Many years ago we bought a house in Boulder, CO, that came with a cat. Long story, not worth repeating here. The cat in question was mostly outdoor, and as much of a cat lover as I am, because we had very young children, I was a bit cautious. In time, the cat adjusted to us, but she was still mostly out doors. Then we moved to the Kansas City area, and decided to bring the cat with us.
The very second day we were in our new house, I ran some errands with the kids, and when I got back home and got out of my car in the garage, there was, right in front of my feet as I got out of the car, a dead mouse. Yes! The cat was showing us that she would earn her keep in our new place.
She was, of course, a wonderful cat. Because she was used to being outside much of the time, as she got old and senile it was a problem, and more than once someone picked her up half a block away, knocked on our door and asked, "Is this your cat?"
I learned my lesson, and subsequent cats have been mostly indoors. Currently I am without cats, and my current life is such that I cannot be responsible for so much as a potted plant, but someday I hope to be a crazy cat lady once again. My son knows that if he ever needs to place me in a home to be sure to find one that has resident cats, because I would never be so senile that I would not love cats.
And while cats and dogs are quite different, the sentiments of loving and wanting to be with a non human companion is essentially the same. So for you who prefer dogs, just make a small mental adjustment here.
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