Almost all cat owners will give you a list of why cats are great pets, and most will tell you why cats are the best pets to have. However, for those that have never owned a cat, or are thinking of getting a cat, we thought we would compile an article explaining the top valuable reasons why cats are great pets.
Therefore, we will discuss not only why they are great pets, but how they are beneficial to our health too, because cats have some very therapeutic abilities that most don’t even know about, so read on to learn more.
Why Cats Are Great Pets
1. Self Cleanliness
One of the first reasons why cats are great pets has got to be because they are so clean, unlike dogs that need a bath, cats will spend lots of time cleaning themselves. Cats won’t go running around in puddles, like a dog, and because they spend so much time cleaning, they feel so soft and smooth, you just want to pet them.
2. Low Maintenance
Another reason cats are great pets, is because they are very low maintenance, you don’t have to bathe them, because they clean themselves, and you don’t have to take them out every few hours for bathroom breaks. Compared to other pets, cats are extremely easy to potty train, and most will know how to use a litter tray by the time you bring one home, and if not, you basically just have to get them used to the litter tray, as the rest comes natural to cats.
3. Exercise by themselves
Cats don’t need to be taken outside to be exercised either, because your home is plenty big enough for a cat to climb, run, jump and relax, unlike dogs.
4.Create a pest free home environment
Another reason why cats are great pets is because they rid the house of unwanted pests, in fact, generally the presence of a cat is often enough to keep mice away, and they will often chase and catch moths, butterflies, flies and mice.
5. Other reasons
There are plenty of other reasons why cats are great pets, such as they don’t cost as much as most other pets to feed, and vet visits are more cheaper than with dogs. As far as cat toys go, you don’t even have to pay for them, as a cat will often chase a ball of string, a feather on a rope or anything else you can make up that moves. Of course, we love to buy our cats toys from time to time, and even those are much cheaper than dog toys.
Why Cats are the Best Pets
If we haven’t given you enough reasons already why cats are the best pets, here are some more
1. Content with solitude
Cats are the ideal pets for those in apartments, or smaller homes. You can also go to work all day and not have to worry about your cat needing to be taken out for a bathroom break, because they are quite at home staying indoors all day long.
2. Don’t rely on the owner for playtime
Cats also don’t need as much playtime as dogs, and most times they will provide their own playtime, even though you should do your part to interact with your cat, they are just as happy playing with themselves.
3. Health benefits to owners
Health benefits of owning a cat are quite surprising, and this is probably the main reason why cats are the best pets you can have. For instance, the National Institute of Health stated that pet exposure at a young age can significantly reduce the risk of getting allergies like dust mites, ragweed, grass and pet dander. This is great news for those who are about to start a family of their own, or already have young children, but what about the adults? Yes cats are healthy for adults too, and in some surprising ways.
The Healing Properties Of Cats Make Them The Best Pets
It’s actually true that owning a cat can actually lower your risk of a heart attack, and we’re not just saying that, because there have been numerous studies that show owning a cat lowers your stress levels. This in turn, has an effect on your cardiovascular system, which means that owning a cat lowers your risk of various heart disease, including stroke by up to 30%. Just the sound of your cats purr can lower stress levels and calm your nerves, and this in turn, lowers your blood pressure, how cool is that.
If you thought the above information was amazing, you’ll be impressed at this one, because a cat purrs at a frequency of 20-140HZ. This frequency range has a positive effect on healing bones, muscles and tendons, so you may just want to have an extra petting time tonight before bedtime. There have been other studies, especially in the United Kingdom where cat owners have reported a better nights sleep with their pet than when sleeping with a human, and a study by the Mayo clinic center for sleep medicine also confirmed that over 40% of people said they slept better because of their pet.
As well as lowering many risks, as well as anxiety, owning a cat has many health benefits as we’ve mentioned, but even watching cat videos has a positive effect on our health. Indiana University of Bloomington performed a study with over 7,000 people and found that watching cat videos boosted their energy levels and positive emotions, while at the same time, decreased negative thoughts and emotions. We think after reading this article and all the positive reasons for owning a cat, you’ll probably decide to go out and get one, if you don’t already own one.
Final Thoughts:
When thinking of buying a new pet, consider a cat, because they have so much about them that is good, from low maintenance to great health benefits. There are so many other valuable reasons why cats are great pets, you could write a book about it, like cat owners have shown to be more intelligent than those that don’t own a cat. Women have noted that they are more than likely to go out with a man who loves animals than those that don’t, and if you’re on your own, they make the best companions, they don’t whine to go out, they just purr and encourage you to pet that pure, soft, fluffy fur on them.
IMPORTANT:-
Your Feedback Matters to me!!! I can’t answer if you don’t ask!! Any Questions?? Use the comments section below and I will respond.
Cats are very lovely and they can really be great pets, because other than being just our friends, they can teach us a lot of things and some very valuable lessons about life. I value all the information you have shared here and I am sure that anybody with cats would resonate well enough with what you have said. Surely good information here
Many thanks for those kind comments which are greatly appreciated. Jim
Hello there. Having a pet is really great and for me, I’ve been privileged to be the pet owner of a dog and a cat at the same time. Seeing how calm and sensitive my cat is, I wonder why anyone would not want to own his or her own cat. These reasons given in this article are very true and it is quite possible that one day I may adopt another cat.
Thank you for those comments Justin and I do hope that your dog gets on quite well with your cat. Jim
To be honest I’ve always had a form of distaste towards cats as my earliest memory of one was a ginger that scared me when I was little but I would be lying if I say I wasn’t moved by your article. The points you raised up are both intellectually and empathetically sound that I’m suddenly reconsidering my stance on cats. Thank you for sharing this article.
Many thanks Bella for those comments which are greatly appreciated and I do hope that you will soon have a pet cat for your household. Best regards. Jim
Wow, Thank you for the information. I am really amazed about the many reasons you have listed about owning a cat, especially the health benefits that comes with it. I just never looked at it that way. I am still not sure if I would love to own one though. Not ready I guess, but next time someone I know considers getting a cat, I am sure I will be able to add value to the conversation because of what I learned here.
Many thanks for your input. Jim
I’m a big animal lover, I love pigeons and cats the most, although I know it doesn’t go with each other. Cats are a bit complicated to keep in the house because they shed but I have a big yard and they are always somewhere in the garden. They cuddle a lot and the children adore them.
Thank you Jelena for those comments. As you say cats and pigeons are a strange mix and I do hope that yours get one well with each other! I have covered the problem of cat shedding in another of my articles and you can find it at this link:-
https://fit-cats.com/cat-hair-problems-how-to-control-your-cat-shedding-hair/
Cats are amazing animals. I do love them but I also have pretty severe allergies to them. I can see how a child being exposed at an early age to cats can help reduce allergies. My children really want a cat now, and I do think a kitten would make a great addition to our family. Do you think as an adult that I could get over my allergies to cats with more exposure or does it not work that way?
Thank you for those comments Cheyenne and I am sorry to hear that you suffer from allergies to cats which probably come from cat dander. If you are considering getting a kitten for your children and want to know how to control your allergies you may find this article useful:-
https://www.cats.org.uk/oxford/feature-pages/living-with-cat-allergies
Best regards. Jim
Thank you Jim for the link. It was full of very useful information. I will keep it handy for when or if the opportunity arises that we can have a kitten.
We absolutely love our two cats – Sophie and Minnie. We have had two cats at a time for many years – but also one dog to level the playing field a bit. You are right, cats are self-cleaning machines and, when you have more than one – usually good playmates with each other.
Thank you Martha for those personal insights. Jim
I have always advocated for cats when it comes to deciding which pet suits us best between cats and a dogs. Some of the points I read here I have never thought of them before, even though I considered myself quite good at constantly winning this type of discussions. Now I am better equipped.
Thank you Ann, I do appreciate those comments. Jim
I am a cat lover, I have 4. 2 babies ( adopted during lockdown), and 2 adopted earlier; I never wanted cats, always had dogs. But then 2 weeks before my last dog died we adopted a kitten; I became a cat lover from day one; yes, one of the main reasons is that they are so easy to keep; I walked dogs for over 22 years, I am done with that. I always though of cats as too independent, but mine follow me wherever I go. They are clean, don’t bark ( great point ! ). I just love them.
Thank you for sharing those interesting points with us Karin. You certainly have some challenges ahead with 4 cats now in your household but I am sure you will cope! You may also be interested in another of my articles on multi cat households which you can read from the following link. Jim
https://fit-cats.com/important…
I have a cat at home, but at the same time, I have a dog too. I have to separate my house compound into two sections, one for the cat and the other for the dog. My cat likes to follow me everywhere, so I choose to lock my old dog in the backyard.
Your article is fantastic for me to know so many good things about living with a cat. My wife gives our dog a bath frequently due to his smelly condition. She also bathes the cat in a pail of water. We use wet tissues to clean the cat after it has been pooping in the garden. I have dug a big hole there and filled it with the sand for the cat to use as a toilet.
Thank you for your article, teaching me so much useful information. I trust that the cat is self-cleaning, for I have seen him cleaning himself very often. I can also tell that my cat does not like being cleaned by wet tissue either. My cat chases any pest, including birds, but I wouldn’t say I like him eating mice. After eating mice, he cannot eat other food for at least two days.
Thank you for producing such a useful article.
Thank you Stephen for giving us your personal experience of living with both a cat and a dog in your household. With regard to your wife bating your cat I would not have thought that this was necessary as cats are very good at cleaning and grooming themselves. It is a different matter with dogs who don’t have this degree of personal hygiene and need to be frequently bathed by their owners. Very pleased that you found this article to be useful. Jim
Awesome article! I am also working on my cat website with some new similar articles, but mine is based on a different topic I think our sites are pretty similar. I would suggest breaking up some of your longer article paragraphs into smaller ones, so that they are easier to read. If a paragraph looks too long readers minds start to wander and they may just skip over it. Keep it up the good work!
Thank you very much for those words of encouragement and good luck with your blogging. Jim