Dealing with non-cat people?

[PebblesandMeow]

I just have to vent a little, because I am so fed up!!!! I am SURE this has to have been discussed before but I am so

Without fail, everytime the discussion of pets comes up in a conversation and I talk about my furbabies, there will always be that person who thinks it is perfectly acceptable to respond to my gushing by saying, "I hate cats"

GRRRR that makes me sooooo mad!!!!! I mean, I'm not crazy about children but you don't hear me telling moms and dads that I hate their kids!!!

I'm just curious....how do the rest of you handle this as I am sure you have all experienced this at one point or another? I'm afraid that unless I have a stock answer, I will lose it one day and yell back, "Yeah, well you're an ugly a$%!"

And trying to convince these non-cat lovers that cats are great really doesn't work for me....I find them to get dismissive like they can't be bothered. Of course that just makes my blood boil...one day I may end up pulling a Jack Nicholson LOL

[lauracatlover]

usually my replies are either "&*(%^%^$£!!!"

or..

"good for you". Short, sweet, and letting them know that their opinion doesn't matter.

The other day I was talking about Mitzi and someone said "urgh cats are so unhygienic. they go to the toilet in the tray leaving mess all over their feet"

And then he goes on about his two hyper mongrels who aren't trained or do anything their told?

[BaloneysMom]

In my age group mostly everyone I converse with has kids. I normally respond with “I hate kids” Then of course the conversation turns into “how can you hate kids” “omg your so mean, kids are so cute” and I say that exact same thing back to them about cats. If its someone I don’t know, or never met I normally just ignore them, if they “hate” an animal they are really not worth my time, or thoughts.

[Mai_kitties]

I once responded to this exact comment with "Oh my god that is such a coincidence. I hate ignorant people who hate cats."

The look on her face was priceless as she had no clue how to respond especially since she had sorta butt into my conversation that I was having with another cat lover. We continued our conversation without a beat as she just sorta wandered away.

[AddieBee]

Yeah, there is no convincing people. I try not to talk about my shelter kitties to people who don't like cats/animals. You could say, well, I am sorry for you.
And then move away. Don't engage. Some people want to engage in antagonistic conversation. My mom HATES cats, which is why I cannot foster directly. She had a bad experience as a child. She also says she doesn't like the fact that they rub on you, etc. Well, there is no changing her at almost 85.

And to people who says cats walk in their waste, hey -- dogs EAT their poo and roll in it and and are generally very smelly animals. And they track crap into the house. At least cats BURY their waste, dogs leave it everywhere or you have to pick it up for them. Ugh!!! That said, I love dogs.

[Slave2_Ragdolls]

Cats are either loved or hated by people......there never is an in between with them. Males are the biggest cat haters. If the person that said they hated cats to me.......and they have a dog......I just tell them that "you must be into higher maintenance animals like dogs" I tell them that my 6 indoor cats are less maintenance than one of your dogs. At least I don't have to run home to let the dog outside all the time like you do or get a poopy surprise on the floor if you don't. That comment burns them up every time

[CruiserMaiden]

Depending on the circumstance I say different things. When someone butts in who isn’t really involved in my conversation in the first place, I just look at them and say “Well, that’s unfortunate for you.” or “Too bad, you’re missing out” and proceed to ignore them. If they are listening to my conversation I gently inform them they don’t have to be involved with my discussion and they are welcome to take their hatred somewhere else.

I have one guy at work who really hates cats. He claims he is allergic and that I bring cat hair into the office that irritates him. I would say this was a legitimate argument except that his complaints only started after I brought in pictures of my kitties and put them up at my desk, and that was over a year after I started working here and had cats at home the whole time with no complaints from him. He tried to get me in trouble so we worked with HR and finally we came to an agreement that they provided me with a little hand vacuum and a lint roller and now I have to clean my whole desk area weekly with that and lint roll all my clothes first thing in the morning when I arrive. Pretty ridiculous I think just because he doesn’t like cats!

[Keycube]

I have a theory about cat-haters; more specifically, why men are more apt to not like cats (there seem to be more cat-haters among men, from my experience):

It has to do with control; more often than not, a man will want to be in control of both a situational (group setting) and individual-discourse engagement. Men like predictability and environments that will find them to be the dominant factor, or at least potentially so.

This is why men seem to favor dogs; their predictable nature and unconditional love approach toward the relationship is nice and tidy and easy to compartmentalize for a man. Which is not to say that men abuse this relationship, in fact I think it's why you find such passionate dog owners among males, and it includes an ironic twist: that even though cats are easier to maintain than dogs, dogs are easier to read than cats, and are an apt surrogate for the sort of woman that many men find appealing - one that requires little effort on the man's part to maintain a passionate love affair on the dog's part.

Cats are the antithesis; difficult if not impossible to read at times, independent, and not always responsive in a positive fashion to their owner's efforts to keep them happy. They are, in essence, the quintessential " woman" that those men complain about. A man is likely to find a cat to be his emotional superior, and will see that either as an attribute to hold in high esteem, or a "threat" to his masculinity.

Note: This is just a theory! I've had many a normal-interaction or internet discussion about cats that eventually finds someone turning it dark with their vile talk of cats and how much they despise them. Aside from the obvious fact that they lack a global love/respect/compassion-for-animals gene, it's usually someone that has something else amiss; a weakness, a cowardice. I'm not talking about the "cats just aren't for me/my situation" crowd, either; it's the ones that have an outright contempt that's seemingly inexplicable. Which is why I find it interesting to try and decipher "why".

I'm a man in a largely female forum, so I hope I didn't offend anyone with my language or ideas; just trying to share my observations, no matter how possibly outrageous.

[AddieBee]

Originally Posted by Keycube

I have a theory about cat-haters; more specifically, why men are more apt to not like cats (there seem to be more cat-haters among men, from my experience):

It has to do with control; more often than not, a man will want to be in control of both a situational (group setting) and individual-discourse engagement. Men like predictability and environments that will find them to be the dominant factor, or at least potentially so.

This is why men seem to favor dogs; their predictable nature and unconditional love approach toward the relationship is nice and tidy and easy to compartmentalize for a man. Which is not to say that men abuse this relationship, in fact I think it's why you find such passionate dog owners among males, and it includes an ironic twist: that even though cats are easier to maintain than dogs, dogs are easier to read than cats, and are an apt surrogate for the sort of woman that many men find appealing - one that requires little effort on the man's part to maintain a passionate love affair on the dog's part.

Cats are the antithesis; difficult if not impossible to read at times, independent, and not always responsive in a positive fashion to their owner's efforts to keep them happy. They are, in essence, the quintessential " woman" that those men complain about. A man is likely to find a cat to be his emotional superior, and will see that either as an attribute to hold in high esteem, or a "threat" to his masculinity.

Note: This is just a theory! I've had many a normal-interaction or internet discussion about cats that eventually finds someone turning it dark with their vile talk of cats and how much they despise them. Aside from the obvious fact that they lack a global love/respect/compassion-for-animals gene, it's usually someone that has something else amiss; a weakness, a cowardice. I'm not talking about the "cats just aren't for me/my situation" crowd, either; it's the ones that have an outright contempt that's seemingly inexplicable. Which is why I find it interesting to try and decipher "why".

I'm a man in a largely female forum, so I hope I didn't offend anyone with my language or ideas; just trying to share my observations, no matter how possibly outrageous.

That's very interesting, Keycube. I don't disagree. But I take an even more simple view: Dogs are viewed as "masculine" pets, while cats are viewed as "feminine" pets. By nature of the beast. And I think there is that stereotype of the little lap dog as less than masculine, too. And that may go to your argument.

For Christmas, one of the gifts I got my boyfriend was a coffee mug that said, "Real men DO like cats!"

[mrblanche]

Originally Posted by lauracatlover

The other day I was talking about Mitzi and someone said "urgh cats are so unhygienic. they go to the toilet in the tray leaving mess all over their feet"

As opposed to dogs, who will eat their own poop and then lick your face!

[mrblanche]

Originally Posted by Keycube

Note: This is just a theory! I've had many a normal-interaction or internet discussion about cats that eventually finds someone turning it dark with their vile talk of cats and how much they despise them. Aside from the obvious fact that they lack a global love/respect/compassion-for-animals gene, it's usually someone that has something else amiss; a weakness, a cowardice. I'm not talking about the "cats just aren't for me/my situation" crowd, either; it's the ones that have an outright contempt that's seemingly inexplicable. Which is why I find it interesting to try and decipher "why".

I think you've hit it on the head.

When I taught high school, I told the girls not to get serious about guys who hated cats, because what they hate about cats is their independence, and if they hate it in a pet, they'll hate it in a wife.

[Carolina]

It doesn't really matter to me... I think people can like dislike whatever they want... It's just fair to recognize others' right to feel differently from what we feel... I only take it personally when the comment is against my cats... My best friend used to hate specifically my cat in Brasil - he was the sweetest cat in the whole world!!! That I took personally, and I made a point to say that she was welcome to leave my house at any time, as my cat would continue to be around me, sleep with me, and it was too bad if she wasn't happy about it - I would not lock him up because of her. She always complained, but never left the house... so... oh well, her probem to deal with, not mine