Cats have long been the nation’s favorite pet. There is little doubt that most people are suckers for a feline friend.
Cats also make the perfect addition to every household, but it’s not all cuddles on the sofa and ‘likes’ on Instagram, getting a cat can be a life changing decision.
From waking us up at 5am to the destroying our furniture – here are 16 things nobody tells you about getting a cat before you get one.
1. Choosing a breed
Who knew there were so many – Bengals to Maine Coons, Ragdolls to Norwegian Forest Cats, there’s absolutely no such thing as ‘just a cat’ when you’re considering a feline companion.
2. You don’t own the cat the cat owns you
Regardless of what breed you end up choosing, you will realize, fairly speedily, that you are nothing more than entertainment for your cat, a food dispenser and available lap to curl up on.
But you still feel privileged to be the chosen one.
3. Insurance and vet bills
*How much did you say that costs?*
4. The noise in the morning
Who needs an alarm when you have a cat meowing in your ear at 5am wanting food and attention.
5. Oh, the fur
And we mean, EVERYWHERE!
6. What was once your favorite piece of furniture
Which was once was a treasured heirloom, handed from generation to generation, is now a scratching post for daily claw sharpening.
7. You’ll never have to eat alone ever again
Why on earth would she settle for a can of Whiskers or Friskies when she could have YOUR organic salmon with dill sauce straight off your plate.
Tsk, tsk …silly humans!
8. Your cat will get more ‘likes’ than you on social media
And he or she will eventually have its own Instagram account (Go on, you know you want to.)
9. You’ll start to genuinely find most cat videos funny
And begin sharing random YouTube clips of cats opening doors and getting stuck in boxes on Facebook, without even caring that many of your friends are annoyed.
10. You’ll start to think your house is definitely haunted
When your cat sits, paralyzed, in the middle of a room staring at the same spot without blinking for twenty minutes or more.
11. Your laptop will suddenly become the most comfortable surface in the entire house.
Because why sit on a warm sofa when you can sit on a plastic keyboard?
12. The price of cat food itself
And the sheer quantity your cat can eat.
13. The smell
Because, when a cat unloads, trust and believe, they do it in style!
14. Not giving a damn that friends start calling you a mad cat lady
Single – check, late thirties – check, thinking of chucking in your job and opening a cat rescue center – hell yeah!
Just suck it up people.
15. You’ll appreciate dogs even less than you did before
The walks, the noise, the neediness … shall we go one?
16. How much you’ll love it
Because, despite the expense, the malting, the arrogance and the too early in the morning wake up calls, there is absolutely no better pet in the world than a cat.
And it’s not true what they say at all … cats *are* loyal, that is … as long as there’s enough food and treats around!