Are cats unappreciated pets?

  One of my local pet supply stores is hosting a Christmas competition that spans four weeks. The idea is people upload photos of their pets playing with something from  the store, simple. Over the first two weeks there were dogs, birds and even a Siamese fighting fish but absolutely no cats. Finally today the store uploaded a total 3 cats to the 30+ dogs in the competition.

  I admittedly entertained the idea of summoning the cat loving cavalry to support the people putting forth their cats.

  While there are of course other factors, it's contributed the overall impression that cats are a really undervalued pet. Does anyone else ever get this feeling?

There are some really cute rabbits, pups and the 3 cats.

Absolutely. Do you really think that Petco and/or Petsmart wants you to bring your cat into the store? No, I  don't either.

My Sophie is an explorer and would probably have a blast looking at everything. Lilith would just want everyone to fawn all over her and give her treats and Henry would hate every second. He's too skittish. 

We have a specialty pet store in town. It's a nice store BUT 95% of it is dog stuff. The cat stuff is hidden away in a back corner. I often expect to have to go behind a curtain to get to it, like THAT part of the video store. 

Me: Looking around then ducking behind the curtain

Woman tugging husband's sleeve, whispering: Bob, what is she doing?

Husband: I think she's buying cat food

Woman: Out in the open like that? By herself?

Husband: It's a different world now, dear. It's a different world. 

Woman: Some people are just shameless

Husband: Yes, dear. 



We spend money too, you know  . EVERY time I have called them to ask if they have any Rad Cat in stock, this is what happens:

Me: Do you have any Rad Cat in stock?

Clerk: What's that?

Me: Frozen raw cat food

Clerk: We don't carry that

Me: Yes, you do

Clerk: No, we don't

Me: (now really annoyed) Thank you (and hang up)

Call the other location just north of me

Me: Do you have any Rad Cat in stock?

Clerk: Only in the OTHER location



Me: Can you please let them know that you carry it?

Clerk: What? 

Me: They just told me that you don't carry it. They didn't seem to know what it is

Clerk: Sigh. What kinds do you need? 

I actually like that store. They carry brands that Petco and Petsmart do not and they have comparable prices. Too bad the staff doesn't know what they carry. Unfortunately the owner is usually at the store that is north of me. Neither are close though of course. 

Cats do not get the respect that dogs do despite the fact that dogs can be extremely annoying neighbors and cats rarely are (when kept inside of course).  it doesn't take much to set my dog off. A car door closing, a truck driving by, etc. The cats don't make a peep. 

Yes, cats are typically under appreciated. Working in rescue I see this a lot. Most people that have little to no cat experience will state that they hate cats...that is until they actually interact with them! Then they melt.

I take Max on the occasional trip to our local Petco/Petsmart and everyone is always intrigued and excited to see him. There just aren't many cats that frequent the stores (for obvious reasons...dogs, strange noises, new people...) But, I haven't had anyone think negatively about me bringing him in. It's just an anomaly.

Omg, I hate it when store clerks don't even know they carry something. If you're not sure, that's fine (hey, maybe you're new) but don't say you don't carry it. 

Cats are seriously under-appreciated. From the whole "cats don't love anyone but themselves" noise to all the other stupid stuff. 

Donutte said:

 
Omg, I hate it when store clerks don't even know they carry something. If you're not sure, that's fine (hey, maybe you're new) but don't say you don't carry it. 

Cats are seriously under-appreciated. From the whole "cats don't love anyone but themselves" noise to all the other stupid stuff. 

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That makes me insane. You'd think that common sense would tell someone:

"frozen raw cat food. Hmm.   now WHERE would that be if we had it? HEY! I KNOW! How about I check that big chest freezer by the door?" 

No, that never happens. They just tell me that they don't carry it. 

I think generally dogs do get more attention than cats.  I go to a local chain of pet stores and they give equal attention to cats.  When they got refrigeration in to carry raw food they stocked both dog and cat food.  The cat food didn't sell enough so now they just carry raw dog food.  One of the people that works there said he tried to switch his cat and his cat was having none of it.  I think that is probably true for a lot of kitties, dogs are much easier to switch food they will eat just about anything.

In my small town we have a Petsense that adopts out shelter cats only. I took my cat in there once because it's fairly quiet most of the time. Rose had her harness on she's a docile , friendly cat. I was a stressful experience for her so I doubt we will return . She jumped out of the basket and hid underneath it. I had to pull her out from under the basket. Luckily no dogs were in the store at that time.
The store did have rows of expensive cat foods and toys when it first opened. Now it's been replaced by cheaper food and small pet supplies! Guess we don't have enough cat people in our town. The dog section is still huge!

I love my cat but attempts to shop for her are just thwarted by pet stores devoting half a store to dogs and the other half for fish/cats/rabbits/mice/lizards, etc. That probably ties in with an assumption that cats are soo independent they don't need interaction or toys. Even my housemate said he's glad we have a cat not a dog because we can leave her alone and his family have had lots of cats.

Kat0121 that sounds horrible.

Pumpkin is pretty confident so I could take her places but she hates the car and I don't trust bigger dog breeds. At the vet even a guy was straining to keep a large pup away from her carrier.

Yep!

What's really interesting is how it plays out in households. Sometimes I see a real divide in homes. The dogs are spoiled, eat super ultra premium food, sleep in the owner's bed, have a collar and tags on, are microchipped, vaccinated, vetted regularly, spayed/neutered, teeth brushed and get dental treatments, and never let outdoors unattended.

The cats, on the other hand, stay outside in rain or shine, have no ID, receive the cheapest possible dry cat food, get little attention, no spay/neuter, no microchip, no shots, no veterinary care, no dental care, nothing. The owners never have to worry about forking over any $$$ in vet bills, because the cats will become coyote food or get run over by cars before they could possibly get ill with anything.

And when the cats inevitably die from living in such poor conditions and running unattended 24/7, the owner shows no sign of sorrow whatsoever. However if the dogs disappear, it's a completely different story. Sorrow, sadness, guilt, etc. for a long period of time.

Cats are treated like throwaway pets and it annoys me to no end.

There's no "crazy dog lady" stigma.
If I tell someone I love dogs the usual response is "me too!" But telling someone I love cats is more likely to make them think I'm some weird loser who lives by herself and knits cat sweaters in her free time. (That's sweaters with cats on them AND sweaters for the cats, of course.) It's ridiculous.

I would actually buy a little cat sweater for her with either a cat or a person on it

I don't if its lingering mistrust of cats left over from the witch hunt craze or just that the affect of the "mans best friend" thing but its really sad that cats are often treated as that pet you get when you don't want the commitment.

When I first saw the name of the thread, my first thought was, "Well not here, they aren't!"  However...

In general, yes.  Definitely.  Someone needs to clue the pet supply stores that cats now outnumber dogs as pets in the US, and there are far more multi-cat homes than multi-dog homes.  They need to get with the program.  Manufactures, too.  Although I am seeing more and more cat-related merchandise online.

People leave their cats outside and they're like disposable pets.  New kitties every 5 years!  Since they tend to live up to 5 years on average.  I also always have to special order my primal raw frozen cat food because the store only carries the ones for dogs.  But that's also because people don't think of spending money on their cats.  They're supposed to be the "easy" and cheap pets.

I think in most ways they are. A lot of pet stores or sections in stores don't have many cat toys. Sure they have a few options of treats and  food, litter etc. But I wish they had more toys for cats like they do dogs.

I love dogs (we have 2) but it'd be nice if pet stores/sections in stores that's not a pet store carried more cat toys. Not that my cats will play with them but it's nice to get some toys for them!

I'm happy to live in a city that values cats. All the major pet stores here are connected to the city's shelter and cat sanctuary and help out with adoptions. You'll see cats being displayed and well-cared for in the store front, and employees often dolting on them and introducing the cats to customers. It helps that our city shelter is very proactive about rescuing cats and that it has the resources to care for hundreds of cats at the sanctuary. 

But other than that, in the general media, I get the same feeling: cats are "pests" and extremely misunderstood. They're all "evil" or "mean" and can survive outdoors according to them. I watched a YouTube video that bases its ideas on science and one of the creators said that litter boxes only need to be cleaned once a week. ONCE A WEEK????? And then I saw another popular YouTube channel give lemons to kittens. THAT'S INSANE!

It depends on what they mean by once a week. If they mean replacing all the litter and scrubbing the box out, once a week is fine. If they mean scooping, then definitely not!

Crazy4Strays said:

It depends on what they mean by once a week. If they mean replacing all the litter and scrubbing the box out, once a week is fine. If they mean scooping, then definitely not!

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I think the YouTuber meant general everyday clean up since he was combatting the other person who was advocating for dogs as being the best pet. That's also one of my peeves: comparing cats to dogs. They're so different!

mingking said:

 
I think the YouTuber meant general everyday clean up since he was combatting the other person who was advocating for dogs as being the best pet. That's also one of my peeves: comparing cats to dogs. They're so different!

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The whole comparing dogs and cats bothers me as well.  I love both dogs and cats, though I only have cats now.  They are completely different and I love each for who they are.

Dogs and cats are both amazing animals that can make loving pets. I was just surprised by pet stores and pet food companies that put so much focus on their canine products but little on feline items.