There’s no doubt that cats are cuddly and cute but people have a different point of view towards cats. Sadly, cats have a bad reputation.  For example, some people like to believe that it is bad luck if a black cat were to cross their path, that they could contact the non-living, and are pure evil. In movies, they are always the pets of witches. These beliefs can scare others mostly because of religious or superstitious perspectives and cause them to stay far away. 

Every culture and religion views and treats cats differently. For instance, in Egypt, China, Japan, and Islam cats are viewed as sacred animals who are to be respected and not harmed. They are worshiped so much to the point that when someone dies, they would mummify their pet cat as well. To them, cats represent fertility, power, and justice. In Japan, cats are symbols of good luck and fortune. The Japanese people love to relax and enjoy the company of their cats as they believe that they bring good luck and protection from evil spirits. On the other hand, Middle Eastern cultures view cats with suspicion and fear. This is because cats are normally associated with witchcraft and seen as unclean. As a result, Middle Eastern countries have a lot of stray cats and don’t typically have them as pets for these reasons. 

Similarly to some of the previously mentioned cultures,  South El Monte High School has people who admire cats.   Ms. Lelchuck is a staff member who loves cats.  She goes on to say, “Cats have a negative reputation because of how they’re portrayed in the media. They’re associated with witches, alleys, and dumpsters, and “crazy cat ladies” who are covered in cat hair and don’t clean their houses. I think all of these portrayals have contributed to the idea that cats are standoffish or mean. They also tend to be more introverted than dogs. A dog will show it’s excited to see you by wagging its tail and jumping around, but cats are much more reserved, so people who aren’t very familiar with cats might have trouble reading their body language.” This goes to show that cats have always been misunderstood.

Another thing to add would be how cats are typically seen as unclean and hard to maintain. When in reality they are cleaner and more independent than most pets. Ms. Lelchuk says, “Cats aren’t at all difficult to maintain. They are much more independent than dogs in that they groom themselves and don’t need to be let out to go to the bathroom. They do need to go to the vet yearly for vaccines just like dogs, and they hide their feelings well so it can be hard to tell when they’re sick. But overall cats require much less daily care than other pets.” As we can see, cats are fairly easy to maintain and require less money and time because they don’t need as much vet care or time out of your day to go and walk them. 

Something similar to add is whether cats are a better pet than any other animal but that depends on your lifestyle and whether or not a cat would fit into it. Ms. Lelchuk goes on to say, “I don’t think that cats are necessarily a better pet than dogs or hamsters or bunnies or fish, but they are a good fit for my lifestyle and the lifestyles of many people. They are great for people who live in apartments because they don’t need outdoor space and can spend more time alone during the day than dogs. People who don’t have the bandwidth to walk a dog multiple times a day may also find having a cat more manageable.” This can help you realize a good benefit of owning a cat if you’re the type of person to not have much time to walk a pet and if you are not home regularly, a cat would be perfect for your lifestyle.

One last thing to consider about cats is that they help a lot with calming you down, keeping you stress-free, and most importantly making you feel loved. Ms. Lelchuk says, “Studies show that the vibrations produced by a cat’s purr have lots of benefits. Cats can help decrease stress, comfort people, and lower blood pressure. They are also just fun to have at home, hang out with, and play with.” This goes on to show that cats are proven to help improve a person’s mental health. 

Another teacher who is passionate about cats is Mrs. Rivas.  Her cat is interesting because it has a unique physical feature.   Mrs. Rivas states “This is my 12 year old rescue polydactyl cat. His name is Thunder. Poly means many and dactyl means fingers. Thunder has extra toes on both his front and back feet. The extra thumbs on his front paws make it look like he has mittens for hands.”  Cats, like people, come in all shapes, sizes, and colors.

Mrs. Rivas goes on to say that Thunder loves to “sits on my keyboard to prevent me from doing any work, he will steal my pen when I am grading papers and I have to chase him down to get my pen back”.    Regardless of whether a cat has all or extra toes, what is evident is that they all have unique personalities.

It is understandable as to why people do not like cats.  The type of pet that a person chooses is highly personal.  However, people should not allow movies or television to decide that cats are not good pets.  On the contrary, cats are not only fantastic pets, but they also enhance our lives.  So, what do you think about cats?