Real Men Do Love Cats
Sunday June 4, 2006
I received an email from a reader that voiced the same feelings I've heard expressed thousands of times, but which was all the more special to me because it came from a guy rather than a woman:"I fully agree..how could they ever be just pets? My three are my kids and are treated just like the rest of the family. They are the happiest and most loving cats I've ever seen."
Robert
My reply to his last sentence was, "Of course! That's because they have you." With Fathers Day rapidly approaching, we're giving the nod today to cat men who are dads, even though they may have no 2-legged kids. The photo at right depicts one of these men, Jef, holding Skrufy, who along with Veto, run his household, along with HOSTYez of the About Cats forum. Photo © HOSTYez.
Comments
My cats are my children. I love being a cat dad. I have four cat kids, and love watching each one, develop their own unique personality.
My domestic partner had always lived with cats, but he has patiently accepted each new addition to our growing cat family from 4 to 7 over the past two years. While not keen on the idea of kitty #7, he has already bonded with her after two weeks. Of course I’ve had to promise no more!
My husband and I have 4 cats and 2 guinea pigs.We think of all of them as our kids.We have no 2 legged kids.Every mother’s day and father’s day every year we both get cards from our kids.Thank goodness stores think of us animal lovers.
My husband had never lived with cats until we met. We went from 2 cats to 4 and now we are starting a Bengal Cattery! We do have 2 legged kids too, but for us we are all a family and though I had to plea for the latest Bengal kitten to come home I know he loves them all
PS: problem is when they all sleep over us at night! lol
I have had cats in my household since I was a little boy. Now at age 51 I love them more than ever. Totally unconditional is their love for us. What is a real man. I played sports as a boy, served my country oveerseas in the war. I lost my best friend Mugsy after 10 years due to kidney failure. I cried for days. He was just a cat, I kept hearing,after almost two years with him gone, I still shed a tear. Indeed, Real men.. Happy fathers day to you all. God bless all of you AND watch over our FUR Babies.
My husband and I have been rescuing cats for years. We finally purchased our own home and boy are they happy. (I will admit to 20 but we do have more than that). YES – it is possible to keep a clean house with many fur babies. They love to watch the birds and the squirells off the deck – especially when mommy throws out the morning peanuts!! My husband works from help so he gets LOTS of help with his paperwork and if he gets up for one minute somebody is always keeping the seat warm for him!!
After 2 wives and countless dysfunctional girlfriends I have the gift of living with Prissy, a beautiful Calico/Persian that adopted me two years ago after she was abandoned in a trailer park near a friend’s house.
She is the best mannered and loving creature one could ever ask for. She never gets on the tables,sofa, or counters though she has claimed a living room chair as her own. She sleeps at the foot of my bed every night. Yes, she is my little girl and I would pity the person that ever tried to harm her.
I would never have a man in my life that doesn’t love cats. It’s the first thing I always have found out. If they say they ‘hate’ cats…..then I feel that shows a character flaw and I could never trust them. Luckily my husband adores cats!
Just last week, my wife and I made the heartbreaking decision to euthanize our sweet boy, Tuffy, a 17-year-old domestic shorthair/siamese mix (who was suffering from age-induced kidney and liver failure). Originally, he was MY fur-child, as I’d raised him from a kitten of six months in 1989 — and wasn’t married until 1995! I have loved cats since I was a tiny child, and at the age of 47 I’m not about to change! To say the least, there have been a lot of tears shed in the past few days, and even though we have two other cats whom we love dearly, Tuffy has left a huge emptiness in our house and hearts. I’m eternally grateful for such unconditional love — and trust me, this “real man” has cried enough to fill a bucket since he died, and I’m not the least bit ashamed of that, either.
My husband and I have a orange and beige striped tabby/manx mix named Jinx. He will soon be 12 years old and is a “Daddy’s boy”! He even helps my husband on his model railroad. Around this house where you see of of them the other is next to or close behind!
I’ve been owned by a succession of cats since I first got a place of my own in 1973…33 years ago! My “herd” is currently down to one…a “pure alley” yclept “Ecru” (that’s his colour!).
And note that both of us are “hes!”
In fact, I can’t imagine a cat-less existence…
Steven C. Barr
Its a game of give and take.
we give a little food and love,
and they give us hours of love purrrrrs
and cuddles,
I sometimes think we are getting the better deal.
by the way if your passing a shelter and cant take a cat home,
what about dropping a few cans of food or a small money donation.
every little helps,
percy
George is my DADDY! Someone left me on his doorstep. I was a few weeks old and my eyes were shut closed with stuff, and I was starving to death. (literally). I lived in the palm of George’s hand where he fed me with a bottle, and washed my eyes till they finally opened. His scent had been my world, and now I could see him! He is the best DAD person. I am very lucky we found each other. I am now two years old and have grown into a SIAMESE of great beauty. I like people, Jazz and Roses.
Paula lives with us now.(she’s a person). She is a righteous scent! Right on, DAD!
HAPPY FATHERS’ DAY!!
CATO
I am not a man, but the comments of all of these guys brought tears to my eyes and happiness to my heart! I could never be with a man who didn’t love cats (or all animals) either.
For a man who always said”I hate cats”, he is the one they always go to for cuddles, etc.My husband has become a great cat lover and they all know it. (we have 6 plus 4 kittens) Who says a man can;t change!
I cannot understand this big issue of men loving cats. While I am a dog lover at heart… cats fit my lifestyle. I have four and they are all came from the shelter and each one is loved and treated as rare diamonds. I raised two boys and they are grown but that does not mean I did my job and my days of providing care is over. each one of my little diamonds are unigue and special and I hope that i give them as much love as they do to me. I have a woman in my life so these cats are not acting as a substitute but as an addition to my ability to love.
Our cats are our life. They greet us each morning and evening. Each has their own way of showing their love or pleasure. A home without cats just isn’t a home to us.
We have four. All are rescues of some sort. One is from the streets of our suburban Pittsburgh PA neighborhood. Another was a rescue from a Pittsburgh area shelter. The last two are rescues from a deserted railroad station in Lawrenceville, GA. They were less than eight weeks old when found, trapped, cleaned up, and brought into our home. They are now just over four years old.
Watching them grow, mature, interact, and so on is the same as families with human children without the college tuition, cellphone bills, and troubles with drugs, alcohol, or other substances.
For us, Katz Rule!
I have always loved cats. I grew up with them as a boy and will always remember our wonderful Siamese cat sleeping curled up around me as a young boy.
Now that I am a man and have the wherewithall to own my own cat and be a father to a sphynx I count myself as a very lucky guy. I certainly count myself as a very loving father to a feline!
I would love to know more about Janet Watson and her husband’s experiences with 20+ cats and especially the part about keeping things clean.
Thanks to everyone for participating.
Thank goodness my husband loves our family of 7 cats!! I have had multiple sclerosis for 17 years,(since I was 20) and this furry family fits my lifestyle perfectly, since each year I have lost more function and mobility from m.s.. I couldn’t imagine it any other way! If I had had kids, they would be teens….no thanks..
Thank goodness to my husband for being such a cat lover or I would never have experienced the best cat in the world Cuddles. We lost our special cat yesterday to liver disease and we feel a little empty right now. We will never forget her but we also have 2 other wonderful cats that we love and adore. Cuddles taught the other cats so many cool things. My husband is besides himself right now and I hope to show him the love that Cuddles gave him. All we can do is live each day and remember all the good times she brought us.
I love cats. I don’t know if I am a “real” man, I have a Y chromosome, so I guess I am genotypically male. And I really don’t care. I love cats. I have three of them (and they have me). My little girl Mina is the best thing that ever happened to me in my life. I love her like I have never loved anyone. She is a tiny little Tonkinese and is so sweet and perfect and loving that I cannot help but be completely smitten. My little Milo is a sweetheart, a cuddlebunny and extremely intelligent. My enormous Murphy is a total mushball and a goof. I have met many, many people and I prefer the company of cats. With cats, you know where you stand. Cats love you no matter what. They are very sensitive and give love as good as they get. I have never met a person like that. People have ulterior motives and unrealistic expectations. Cats only want to be loved and cared for. As far as I am concerned, if heaven is not filled with my past kitties, it’s not a place I want to go.