I live alone, so It would be too quiet & dead without pets in the house. Some substitute living alone by going out a lot or too much. But that could wind up costing a small fortune in costs of whatever you're attending, & in transportation costs... especially if you go out a lot.
I used to like to go out more & travel when I was younger. But being a "home" person, being on the road for work a lot made me too homesick, making me want to be even more of a home person.
I was raised in a home of 6 kids. With parents that's, 8 people under 1 roof, along with a dog, cat, bird, & hundreds of fish in several fish tanks. So even when I moved out on my own, it was natural for me to always share my home with roommates or partner. Most rentals don't allow cats or dogs, but would allow fish & birds. So I always had at least fish & birds in the house. Yep, even my fish were well domesticated, & friendly (some fish & birds are smarter than others).
When a partner moved in with his cat (1980s), he never took care of or played with the cat much, so the cat almost instantly adopted me because I was the one playing with him, bushing him, & cuddling. Sometimes I'd even let out all the birds & we all played together. He learned to be nice with my birds. That cat was at my side the whole time I was home, even sleeping on or beside me. I made up my mind back then, that I'd never live anywhere that doesn't allow at least cats anymore.
The place I currently live, doesn't allow pets. But because my cats & I had good references from the other places I lived, they made an exception.
The entertainment value alone far exceeds the worth of cable TV. Plus I get all that cuddling, affection, & occasional adventure... even a fly getting in the house is a big adventure for them.
I find I have a hard time falling asleep these days unless the cats are sleeping right beside me. The past couple days have been suddenly warmer, so they don't want to cuddle up as much. I've been discovering one sleeping in a box in back, & the other sleeping in the dirty laundry hamper... so now he smells like my socks.
Once they get used to the warmer weather, they'll get back to normal, except for the hottest summer days. They're anti-social on hot days... don't like heat at all. I have AC, but I only use it just enough to make the place bearable or help me breathe on hot or humid days rather than run the AC enough to make it very cool.
Yesterday it got pretty hot up here before I tuned the AC on. The cats immediately ran to the AC for the cool breeze. Without AC, with fans in the windows, on an 80F day outside, it can get over 90F in here. This place would probably be uninhabitable in the hot summer without AC to most people.
Kitties just turned 5 years old this month. It's been a wonderful 5 years with them. They give me a lot of comfort, joy, & entertainment.
It's always a good idea to get 2 cats if you live alone & there's no other pets in the house -- preferably from the same litter so they get along. It prevents them from getting bored, going nuts, or developing obsessive compulsive behaviors. It gives them something to interact with when people are busy or not home.
Most cats are 1-person animals, where even in a house with many people they will single out 1 person they prefer over the others... and that's not necessarily the one who feeds them that they prefer, but the one they have the most fun with, or feel the most comfortable & safe with. They may ignore or run away from anybody else, or try to get along with others that the cat sees are close to "their" person.
Once a cat is used to going outdoors it's hard to break the habit. You need to show the cat lots of indoor adventures, playtime, cuddling, & brushing. Possibly encourage the other pets or people to join in some play.
It's gradual break-in because you can't force a cat to do or like anything. They'll wind up adopting a neighbor instead, or prefer just being alone rather than deal with the stress of being forced into stuff.
Topic: Cat Companion (Read 3284 times)
