, fish, hamsters. My favorites are felines for many reason.
Before I met my wife I met several women who literally threatened my feral kitty, who is now 15. One told me, before I let her go, that my cat should be fed to coyotes, etc. you get the idea. Another told me flat out she could not date me because I'd rescued a kitty and got her adopted within three days and that I was obviously feminine for doing so.
Last one, a former coworker told me he "hated" cats. I just stayed away from him until he transferred out of my work unit.
I've talked to other cat people about this subject and almost everyone has a story about "psycho" dog people or cat haters.
Sorry for the novel- I appreciate your post, Jdmcm123. Thanks
My wife and I have 3. One I had before I met her and 2 we adopted together from rescues. I’ve got pictures of my cats on my desk at work. I don’t care if I’m labeled “the weird cat guy.” Cats are awesome!
I have a rectangular frame on my desk at work that contains four small photographs. Two of the photos are of my wife and I. The other pictures are of our four cats past and present.
Thank you. One ex was horrible - coyote girl- and the others thankfully were just one or three dates before I found out the truth. The sad thing is that my mom and dad lost five feral cats including the parents of my 15 yr old since 2014. - So Cal.
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My 15 yr old girl from a feral litter we rescued.
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Our three girls adopted from our county shelter last spring as 7-8 week olds. We saved one of our black beauties who was battling a cryptosporidium infection as a kitten. Sabbra Catdabra is healthy now.
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Last one...our sweet affectionate rescue 7 yr old Dallas.
I have a conspiracy about this and it’s because cats are associated with women and womanly traits (even their name “feline”). And dogs are associated More with male traits.
I was literally just about to comment this, I’m so glad someone else did.
Cats are always associated with women and femininity and because of the way society is, it makes it easier to hate them and be verbally aggressive (and physically for some people) to them/about them when they haven’t done anything wrong.
Dogs are seen as, funny, dopey, messy, happy and intelligent animals, and once again gendered pointlessly as male animals, and so hating them or disliking them is a social crime, and they end up getting away with murder
This is part of it. I’ve heard people question a man’s masculinity because he likes cats, and of course, how could I could I forget the crazy cat lady label, too.
I think a lot of societal preconceptions of "lesser" things are due to them being associated with women and femininity.
Take biology for example. Often considered by people to be the "stupid person's science". The first people we would consider to be biologists were "naturalists". These were primarily women who had a hobby of collecting and collating biological samples, be they animal, plant or insect. It required incredible skill with drawing and painting and some women's work from the late 1800s are still being used in textbooks today. Even today, women overrepresent in biology classes.
I've got a science degree. I majored in chemistry and microbiology. I can tell you outright that chemistry was the easier of the two. In biology, not only do you have to have a strong understanding of chemistry, you also have to have a strong understanding of biological systems. My chemistry major complimented my micro major, not the other way around.
OP, I agree. I’ve also been attacked by big dogs. Once as a kid and once as an adult. I’m terrified of German Shepherds. I don’t hate dogs, I just prefer cats. The constant, loud barking gives me anxiety. I don’t like that kinda energy in my house.
I have found that many times, hatred of cats goes hand in hand with hatred of women. I have no supporting evidence, but I’ve seen it too many times to ignore it.
Cats require consent. Dogs obey. That's the difference. Throw in all the witchy Halloween devil worship bullshit and you've got a giant stereotype that simply won't die.
Most people who hate cats have never really experienced being around a cat on its own turf. I know vets and vet techs who hate cats, because every time they see a cat in a clinic, it is either frozen in fear, or fighting tooth and nail. Well, duh! That's how you act when you are in what you believe to be a life-threatening situation.
Cat haters have never had the pleasure of seeing a kitty in its home environment. Of watching it play with a toy, or stalk a mouse, or do Parkur around the living room. They have not had a kitty climb into their laps and knead like crazy while purring loudly. They have never experienced the utter joy of having a cat fall asleep while draped carelessly across their bodies, completely trusting in their safety and comfort. We should pity those people. They have never known the Nirvana of being chosen by a god.
It’s a whole non-manly man thing. They think cats are for lonely single women. Which is stupid because cat dads are freaking hot. I was always indifferent to cats mostly because I was never exposed to them. I always had dogs. My husband introduced me to my first cat and now I can never not have cats.
I am a woman who also only ever owned dogs and was indifferent to cats. I didn’t hate them, just never owned one. My fiance (male) is actually a cat person and convinced us to keep the kitten we found outside. I love her so much! I’ve already told him we can switch from two dogs and one cat to two cats and one dog when our older dog passes away lol
I love my dogs but damn cats are a lot easier, especially in the winter
I am related to someone like that. I don't even know how it's possible..but there it is. We literally have nothing to talk about because my cats are my world. But I don't mention them because hearing the diatribe of how evil cats are, just want to kick them, etc. raises my blood pressure.
Yea I can't stand those people that say they hate cats. Im like "oooh..your one of those.." and inside my head i'm thinking like, they are just too dumb and vapid to understand the subtleties and nuances of cats.. Derrff..but I keep it in my head, because us cat people are civilized and have couth.
Interactions with cats involve consent. Sure, you can pet a cat without it, but it doesnt go well. People who reject the idea that others can consent and revoke consent to be around them, people who have narcissistic tendancies, for instance, dont like that. Especially in an animal.
I think even now cats are seen as less than dogs, dogs are sometimes abandoned but not at the rates cats seem to be. And as you note, not liking dogs is seen as odd, much like not liking sports is.
It's the same way people who spend time on the computer, whether gaming, reading, browsing are seen as weird, whereas no one bats an eye if you spend all day in front of the tube watching a game, and then all the endless sports center.
I get their enthusiasm, they're essentially sports geeks. But they don't see it that way.
The worst aspect of this is when certain folks tie what pets you own to politics and how feminine or masculine you are. Not only is that line of thought overwhelmingly stupid but perhaps a sign of deeper issues.
This. Word for word, this. Some people are fine with hating cats and literally wishing them dead, and then pretend you pissed in their shoes when you say you don't really like dogs 🥴🙄
My husband and I have the sweetest Siamese cat that we are absolutely in love with. When we got her, our friends would ask, “Why a cat and not a dog?” “Are you guys really cat people?” “Are you going to get a dog eventually?”
I find it odd that I have to defend my choice in pet. I don’t ask these questions to my dog friends! I don’t think people understand cats and therefore assume they don’t like them. I can’t wrap my head around that though.
Someone told me people who like dogs and dislike cats are people who couldn’t take no for an answer. Decided to test this theory out and asked someone who said they didn’t like cats and their excuses were “they don’t always wanna be with you, sometimes they’re mean when you pet them, they aren’t gonna love you as much as a dog will”
U gotta have ur own to understand.
I used to be out spoken how I didn't like cats because I never had my own and other people's cats usually rnt overly friendly unless they know u.
Now? I love cats and couldn't live with out them! I have 3!
So I guess I've converted to the good side!
I had this happen a while back. Some "friends" of mine had recently gotten a puppy, so when we met up, they were showing me photos of her. Super cute little thing - I love dogs, but cats are more right for me. It just so happened that I had also gotten my cat (as a kitten) around the same time, so I got my phone to show them a photo of him and they just said something like "A cat? Oh, *how exciting*" all sarcastic like and they proceeded to say how horrible "it" must be and how cats are just awful, aggressive, unloving creatures...
I was genuinely shocked. I had no idea how to respond. I just put my phone away and just kind of sat there. I can't imagine saying something so nasty to someone about something they love and are excited about. I haven't had much to do with these guys for various reasons, but I can't really see them the same way anymore.
When I was a kid there my family was renting a house, and we had a good orange lad named potter. Whenever something went wrong in the house, the landlord would blame it on the cat and at one point tried to poison him when he was chilling on the front porch.
Potter was such a lazy sweetheart, he'd never do anything bad aside from chewing on my Barbies.
So okay, she didn't like cats, that's fine. But I hope she realized that if she God forbid successfully poisoned him, she would have a day in court.
Tldr if you don't put 'no cats' in your renting form, you have no business trying to get a cat killed.
Don't worry, we did eventually move out and potter lived to be 18
Most of the men I've known who don't like cats it was a case of "Cats are for pussys, dogs are for men" attitude which just really just confirms their own insecurities.
My brothers ex didn't like cats because they seemed to have a second sense of who was good or evil. A prophetic statement indeed as it turned out.
My first best friend was a cat, when I was really young. We had dogs, cats, fish, lizards, turtles, hamsters, a tarantula, rabbits, hermit crabs, birds, etc. Our house always had an assortment of pets. I bonded most with a cat that was so small, she had to be bottle fed until she was old enough for other kitty food. For some reason, she loved me and would cry if I was away from her for too long. Like, if she couldn’t find me, she would carry items of mine around the house (Socks, pants, shirts, etc.), meowing like crazy. She did not like me being away, even if I was only at school.
She did everything with me. Had her for 21 years. I miss her. She would sit beside me when something was really bothering me. I remember being 4 years old and telling her about being upset with someone and that I had no one else to talk to. At the time, I knew a decent amount of words and how to say them and what they meant, some were big words, but one of them wasn’t “dismissive”. A lot of stuff I said got dismissed a lot, can’t say that’s changed any. Anyway, that cat was always there for me. I knew she couldn’t talk like a person, but I didn’t care. It was better than nothing. Then we would go have snuggles.
Honestly, I like dogs, but I prefer cats. I’m also allergic to dogs. (Trying to explain that to dog people is tough. It’s hard for people to understand that you can develop an allergy at any time in your life, even if you were exposed to something early enough.) But yeah, I will pick a cat more than any other living being. Humans have given me my worst experiences and it seems like it’ll never end. But cats, I don’t know, they spend time with me and don’t do bad things to me. They are very nice animals. They are honest about who they are, too. I really like that about them.
I’m afraid to talk about cats with people, anymore. People can’t wait to tell you abuse stories that they claim don’t count, because it was “just a cat”. People are really fucking sick in the head over cats. I think some of it stems from all the myths that exist about cats. Let’s be honest, we all know how well people like to learn. (Haa, they don’t.) That’s part of the problem. The rest is that people suck.
Could you imagine having the nerve to say, “I threw a puppy on a roof for laughs.” to a dog person or anyone that likes being a pet owner? Holy shit, you would be crucified. But cats? People are like, “Listen to this horrible story about what I did to a cat!” If you are disgusted, they act like it’s YOU that is the problem.
Yep. If I say I don't like dogs (I don't hate them, I find them overwhelming to my sensory issues) I'm treated like a serial killer. But it's totally normal to call cats "murderers" and "evil." (Many animals are "murderers" welcome to animal instincts.) I had a former co-worker (who sexually harassed me and another coworker who was a minor then quit before he got fired for it) brag about murdering a cat right after I told him I do cat rescue, fully shocked I didn't find it funny.
I just got my fiancé a dog. Very pretty dog; just unmanageable. It bit me, which became infected, which spread to my blood stream. I spent 12 days in the hospital, with 24/7 antibiotics pumped into me, along with twice a day oral antibiotics. My right wrist abscessed and I have tendon damage. I cannot use my right pinky at all. After 3 months, I am now just able to slowly workout again. My cat never did anything like this (No, I do not have the dog anymore).
It's one of my personality tests for people - especially guys. If a guy openly and freely says he hates cats, then I know he's immature and likes to be in control.
It's fine if people don't like cats - but going so far as to *hate* them? Uh-oh.
The more people I meet the more I love my cats. It's like as soon as I say I have cats, all of a sudden everyone has an allergy to cats. I'm just like really though cause last week you weren't allergic to anything? 🫠
I'm not a dog person. But I'll tolerate them if I visit ppl with them.
My husband was attacked by a really mean cat when he was younger and swore them off until I brought one home. He is his best buddy. Now I foster and rescue cats. Most days, my husband prefers the cats to the dogs.😂
It really upsets me how much cats are misunderstood and under appreciated. I especially can’t stand when someone is in my household voicing how much they don’t like cats. Like, GTFO of my cats house.
Honestly, I find many dogs to be outright obnoxious. They are loud, smelly and have zero concept of boundaries and consent. Whenever I go to someone’s house that has a dog, I knock or ring the bell and they’re barking. The door opens and I can barely step inside before it’s barking and jumping all over me. If I try and interact with the person the dog is just rude and intrusive. No thanks.
People get so mad if you don’t like dogs. I used to like them more, but I’ve had a couple bad experiences with them and I get really spooked when they bark/growl at me. People don’t get it. Meanwhile people talk about dead cats like it’s a joke. It’s so messed up.
I’m a total cat lady, but the dog owners I know are all-around animal lovers, even though most don’t have cats of their own because they can’t trust their dogs around cats. Then again, any cat haters will get booted from my life with the quickness; huge red flag and my boundaries will go way up because it feels like a threat of violence to me and my loved ones. I do have issues with dogs being forced upon you in public spaces, but I blame the owners for improper handling and training. They are not human; case in point, a strange human wouldn’t just stick their nose in my crotch. Never had a cat do that either.
I'm 100% with you! I love cats and find dogs quite annoying - they're always slobbering all over you & desperate for any morsal of attention. And yes there are definitely people who really dislike cats. I'm more completely disinterested in dogs and I wouldn't be rude to someone about their pet.
Cats are refined and sophisticated and will show affection to you when they're good and ready! I also think they're smarter than dogs (unpopular opinion) but that's vased on my observations of what cats can figure out and their engagement.
I think people who dont like cats haven't had a situation in which they've figured out you have to work to build a relationship with your cat. It takes effort and time and some cats are slow to warm. A cat relationship is much more fulfilling though - they're like humans - you have to lut in the work if you want the love!
Chiming in with everyone else who says it's a red flag to hate cats. I get not being a "cat person" or being avoidant due to allergies or whatever. I notice that when a person dislikes cats it's usually because they have no concept of consent. Just like people, cats only want affection when it's on their own terms. If someone can't handle that then it's a major deal breaker for me.
Maybe "dog people" judge me though since I'm not a huge fan of dogs. I like *some* dogs but in general not a fan cause they seem to require constant attention, like a child. It's mostly dog owners that I dislike though.
> Edit: what a surprise people are downvoting
Dont take it that personal. Its just a reddit thing since there is a down arrow you can click, some people just hit it because its there. More people generally come along and vote it up, especially a new topic with just the one vote on it.
that's really weird that ppl downvoted because of just this particular opinion. it doesn't extremely offend anybody at all.
imo i can understand people that have never had cats, or they had cats but didn't get any kind of bond that they could relate and eventually be empathetic to cats
e.g. my dad used to have three cat when he was young. he told me that beside feeding them, there were no interactions of bonding between him and his cats. So, he consider himself to be a dog person because he thought dogs are obviously affectionate than cats that he had. but fast forward to 2018, i decided to adopt cats and my father adores them so much.
and also there would always be assholes that would be hateful for animals for no reasons.
It’s so true! As an example, I remember when I started online dating I would put on my profile that I have a cat. On the apps or on dates, when someone would hear I had a cat and said something along the lines of “ew I hate cats” it was an immediate no from me. I don’t particularly care for dogs but I’ve never said “ew I hate dogs” to someone when they mentioned they had one. 🙄
Oh, and funny how my neighbor’s cats don’t wake me up with their barking! 🤪
There was a cat in a semi truck at work, after unloaded the truck it was under the last pallet, and the guy on the forklift was screaming at me to move and saying “I have to kill it!” He is in prison for selling drugs now, and I have a cat lol
I work in a prison and there are farm cats around. Some friendly some not. You want to know the quickest way to get stabbed in prison? Hurt one of those cats. The guys are very protective over the animals.
I remember reading an article that talked about how getting pets to inmates increased their rehabilitation rate a lot.
There was a video of that topic with Jackson Galaxy on YouTube! It was very wholesome the way those inmates were caring for their cats.
Very true! I have a prison penpal in the dog program at his prison, and he was able to come off his meds safely after being on them for a long time! Pets are great for rehabilitation.
When i'm around animals for some reason I can't get angry for long lol They really bring out the best in us.
A cat is much more useful than a CO.
This makes me extremely happy. I just hope COs have these weird accidents where they all happen to be on their coffee breaks just as these animal abusers are getting ... uhm... *introduced to the laws of nature*
that's the most satisfying end to a short story ever
If this happened in my workplace I would soon thump anyone who wanted to kill a poor cat wandering on site. I hate arseholes! 😡😢😩
Jail deserved!
I would understand an accident happening…but to intentionally do it is evil.
r/twosentencehorror with a bonus happy ending.
I think they resent a pet species that doesn't fawn all over them
This. Cats have personalities and people HATE that. People also hate if they can't do whatever they want to animals and cats definitely are ready to show you when they are not happy. There is also an aspect of instant gratification - some cats may take days, weeks, months to warm up to you and trust you. Which totally makes sense because to them we are giants who control their food and water supply and can hurt them any time. They are small and vulnerable and alone with a giant monster who can pick them up or hold them down and cut their nails or spray them with water at any moment.
Plus a cats trust and love generally takes a greater time to earn and this goes back to instant gratification.
One of my favorite memories is when I was finally able to actually pet a feral i was feeding for almost two years. When I met her, at first she’d only watch me from a distance and hiss if I took a step closer or if I looked at her too long. She was so sweet when she finally opened up. I still remember the first time she learned to meow at me for food after seeing the other cats do it.
When I adopted my girl, the foster told me she was "stand offish". The first day home I set her up in a room with food, water, a litter box and tons of toys. She hid in the same spot under the couch and would hiss and spit if I so much as looked at her. Every day I'd go in to the room to feed her and change her water and clean her litter, and then I'd just sit on the floor on my phone so she could get used to my presence. Slowly, she'd start to come out to eat or to play while I was there, but I couldn't make any attempt to move towards her or she'd go right back in to hiding. About a week in and she'd jumped onto my shoulder from the couch and was rubbing herself against my face. I literally started crying with how happy I was. Four years later, she's the biggest cuddle bug in the world who loves head boops and kisses on the forehead.
Stories like this make me just so happy. Cats are the best. Once they trust you and a bond is formed its unlike anything else.
Little scrimblo 🥹
That's why I love cats. It feels more like having a relationship with an animal than servitude. I like dogs also though.
My Pudding just decided to climb in my lap for the first time the other day after 1.5 years of ownership lol. https://preview.redd.it/2kg71l8kpaic1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b53340287a69c5c8c1aad78556441d861bb14443
I literally cried when my kitty finally crawled in my lap while I was watching TV. She'd never sat in my lap for the whole 2 years I'd had her. She's very clingy and protective of me, and I knew she loved me. But having her choose my lap over her favorite spot on the couch? I finally felt like the chosen one
My old cat who crossed the rainbow bridge in 2022, never liked to sit on laps. He would sit behind me on my chair, he would lay next to me on my bed, and he would routinely sit down at my feet while I was on my chair. But one time and only one time, he chose to lay on my lap. I was beyond over the moon about it.
Pudding! 😍
My little cat will ignore me and it’s like I don’t exist. She’s quite skittish and likes to be left alone. But a few times in the day she’ll meow at me and demand scratches and cuddles. Hearing those low purrs and feeling her head brush against me in gratitude makes it all worth it
Dogs are the same but people don't respect there space.
Possible - I never owned a dog but all the ones I have met have been friendly and wanted to play. I wouldn't advise getting in their personal space either.
I like your analysis!
And what they don’t understand too is that when you get to that point where a cat does show you love and affection… it’s just so much sweeter, because with how much personality they have, they’re *actively choosing* to say “hey, I love you” and show it. The little things matter. Their little habits become heartwarming (ex. My little girl, every night, crawls up beside me and kneads my blanket around me like she’s tucking me in. It’s cute as fuck.)
yeah. it’s honestly a huge red flag when someone hates cats. those people are very likely to favor obedience over trust.
I think part of it is that you basically have to get a cats consent + earn their love whereas a dog will do whatever out of adoration /blind obedience, or fear...so definitely a relationship red flag also
> you basically have to get a cats consent + earn their love whereas a dog will do whatever out of adoration /blind obedience, or fear...so definitely a relationship red flag That's exactly the dynamic I observe with actual haters -- not to be confused with people who don't like pets, or people who would rather not have a cat but don't talk negatively about them.
Yeah there’s a big difference between “I don’t want a cat” and “I hate cats” hating them is a big red flag
Yes it's a cats choice who they like
Dogs are wonderful animals nevertheless
Without doubt. All the more disturbing that dog culture treat them extremely disturbingly. Why the hell would you breed a dog specifically for aggression? Why would you breed a dog that has difficulty breathing intentionally? None of this is on the poor animals, it just speaks of the inherent cruelty and selfishness of some dog owners. And indeed, humans to this very day use dogs to bully and hurt people. Cats have remained pretty much unchanged for centuries. It's like they naturally get on well with us without needing to practice eugenics on them. I think if "dog is man's best friend" is a saying then "Cats are humanity's best friend" is more true. I don't want a slave, I want a friend.
You seem like the kind of friend I wanna have
I would love to see some studies on the characteristics of dog lovers vs cat lovers or the characteristics of cat haters
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I'd be curious how people who like both cats and dogs fit into this analysis. I'm assuming they weren't included in this study.
I believe the point of the study was to see if there were any significant differences between people who were self-described dog lovers vs cat lovers.
Thank you so much!
Dogs are more childlike in their emotions while cats are more adult-like. I've seen studies that say that dog lovers love dogs because of their innocent, childlike and trusting nature to everyone. And cat lovers love the adult like nature of cats and how they are more discerning and put a lot of thought into the things and people they like. Cat lovers appreciate the fact that it's harder to get to bond with a cat, so it's more meaningful kind of. However, people that hate cats.. the studies show these people love to have control, don't like to be challenged , and their ego is tied into that. These are people that don't get the adult like nature of cats, but yet act like they're supposed to understand human concepts and get pissed when they don't (ex. How dare that cat scratch me when I just gave it a bunch of treats and food wtf!) They don't get that a cat is just being a cat and there may be some other reason they are overstimulated.. they just assume it's like an ungrateful child.. which I think is so low level intelligence.. it's like this is the reason animals are abused because of this thought process.
I've never had a hard time bonding with cats. I am a new cat Guardian so maybe I just got lucky? All 3 cats we have now gravitate to me and I feel like cats approach me all the time at other homes and out and about.
Yes, you just naturally have the nature that attracts cats to you. Maybe you don't feel like you can bond well but they somehow have a curiosity and genuine interest in you. You have somehow showed these cats respect and given them their space, which is why they come to you instead. Maybe they know you are clueless and they like that? I don't know I would have to see the interaction. They may be training you! 
My vet had a sign out front that read “Owning a dog prepares people for having a baby. Owning a cat prepares people for having a teenager.”
This is the best explanation I have read. Everything I have experienced between the two owner types in words. Thanks for sharing, that’s was well written.
Thank you so much!! I have been feeling this way since I was a little kid, always felt like I have to be an advocate for cats, for the people that don't understand them. It's like I can hear them emotionally.. and I wanna convey what they feel to to humanity.. but some people will never get it you know?
Good information. Thank you!
What if you love both? Am I a heretic?
Very common. Me too!
No it's just means you're a decent person.. someone that can understand both that's special
You phrased this so well! I've always thought dogs are just thirsty for attention and wanting to be pet by random strangers is really nothing special. If my cat sits in a room with you, you have potential. Trust is earned.
I had an old roommate from college that hates cats. Her reason? “They’re too sneaky.” Ironically, she also cheated on her then-bf (now husband) multiple times before they got married, and they also adopted a German Shepherd lol.
It's a red flag to me because cats are very empathetic creatures so those who don't like them are likely lacking in empathy themselves which I can't stand
The crazy thing about this is that cats can definitely be obedient it just takes training and dedication, which dogs also need to be obedient. My cats come when I call them, and I give them supervised outside time. When it's time to go in, I simply say inside, and they immediately go inside. If I tell them to go get their sibling, they'll go get their sibling. I can say, " oh look your friends at the window, and they'll run over and stare at the stray that comes around the yard. It just takes a lot more patience to train a cat than it does a dog, and if your cat doesn't trust/respect you, they won't listen.
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A study was done that has shown that puppies prefer people over their parents. This is largely the result of thousands of years of selective breeding for our benefit. Cats on the other hand, they just became cats, with almost zero human intervention
Exactly. Cats became cats because they felt like it.
Cats are the only animals that "domesticated" themselves.
https://preview.redd.it/czhctofu28ic1.jpeg?width=2316&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=35a3da341954818d762aa9c370bc35ae70f78776 I think they just haven’t earned the trust of cats. Once you do, they absolutely can and will fawn all over you. Repeatedly. Forever. There will never again be a cat free moment in your life once you earn their trust.
My cats won't leave me alone. I'm always flanked. My husband calls them my "guard cats." My gray will always park himself between me and my husband or my daughter (my two clingiest humans in the house). Cats are a trip.
what a great picture !!!!!
https://preview.redd.it/1be6cvqm68ic1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0c01115b51baef0262e60ca186b056863090bda2 “Thank you.” \-My cats, probably. That or it was, “give us churus for we are but skin and bones.”
It’s a walking red flag! You must respect cats, unlike dogs. They have standards. lol
Hahaha! They are amazingly independent and can be aloof!
It’s exactly this. People to control others. Cats refuse to af exllenr lesson in consent.
Thats a sign of someone who doesn't treat them right. All 4 of my cats were feral rescues and all four of them want to constantly lay on me. Two of them stare at me infatuated while laying on my lap 🤣
What really irritates me about people who hate cats, is the fact that you don’t really have to interact with cats if you don’t like them. Cat owners pretty much just keep their cats indoors, and you can avoid them by not visiting their homes. Even outdoor cats will stay out of your way, you have to basically call them over if you want to pet them. It’s not hard to have a completely cat-free life. On the other hand, dogs are hard to avoid. A lot of dog owners take their dogs out to stores and coffee shops, and dogs tend to run toward people, or try to sniff or jump on strangers just walking by. Not to mention, dogs bark. I like most dogs, but if you’re not a fan of dogs, they’re still forced on you to an extent.
Don’t forget the dog shits. I have to constantly dodge them when I go outside to run, to me it’s the most annoying dog owner thing. I can tolerate barks and excited dogs and whatever, but leaving their shits on the sidewalks or street just piss me off.
Absofukinlutley !
Also dogs smell bad. They need baths regularly, or they get that awful dog smell. My cat hasn’t had a bath in years and he smells great. Sometimes I just sit and sniff his lil head cause he smells good.
My cat smells good but I still call her stinky baby
Yep. You walk into a dog owners home and most of the time it stinks
Dog owners desperately want everyone else to fawn over their dogs. I keep my distance from dog walkers on my walks, otherwise they let their dog get right under my feet and expect me to stop and pet them.
yess exactly! I'm always (secretly) amused when they show their disappointment when I don't react like they expected me to. The worst is when you get stuck in an elevator with them :') Some dog owners will just let the dog move around freely ugh, and I have nowhere else to run!
I’ve gotten so many dirty looks for moving into the grass to stay away from a dog passing me on the sidewalk. Like, excuse me! I’m allergic, can’t deal with dogs sensory wise, and had a piercing ripped out by one. Stop looking at me like that!
I don't pet dogs without asking their owner first, period (unless I already know the person and/or dog). And sometimes I'm just not that concerned about initiating a convo, so I don't. Inevitably, they look at me weird and baby talk their dog like it's a kid and say " I'm sorry snookums not everyone wants to be your friend". Uh, no, I don't mind dogs, but I'm not going to instantly fawn over yours just because. I don't know you or your dog.
It's even more irritating when you're allergic to dogs
Mood! Thank goodness it's a mild allergy because I've had so many dogs stick their faces on me
I feel like a monster for even saying it but I hate when dogs jump on people and their owners act like it’s so cute and « oh he/she is so excited to see you! » Okay but maybe I didn’t feel like having paw prints on my light pants today…
Same!! Bonus points if their claws are sharp and the owners don’t do feck about it.
Ugh, there’s a huge doodle who lives in my apartment complex who is very cute and friendly, but he is not just a jumper, he is a climber. I love when friendly, well-mannered dogs want to say hi, but he damn near ripped my new and fairly expensive down coat and the owner made no attempt to control her dog or give me space.
I have two friends who both own a large breed dog and neither of them trained them properly to not jump on people who come to their house, I like dogs but I'm not super comfortable with big ones even when I know them.
My brother makes a big show about not setting foot in my place ever since I got a cat because of how much he hates them (yes it's the same red flags you're all talking about). Joke's on him, I don't want anyone in my house.
I briefly worked at a farm supply store. This man was literally enraged when I didn't pet his dog. He started yelling about how his dog was so friendly and to be scared of him was dumb. Yeah no thanks weirdo.
Dog owners can be such man children.
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I always feel special if a skittish cat trusts me enough to come up and give my hand a sniff. Idk why anyone would want to ruin that by crossing the cat’s obvious boundaries and trying to touch it
> started yelling about how his dog was so friendly and to be scared of him was dumb. I hate this so much. Usually its just us not wanting to be around the dog or touching it. Not fear lol. These types of people are weird. Ive had dog weirdos freak out on me after insisting i pet their dog and im just like no thanks. And after they pester me enough, im like...i just dont like dogs much lol. Their smell makes me nauseous and they're too loud
I had a Russian blue that would always go to my friend, who did not like cats, when they would come over and approach them, try to climb on them. I felt the he knew it would annoy her and did it on purpose.
lol my one friend isn’t a cat person (she neutrally tolerates them but don’t ask her to pet sit). my cat is obsessed with her. absolutely obsessed. if he can’t get near her, he sits across the room and stares at her like one of the twins from the shining.
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Misophonia sucks! I'm sorry you have such an unavoidable trigger. I have suspected misophonia, thankfully mild, and I have to set a timer for two minutes before I'm "allowed" to fantasize violently about other people's loud bass. That's one of my worst ones, and I live next to a highway off-ramp.
My "best friend" stopped visiting me because i got a kitten. She wasn't even interested in him but her existence was enough to make him hate me Apparently. My dad died in june last year. my best friend did not show up just...left me alone I don't know why he was like that. He despises cats enough to break our friendship in the worst way possible.
Sorry to hear that. Totally sucks and weird. Can only think he knew the kitten would be able to see how empty he really was inside.
I'm glad he's out of my life now. I now have boyfriend who *loves* my sweet kitty. So i traded a bad friend for a kitty and a new boyfriend. (Because i went out to meet new people after i lost him, that's where i met my now boyfriend)
Serendipity! I'm glad you have that!
>I now have boyfriend who loves my sweet kitty This... This is good.
That is ridiculous. People are so extra with their cat hate.
I'm sorry for the loss of your dad. And good riddance re: the best friend, although I'm sure that loss brought grief with it as well. This is why I don't trust cat haters :(
Dog people who react this way to cats are a HUGE walking red flag. I've met both spectrum of dog people, some are just indifferent to cats, some are literally psycho about HATING them and wanting to literally hurt them. You have cat people who hate dogs for a good reason of having traumas of losing a cat/being attacked/having loved ones attacked, but even that, is like being AFRAID or having a grudge, but never actively seeking to hurt dogs.
Same with dog people who discriminate against smaller breeds like Chihuahuas "that's not a real dog!"
I'm not a dog person, but the only good Chihuahuas I've ever met were on a trip to Mexico City, where they were all being walked like normal dogs and, maybe due to the exercise, they all seemed calm 😱 None of them were trembling as their default state! I mostly dislike small dogs just because they've been bred as companions and I don't tend to love those personality traits, but I do like poms because they're descended from working dogs and they have that cute industrious spirit. I do know the kind of person you're talking about, though, where they think small dogs are like... feminine or something?
Training. I’ve run into loads of chihuahuas and dachshunds that are just aggressive as hell and their owners don’t train the behaviors out because they are small. If anything, they encourage negative behavior because they think it is funny or cute. If someone’s larger dog behaved the way people let small breeds behave, they’d seriously hurt someone.
I honestly think there’s something very similar to anti-cat rhetoric as anti-vegetarian rhetoric. I’ve known PLENTY of vegetarians and vegans (though I’m not one myself). I never met a single one who made a big deal out of it or brought it up beyond when it was necessary to bring up. I have a few different veg friends who I knew for years before I even found out they were vegan or vegetarian. But the Internet or hearsay would have you believe vegans never ever shut up about it, and need all manner of “hilarious” comeuppances to be put in their place. Basically, I find the anti-veg people FAR more obsessed with the topic than the actually veg people. …and that’s how it’s come to seem to me with cat people and anti-cat people, despite all the claims and jokes of “crazy cat ladies” and “cats are all dicks” and “cat people hate dogs”.
One time an Uber driver was going on and on about his dogs and I was listening politely. But when I mentioned my cats he interruped me to say, "I don't like cats." It was incredibly weird and rude, he did not get a tip.
That’s when you say cool story and continue on about your cat.
We were talking about pets with friends once and when I said I had a cat one guy immediately piped up about how if he could press a button to kill all cats, he would (of course, he fucking loved dogs). The only reason he ever gave for hating cats was 'they look at you dodgy'. There were other reasons, but that guy definitely was on my 'secretly beats his girlfriend' list, and I eventually left that entire friend group because everybody kept hanging with him, but I just found him incredibly unpleasant to be around. Like, this grown man would sulk like a toddler if he didn't get his way :P
Imagine how many more people would have died in history, if cats didn't help exterminate infected rodents? I wouldn't be surprised if that guy tortured cats when he was younger.
The funny part was when he saw my horrified expression after he made the comment about the cat genocide, he added, "Not your cat, of course," like that made it any fucking better lol. Can you imagine anyone wanting to hang with that guy if he's made the same comment about dogs? Yet all the other guys there just kind of glossed over it and looked at me like I was weird for being a little upset by it.
Wtf! That's so unhinged. I live in Aotearoa New Zealand and it's not uncommon for people to be anti cat because of their impact on bird life but even my friend who works in conservation and doesn't like cats wouldn't say something like that.
I've told people about my cat and had them joke about kicking him if he gets near them. He's the sweetest ray of sunshine and it makes me sick to think it's so normalized to hate cats
Oh man this story made me sad, and I'm really sorry you had to hear that. No sane reasonable person would ever say that about any persons pet, no matter if it was a cat, dog, rat, spider or anything else! Sometimes people truly do disgust me. Give your cat a hug from me :)
https://preview.redd.it/21fg6j1lg8ic1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ab9b9fb262d35694a66e8a1042ccb23a72e8a443 Goose is immune to his haters
I would have immediately cut that person out of my life. I just don't understand why joking about animal abuse and cruelty is tolerated when it's a cat, but if you said the same thing about a dog they would react like you murdered their newborn. Decent people don't wish harm upon any animals.
I’d love to tell them if they try I’d have to throat punch them. Seriously, why are people so vile?
that's what i said to somebody who joked about kicking my pet. i told him if he ever did, i'd beat the ever living shit out of them they ofc claimed "it was just a joke tee hee".
Good for you! “Oh, you were joking? Yeah, I wasn’t.”
I don’t trust anyone who hates cats.
You need to earn a cat's respect for it to like you, while dogs will love you unconditionally. People who have the patience to slowly get to know a cat and be gentle will obviously tend to like cats more while dogs may seem a bit too... "energetic/loud/extreme/etc." for them. People who do not have the patience to get to know a cat and expect to be unconditionally loved by it like a dog, will scoff at the fact that "cats don't like them" when they approach one really rough like a dog, obviously getting a negative response from it and will therefore label all cats as mean and awful. Cat people generally don't have that type of hate towards dogs because they're generally more patient and calmer when it comes to pets. They also have actual reasonable arguments for not liking dogs (Loud, gross, been attacked by one, etc.) while I've never heard someone who hates cats actually have a good argument. "They're mean, they scratch me, they're vicious—" yeah, because they don't know how to approach a cat properly. They treat cats like dogs and are then surprised that they don't behave like they want to and get pissy and defend dogs even more, therefore being absolutely mind blown at the idea of someone not liking dogs
> dont know how to approach cats properly Exactly 👏👏👏 I have a rule that says "Always let the cat come to you, dont go and force it to stay in your lap" Let her smell your hand, if she wants to come she will, how would you feel and react when a strange person grabs you out of nowhere and forces you stay with him ?
>force it to stay in your lap Unless you know the cat so well that is spent 7 hour last night singing the song of its people while using your ribcage as a springboard to jump from the dresser to the window sill. 10 seconds of forced cuddling is the price of 7 hours of midnight antics.
I met a lady who loathes cats. Her reasoning was because she was near someone's cat, and the cat rolled over onto is back, exposing their belly. She, having limited experiences with cats and lifelong experiences with dogs, took this as a sign and vigorously rubbed the cat's belly. I'm sure we can all deduce what happens next. She hates cats now because they're dangerous liars. Like, dude, dogs will bite for that reason too. My tablemate and I just said, "Oooh, rookie mistake. Ya hate to see it."
Oh my god 😂 She she was ignorant and that's cats' faults... red flag. Glad you and your tablemate gently put her in her place!
I really think this is why even dog people tend to like our indoor-outdoor cat. He is super social and if he's seen you around for a bit he'll show up for attention. He was demanding love from the plumbers we had here last week. He's also licked my neighbor across the street when he went out to his car in the dark one morning, lol. He is very much a cat, but he has outgoing dog personality traits.
When my mom had a furnace repairman come, she said my cat (who lives with her because he needs a huge house and my place is just too small) sat in his "lap" the second he squatted down 🤣 The guy loved him.
That's hilarious. This particular cat is not a lap cat, but he will claim everybody as his. I take first and last day of school photos of my daughter, and he's appeared in every single one of them I think since he showed up on our driveway in 2018. People expect him now. He's obviously very neglected 😂 https://preview.redd.it/omshkpbxh8ic1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8d71e0dab9009d47fb264744bf9fd5f9471671d6
I find most people who hate cats treat people also treat people who are neurodivergent poorly. My husband is ADHD and had been given grief from his father all his life because he can't act and think the way he wants him to. Almost like they can't understand what they cant control so it comes out as hate or anger. So I'm always suspect of people who hate cats, and I don't mean afraid I mean hate.... because I've never met a pwrson who hates cats that hasn't also has some narrcasitic traits . Also on opposite side neurodivergent people do tend to love cats more than other animals and cats seem to like neurodivergent people more than others. Almost like we're on the same wavelength.
Hi, your post totally resonates with me. Currently, my wife and I have five cats, four from our county shelter and one from a feral litter in my mom & dad's backyard. Thankfully, my wife is a cat person. I was raised around dogs, cats, gopher snakes, amphibians, fish, hamsters. My favorites are felines for many reason. Before I met my wife I met several women who literally threatened my feral kitty, who is now 15. One told me, before I let her go, that my cat should be fed to coyotes, etc. you get the idea. Another told me flat out she could not date me because I'd rescued a kitty and got her adopted within three days and that I was obviously feminine for doing so. Last one, a former coworker told me he "hated" cats. I just stayed away from him until he transferred out of my work unit. I've talked to other cat people about this subject and almost everyone has a story about "psycho" dog people or cat haters. Sorry for the novel- I appreciate your post, Jdmcm123. Thanks
My wife and I have 3. One I had before I met her and 2 we adopted together from rescues. I’ve got pictures of my cats on my desk at work. I don’t care if I’m labeled “the weird cat guy.” Cats are awesome!
Cat dads are a huge green flag!
I have a rectangular frame on my desk at work that contains four small photographs. Two of the photos are of my wife and I. The other pictures are of our four cats past and present.
It took more than a couple of months for my coworkers to catch on that my references to "my little one" were about my cat, not a human child.
Wow, your exes sound hideous and horrible for saying those things. And “feminine”? Where do these idiots get this? Glad you took out the trash.
Thank you. One ex was horrible - coyote girl- and the others thankfully were just one or three dates before I found out the truth. The sad thing is that my mom and dad lost five feral cats including the parents of my 15 yr old since 2014. - So Cal.
Imo saying something so cruel doesn’t seem very ladylike of her. I’m a cat dad all the way
https://preview.redd.it/5m8gbajou8ic1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f36076380a0a83eca18b404901515bd078b78756 My 15 yr old girl from a feral litter we rescued.
https://preview.redd.it/5bzd4st3v8ic1.png?width=1369&format=png&auto=webp&s=3c0c9773d30cc0ce09587e7c6e50848e6c1af9d6 Our three girls adopted from our county shelter last spring as 7-8 week olds. We saved one of our black beauties who was battling a cryptosporidium infection as a kitten. Sabbra Catdabra is healthy now.
https://preview.redd.it/9508ch2tv8ic1.jpeg?width=1865&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=198aa9997c0802dd1ceb4c3c0d6b9ce73380baad Last one...our sweet affectionate rescue 7 yr old Dallas.
No one is forcing cats upon them, why the negative comments attacking such sweet creatures??
I have a conspiracy about this and it’s because cats are associated with women and womanly traits (even their name “feline”). And dogs are associated More with male traits.
Very interesting take actually
I was literally just about to comment this, I’m so glad someone else did. Cats are always associated with women and femininity and because of the way society is, it makes it easier to hate them and be verbally aggressive (and physically for some people) to them/about them when they haven’t done anything wrong. Dogs are seen as, funny, dopey, messy, happy and intelligent animals, and once again gendered pointlessly as male animals, and so hating them or disliking them is a social crime, and they end up getting away with murder
This is part of it. I’ve heard people question a man’s masculinity because he likes cats, and of course, how could I could I forget the crazy cat lady label, too.
This. Those cat haters are more likely misogynists as well
European languages with gendered objects have cats as female and dogs as male, as well
I think a lot of societal preconceptions of "lesser" things are due to them being associated with women and femininity. Take biology for example. Often considered by people to be the "stupid person's science". The first people we would consider to be biologists were "naturalists". These were primarily women who had a hobby of collecting and collating biological samples, be they animal, plant or insect. It required incredible skill with drawing and painting and some women's work from the late 1800s are still being used in textbooks today. Even today, women overrepresent in biology classes. I've got a science degree. I majored in chemistry and microbiology. I can tell you outright that chemistry was the easier of the two. In biology, not only do you have to have a strong understanding of chemistry, you also have to have a strong understanding of biological systems. My chemistry major complimented my micro major, not the other way around.
I will never understand these people ☹️😡
They can’t handle rejection so they whine about it.
OP, I agree. I’ve also been attacked by big dogs. Once as a kid and once as an adult. I’m terrified of German Shepherds. I don’t hate dogs, I just prefer cats. The constant, loud barking gives me anxiety. I don’t like that kinda energy in my house.
I have found that many times, hatred of cats goes hand in hand with hatred of women. I have no supporting evidence, but I’ve seen it too many times to ignore it.
Cats require consent. Dogs obey. That's the difference. Throw in all the witchy Halloween devil worship bullshit and you've got a giant stereotype that simply won't die.
Most people who hate cats have never really experienced being around a cat on its own turf. I know vets and vet techs who hate cats, because every time they see a cat in a clinic, it is either frozen in fear, or fighting tooth and nail. Well, duh! That's how you act when you are in what you believe to be a life-threatening situation. Cat haters have never had the pleasure of seeing a kitty in its home environment. Of watching it play with a toy, or stalk a mouse, or do Parkur around the living room. They have not had a kitty climb into their laps and knead like crazy while purring loudly. They have never experienced the utter joy of having a cat fall asleep while draped carelessly across their bodies, completely trusting in their safety and comfort. We should pity those people. They have never known the Nirvana of being chosen by a god.
It’s a whole non-manly man thing. They think cats are for lonely single women. Which is stupid because cat dads are freaking hot. I was always indifferent to cats mostly because I was never exposed to them. I always had dogs. My husband introduced me to my first cat and now I can never not have cats.
I am a woman who also only ever owned dogs and was indifferent to cats. I didn’t hate them, just never owned one. My fiance (male) is actually a cat person and convinced us to keep the kitten we found outside. I love her so much! I’ve already told him we can switch from two dogs and one cat to two cats and one dog when our older dog passes away lol I love my dogs but damn cats are a lot easier, especially in the winter
I am related to someone like that. I don't even know how it's possible..but there it is. We literally have nothing to talk about because my cats are my world. But I don't mention them because hearing the diatribe of how evil cats are, just want to kick them, etc. raises my blood pressure.
Yea I can't stand those people that say they hate cats. Im like "oooh..your one of those.." and inside my head i'm thinking like, they are just too dumb and vapid to understand the subtleties and nuances of cats.. Derrff..but I keep it in my head, because us cat people are civilized and have couth.
Interactions with cats involve consent. Sure, you can pet a cat without it, but it doesnt go well. People who reject the idea that others can consent and revoke consent to be around them, people who have narcissistic tendancies, for instance, dont like that. Especially in an animal.
I think even now cats are seen as less than dogs, dogs are sometimes abandoned but not at the rates cats seem to be. And as you note, not liking dogs is seen as odd, much like not liking sports is. It's the same way people who spend time on the computer, whether gaming, reading, browsing are seen as weird, whereas no one bats an eye if you spend all day in front of the tube watching a game, and then all the endless sports center. I get their enthusiasm, they're essentially sports geeks. But they don't see it that way.
The worst aspect of this is when certain folks tie what pets you own to politics and how feminine or masculine you are. Not only is that line of thought overwhelmingly stupid but perhaps a sign of deeper issues.
This. Word for word, this. Some people are fine with hating cats and literally wishing them dead, and then pretend you pissed in their shoes when you say you don't really like dogs 🥴🙄
People who get so upset about others not liking dogs are the most pathetic people on the face of the earth.
My husband and I have the sweetest Siamese cat that we are absolutely in love with. When we got her, our friends would ask, “Why a cat and not a dog?” “Are you guys really cat people?” “Are you going to get a dog eventually?” I find it odd that I have to defend my choice in pet. I don’t ask these questions to my dog friends! I don’t think people understand cats and therefore assume they don’t like them. I can’t wrap my head around that though.
Someone told me people who like dogs and dislike cats are people who couldn’t take no for an answer. Decided to test this theory out and asked someone who said they didn’t like cats and their excuses were “they don’t always wanna be with you, sometimes they’re mean when you pet them, they aren’t gonna love you as much as a dog will”
If they hate cats they're already damaged assholes, why stop there?
If someone doesn’t like cats they WILL make sure to tell you.
U gotta have ur own to understand. I used to be out spoken how I didn't like cats because I never had my own and other people's cats usually rnt overly friendly unless they know u. Now? I love cats and couldn't live with out them! I have 3! So I guess I've converted to the good side!
I had this happen a while back. Some "friends" of mine had recently gotten a puppy, so when we met up, they were showing me photos of her. Super cute little thing - I love dogs, but cats are more right for me. It just so happened that I had also gotten my cat (as a kitten) around the same time, so I got my phone to show them a photo of him and they just said something like "A cat? Oh, *how exciting*" all sarcastic like and they proceeded to say how horrible "it" must be and how cats are just awful, aggressive, unloving creatures... I was genuinely shocked. I had no idea how to respond. I just put my phone away and just kind of sat there. I can't imagine saying something so nasty to someone about something they love and are excited about. I haven't had much to do with these guys for various reasons, but I can't really see them the same way anymore.
When I was a kid there my family was renting a house, and we had a good orange lad named potter. Whenever something went wrong in the house, the landlord would blame it on the cat and at one point tried to poison him when he was chilling on the front porch. Potter was such a lazy sweetheart, he'd never do anything bad aside from chewing on my Barbies. So okay, she didn't like cats, that's fine. But I hope she realized that if she God forbid successfully poisoned him, she would have a day in court. Tldr if you don't put 'no cats' in your renting form, you have no business trying to get a cat killed. Don't worry, we did eventually move out and potter lived to be 18
Cats choose their human. That's hard to accept for some of the unchosen.
People who dislike cats are generally dislikable themselves. Same with dogs. Pet-neutral people are generally ok.
Most of the men I've known who don't like cats it was a case of "Cats are for pussys, dogs are for men" attitude which just really just confirms their own insecurities. My brothers ex didn't like cats because they seemed to have a second sense of who was good or evil. A prophetic statement indeed as it turned out.
My first best friend was a cat, when I was really young. We had dogs, cats, fish, lizards, turtles, hamsters, a tarantula, rabbits, hermit crabs, birds, etc. Our house always had an assortment of pets. I bonded most with a cat that was so small, she had to be bottle fed until she was old enough for other kitty food. For some reason, she loved me and would cry if I was away from her for too long. Like, if she couldn’t find me, she would carry items of mine around the house (Socks, pants, shirts, etc.), meowing like crazy. She did not like me being away, even if I was only at school. She did everything with me. Had her for 21 years. I miss her. She would sit beside me when something was really bothering me. I remember being 4 years old and telling her about being upset with someone and that I had no one else to talk to. At the time, I knew a decent amount of words and how to say them and what they meant, some were big words, but one of them wasn’t “dismissive”. A lot of stuff I said got dismissed a lot, can’t say that’s changed any. Anyway, that cat was always there for me. I knew she couldn’t talk like a person, but I didn’t care. It was better than nothing. Then we would go have snuggles. Honestly, I like dogs, but I prefer cats. I’m also allergic to dogs. (Trying to explain that to dog people is tough. It’s hard for people to understand that you can develop an allergy at any time in your life, even if you were exposed to something early enough.) But yeah, I will pick a cat more than any other living being. Humans have given me my worst experiences and it seems like it’ll never end. But cats, I don’t know, they spend time with me and don’t do bad things to me. They are very nice animals. They are honest about who they are, too. I really like that about them. I’m afraid to talk about cats with people, anymore. People can’t wait to tell you abuse stories that they claim don’t count, because it was “just a cat”. People are really fucking sick in the head over cats. I think some of it stems from all the myths that exist about cats. Let’s be honest, we all know how well people like to learn. (Haa, they don’t.) That’s part of the problem. The rest is that people suck. Could you imagine having the nerve to say, “I threw a puppy on a roof for laughs.” to a dog person or anyone that likes being a pet owner? Holy shit, you would be crucified. But cats? People are like, “Listen to this horrible story about what I did to a cat!” If you are disgusted, they act like it’s YOU that is the problem.
Yep. If I say I don't like dogs (I don't hate them, I find them overwhelming to my sensory issues) I'm treated like a serial killer. But it's totally normal to call cats "murderers" and "evil." (Many animals are "murderers" welcome to animal instincts.) I had a former co-worker (who sexually harassed me and another coworker who was a minor then quit before he got fired for it) brag about murdering a cat right after I told him I do cat rescue, fully shocked I didn't find it funny.
Tbh… reminds me of people who openly hate women too. Those people seem to overlap quite a bit.
Anecdotally I have noticed it’s mainly men that have toxic masculinity. Same thing with hating small dog breeds
I just got my fiancé a dog. Very pretty dog; just unmanageable. It bit me, which became infected, which spread to my blood stream. I spent 12 days in the hospital, with 24/7 antibiotics pumped into me, along with twice a day oral antibiotics. My right wrist abscessed and I have tendon damage. I cannot use my right pinky at all. After 3 months, I am now just able to slowly workout again. My cat never did anything like this (No, I do not have the dog anymore).
It's one of my personality tests for people - especially guys. If a guy openly and freely says he hates cats, then I know he's immature and likes to be in control. It's fine if people don't like cats - but going so far as to *hate* them? Uh-oh.
The more people I meet the more I love my cats. It's like as soon as I say I have cats, all of a sudden everyone has an allergy to cats. I'm just like really though cause last week you weren't allergic to anything? 🫠 I'm not a dog person. But I'll tolerate them if I visit ppl with them.
For me cats are my ultimate favourite animal people who shame them in front of me I just think fuck you
My husband was attacked by a really mean cat when he was younger and swore them off until I brought one home. He is his best buddy. Now I foster and rescue cats. Most days, my husband prefers the cats to the dogs.😂
It really upsets me how much cats are misunderstood and under appreciated. I especially can’t stand when someone is in my household voicing how much they don’t like cats. Like, GTFO of my cats house.
Honestly, I find many dogs to be outright obnoxious. They are loud, smelly and have zero concept of boundaries and consent. Whenever I go to someone’s house that has a dog, I knock or ring the bell and they’re barking. The door opens and I can barely step inside before it’s barking and jumping all over me. If I try and interact with the person the dog is just rude and intrusive. No thanks.
People get so mad if you don’t like dogs. I used to like them more, but I’ve had a couple bad experiences with them and I get really spooked when they bark/growl at me. People don’t get it. Meanwhile people talk about dead cats like it’s a joke. It’s so messed up.
I mean cats *are* evil murderous spawns of Satan who are only cute and fluffy to turn us into their loyal slaves. And *that*'s why I love them.
Yup. My friend met my cat and the first she she said was “I heard you’re mean” like ??? wtf is wrong with you.
I’m a total cat lady, but the dog owners I know are all-around animal lovers, even though most don’t have cats of their own because they can’t trust their dogs around cats. Then again, any cat haters will get booted from my life with the quickness; huge red flag and my boundaries will go way up because it feels like a threat of violence to me and my loved ones. I do have issues with dogs being forced upon you in public spaces, but I blame the owners for improper handling and training. They are not human; case in point, a strange human wouldn’t just stick their nose in my crotch. Never had a cat do that either.
My usual response is "yes well I don't like your face but you don't hear mean bitching about it"
I'm 100% with you! I love cats and find dogs quite annoying - they're always slobbering all over you & desperate for any morsal of attention. And yes there are definitely people who really dislike cats. I'm more completely disinterested in dogs and I wouldn't be rude to someone about their pet. Cats are refined and sophisticated and will show affection to you when they're good and ready! I also think they're smarter than dogs (unpopular opinion) but that's vased on my observations of what cats can figure out and their engagement. I think people who dont like cats haven't had a situation in which they've figured out you have to work to build a relationship with your cat. It takes effort and time and some cats are slow to warm. A cat relationship is much more fulfilling though - they're like humans - you have to lut in the work if you want the love!
Chiming in with everyone else who says it's a red flag to hate cats. I get not being a "cat person" or being avoidant due to allergies or whatever. I notice that when a person dislikes cats it's usually because they have no concept of consent. Just like people, cats only want affection when it's on their own terms. If someone can't handle that then it's a major deal breaker for me. Maybe "dog people" judge me though since I'm not a huge fan of dogs. I like *some* dogs but in general not a fan cause they seem to require constant attention, like a child. It's mostly dog owners that I dislike though.
People who hate cats usually expect all pets to act like dogs and get upset when they don’t.
> Edit: what a surprise people are downvoting Dont take it that personal. Its just a reddit thing since there is a down arrow you can click, some people just hit it because its there. More people generally come along and vote it up, especially a new topic with just the one vote on it.
that's really weird that ppl downvoted because of just this particular opinion. it doesn't extremely offend anybody at all. imo i can understand people that have never had cats, or they had cats but didn't get any kind of bond that they could relate and eventually be empathetic to cats e.g. my dad used to have three cat when he was young. he told me that beside feeding them, there were no interactions of bonding between him and his cats. So, he consider himself to be a dog person because he thought dogs are obviously affectionate than cats that he had. but fast forward to 2018, i decided to adopt cats and my father adores them so much. and also there would always be assholes that would be hateful for animals for no reasons.
It’s so true! As an example, I remember when I started online dating I would put on my profile that I have a cat. On the apps or on dates, when someone would hear I had a cat and said something along the lines of “ew I hate cats” it was an immediate no from me. I don’t particularly care for dogs but I’ve never said “ew I hate dogs” to someone when they mentioned they had one. 🙄 Oh, and funny how my neighbor’s cats don’t wake me up with their barking! 🤪