What drew you to cats in the first place?

I was just curious as to why our members initially started liking cats...for me it was being blessed with a purebred Persian and a polydactyl alley cat as a child. They were both docile and sweet. It was . Their little shoes have been hard to fill over the years, but we've managed.

A familiar, in short, is a living extension of your id.

As for the original question, I've always had cats.

Yeah, I've always had cats too... they either showed up on my door, or friends brought them to me... There was one that had been abandoned by his mom... I found him drowning on a water pot in the rain... Another one also abandoned - just found him meowing on the street... These two were bottle fed, and became crazy kitties - the first one for example, was vegetarian, by choice! His name was Ze Miguel - or Joseph Michael He would not touch anything with meat in it - ate only carrots, potatoes, beans, broccoli, cauliflower... looooooved steamed vegetables. I tried hard to give him meat - no sir! And I tried since he was a baby... Too funny! Biggest and craziest personality in the world! Very healthy and fit - extremely active... No Idea how that happened!

Always had them, too. There was no "initially started to like cats", it was as natural as breathing.

Um, I really disliked cats until right before I got Mattie. I loved them as a kid, but I had a college roommate who had one and it was hard for me. I don't think the cat was spayed (her boyfriend's mom is a well respected cat breeder and this was one of the cats) so it would go into heat. It would pee/mark on my things, probably because it could sense I wasn't a huge fan.

I have always wanted a small dog but I was always living in an apartment. During my last year of law school, a friend of mine was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and I wanted to get a pet to have something positive to focus on. I started looking at cats on petfinder and then saw Mattie's picture. She was at a shelter across the street from where I was working so I went over after work one day and adopted her on the spot.

5 weeks later, I adopted Chloe because I wanted a 2nd. Now we have Henry too, which makes 3 cats.

As a kid, I wanted nothing more than a kitten or a cat. My mom was allergic to cats, plus she didn't like them, so we never had one. Then one day, when I was in 7th grade, my step-dad was trying to get on our good side so he took us to the humane society to adopt a cat, Ivy. Ivy was an independent 2-year-old kitty but she sometimes slept on my bed with me. I was so happy to have a cat. She died when I was in law school.

My dad & step-mom got a cat when I was in 11th grade, and they still have him. His name is Roo and he used to drive me nuts because he would try to sleep on my head when I was there and he liked to paw at the door to let you in.

In 12th grade, a friend of mine were at Safeway for lunch and this guy was giving kittens away. We took 2 of them, 1 for each of us. My mom was pissed and wouldn't let me keep the one, so he went to my friend's house where they kept both. Her parents were upset too, but now her mom can't imagine not having them. That was Calvin and Hobbes, they are still around.

I was three when my father said we could have a cat. (His idea was for catching rats and mice.) I remember picking out a tiny kitten at my cousin's house... I held the little sweetie in the car for the two hour drive home. She became my lifeline in my horrific abused childhood. She taught me unconditional love.

She was the first, and my kitties have always helped me calm down and feel happy.

Always been around cats. There was a cat and dog in the family when I was born.

I just wanted a pet, but am too lazy for a dog

they are adorable

My mom had a cat when I was growing up, but I was never that into them. Then my sister got a cat who I really just didn't like, she was a bitter and didn't like anyone execpt Mom. I was more of a dog person, but my Dad is deathly afraid of dog so I was never allowed to have one. I have always been an animal lover, but cats were far from my favorite. Then one day I found a litter of kittens in a yard that a feral kitty had. They were about 4 weeks old and we never saw Mama cat come back arround so we brought them inside becasue the weather was so cold and Mom was worried about them. I think thats when I just feel in love. They just melted my heart! They were so afraid of people, but with some time they grew to love the attention they recived. I had a hard time adopting them out so Mom and Dad let me keep one. That kitty was so speical to me! Tink used to sleep next me in bed like a person, head on my pillow all streached out. When I had a bad day she somehow new and just hung out with me and always made me smile. If I was sad she would sit in my lap. If I was crying she would stay by my side. I was working at a privete school and there were tons of feral kitties that ran arround. One of the kitties had a litter and the owner of the school called this lady who came and traped all the cats and got them all fixed and was going to bring them back to live out there lives. Well the owner threw a fit and thrented to just have all the cats PTS. So i steped up and took all 7 of them (Mom and 6 babies). After that I was hooked! The kitties from my work became out side ferals and we fed then witch brought all the cats in the area arround. Then one day Belle showed up. She was so small and would just come up to me and let me pet her. She was so skinny and I could feel every bone in her body and her fur would fall out in your hand when you pet her. My mom would not let me keep her. Then one day I came home from school and there was a kitty who had, I assumed, been hit by a car and crawled up into are front yard and past away. I was SOO upset because I thought it was Belle. She looked just like her and Belle didn't stop by for a few days. Then one night I got a call from my mom when I was out with some friends saying that Belle was ok and we are going to keep her. So i rused home and sure enough my sweet stray was safe and sound. Called the vet and got her in the next day poor girl was a year old and weighed 3lbs, but other then that she was healthy. A few weeks after Belle became a member of my family, Tink had gotten out and we found her a week later dead in the wash behind are house. I was so upset, but Belle helped me get through this tough time in my life. I don't think I would have made it though high school with out Tink. She helped keep me sane. My parents and I never got along, but when it came to my love for cats they were very understanding. Then about a year after Belle came into my life I found TigerLilly. I was driving home from work and the car in front of me slowed and I watched in horror as the passenger opened up there door and dumped this kitten out in the street. I quickly stoped my car and scooped up the tiny kitten. So there I was yet again with an abondend kitty who needed a home. Belle and TigerLilly are as I am often reminded "my cats", but Mom and Dad are not willing to give them up to me So they live at my parents house in Cali. When I call home mom puts it on speaker phone and when Belle hears my voice she comes and meows in the phone for me. I miss my babies so much, but they are happy with Mom and Dad. When I moved out of my house and in with Eric I was really depressed becasue I missed my cats so much. Eric decided that I needed a kitten and we got Flower. She can not replace Belle and TigerLilly, but they are safe and happy and I wouldnt trade Flower for anything. She is always at my side. Figaro we found and he was so tiny! It was good timeing because I was about 4 months pregnent and I was starting to worry about how Flower will react when she is not the center of my world any more. So we took him and here we are!

Sorry this is so long, I guess I didn't choose cats, cats chose me. With those sweet faces and the soft purr how could I say no?

There was always at least one cat in our house from the time I was born, so I grew up around them. Weird though, once both of us kids moved out my mom doesn't have any cats anymore. Just one dog. lol

There was always a cat around the house when I was growing up. My mom wasn't much into spay/neuter, and she always put them out at night, so they tended to live short lives. However, by the time I was in high school, she began to see that outdoor living was depriving her of a lot of feline friends.

I don't think a house is a home without a cat.

When I was a kid we mainly had dogs, until I was about 11. My dad let me get a little kitten, he was an inside/outside cat. I fell in love with cats and would choose a cat over a dog any day. Oh, I still love dogs, but I ADORE cats. The last time I had a dog was maybe 8 yrs ago? It was just a natural thing for me to like cats so much.

Originally Posted by nurseangel

I was just curious as to why our members initially started liking cats...for me it was being blessed with a purebred Persian and a polydactyl alley cat as a child. They were both docile and sweet. It was

. Their little shoes have been hard to fill over the years, but we've managed.

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My mother bred and raised chihuahuas for a living. They were all over the house and in the basement, where I conducted my hobby of building model airplanes. Listening to the racket, as soon as I left home I got myself a cat from the local animal shelter. No noise, no fuss. Just a great departure from chihuahuas. Not that I do not like dogs, I have had several in my lifetime.

I am a born cat lover. My mom wrote in my baby book how I was so attracted to cats. She ended up getting me a solid white shorthair cat when I was a preschooler. That was my very first cat but I don't remember it only from pictures I have seen. The cat was an inside only cat and got outside one day never to be seen again

I've only had cats for about 4 years, I grew up in a very anti-cat household.

My ex husband and I got a dog and wanted a friend for him, so my ex decided we should get cat. By the time we broke up 2 years later we had 7

When we broke up and I moved back home (from Canada to Australia), I started looking for an Ocicat breeder after falling in love with the breed and a few months later had my first Oci

My family have always had cats. I was given my first cat at the age of two and a half,to help me recover from leukemia. I think it must of helped! I guess i fell in love with them after that! Ive had cats ever since. I dont know if it's the whiskers, the cute nose,the purring and affection the so willing give.Or maybe it just everything about them!

There have always been cats and dogs in my life too. My first cat was "BB" a Bluecream Persian and my first dog was Clarence, a black lab.

My Nana has been breeding Persians for almost 50 years. Not only Persians though she's also bred Siamese, British Blue, Burmese and was very influential in the first two litters of Ragdolls/Exotics in New Zealand

My Mum already had two cats (mother and son) when i was born. The Mum cat used to sit by my cot until my Mum came when i cried, my first word was 'puss' and when i was old enough to follow them around and cuddle them i adopted my mums cats as mine and i loved them to pieces. I also seem to have knack for choosing men who are into cats, my dad's not a big fan, but my ex has his own cat and my current boyfriends parents used to breed and show Burmans. The trouble will come when we are able to get our own cat and argue over getting a pedigree which he wants or a bog standard moggie like i want. He has already made it clear that i can't have my cat, Max (currently living with my parents) when we get our own place cos he won't have had the bonding with him that i've had and it won't be fair, which i understand to an extent but i don't think it is fair on Max or my parents, cos i know Max misses me while i'm away and i miss him and although my parents are happy to look after him while i am unable but i can't expect them to carry on looking after him when i am finally in a suitable position to take him myself.