Since noone's listing pros/cons, im gonna do it myself
Cats
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Pros:
- Independent
- Don't have to walk the Cats
- Don't need to pick up the poo of your cats, while you do have to clean a litter box, its better than going out and picking it all up one by one.
- Chill (If Treated like a cat and not a dog)
- Laser Pointer + Cat = Good Clean Fun (Just avoid the eyes)
- Healing purr (Purr promotes healing)
- Actually stand up for themselves
- Meows can be really cute
- Cuddlepuddles (If you have 2+ cats/dogs that are friendly with eachother, they might do a cuddlepuddle, and its one of the cutest things ever)
Cons:
- Can be a bit attention-seeking
- Need to earn respect with cat (But once you do, its really rewarding)
- Can give toxoplasmosis (Not that deadly of a disease, only really dangerous if you have an immunosuppressive condition of some sort, and cats aren't the main vector for it, mis-prepared food is.)
- Sometimes fight with eachother
- Family members may be allergic to kitties
- May scratch furniture (To solve this, get a scratching post, if you already have one, check it for damage, if there's no damage, get a better scratching post, if there is damage, get a new and better scratching post, if these dont work, try catnip)
Things to know:
Cats will only nip/bite/hiss if they dont trust you, or you're doing something they dont want you to, they have their reasons for nipping/biting/hissing.
Toxoplasmosis isn't that deadly, as seen in ↩ @'erin''s post, and cats aren't even the main method of transmission
Contrary to popular belief, cats and dogs are not always enemies.
Being around a cat can help ease cat allergies (I know this from purrsonal experience)
When a cat puts its butt in your face, its just them showing you they love you
Bunting is also a sign of love
Smol gray cats can be highly affectionate, bunt more, and lean into pets a lot more (From purrsonal experience, i've met 4 gray cats, 1 of them i never really got a chance to pet much, but the other 3, ash, frick, and annie, were all very affectionate, thats not to say the 4th wasnt affectionate, i just didnt get a chance to get to know them much. I think annie was a blind kitty, might be wrong, but they had their teefies out a lot (not in a bad way, it was actually adorable), and would lean in whenever i pet them)
Indoor cats live longer
Never, EVER declaw your cat, especially if they're an outdoor cat, it significantly decreases their chances of survival in an attack if you declaw them
I haven't had a dog, so i'll leave doggo Pros/Cons to someone else
