Day One Hundred Eight

Myth Adventures

Growing up, even though my father was an animal lover, I was never allowed to get a cat. My parents recited a litany of reasons: cats were sneaky; could kill you in your sleep; carried diseases and, if you had a baby, they would suck its breath away. I am not exaggerating. I can close my eyes and hear my parents saying all of those things. So, I grew up catless. When I became an adult and had children of my own, it never occurred to me to challenge fate by bringing a cat into the household. I mean, the last thing I wanted was to see a cat in my baby's crib, sucking the life out of it like a Dementor.

Now that I have a few cats and a few years experience with them, I wonder how those myths came about. Cats used to be revered; often worshipped. Then somehow they became associated with evil. People are messed up. That's a scientific fact backed up with empirical evidence. But this is a blog about animals, so I'll let you do your own research on humans.

Cat Myths Dispelled

"Cats are sneaky." - Now, I will admit cats are quiet. They do like to stalk their prey. However, the cats I know are pretty straight forward. They are assertive. A cat believes in itself. As for sneaky? Why would they need to be sneaky when they know what they want and go for it? A cat may have no conscience, but they aren't sneaky about it.

A dog on the other hand, has too much conscience. They feel guilty about everything. It's because of this dogs can be very sneaky. For example, if there is food on the table, any one of my cats will happily help himself to it; without the slightest bit of remorse. Jack, on the other hand, may try to get the food, but he knows it's wrong and his guilt, if he's successful in getting the food, overcomes him. I almost never see Jack doing something wrong. I see the evidence of it later. The cats, however, will do something they know is forbidden, right in front of you. On the sneaky scale, the dogs win, paws down.

I don't think I did anything wrong,
but if I did, I'm so sorry!"

"Cats can kill you in your sleep." - I have never, ever heard of a housecat killing a person in their sleep or otherwise. The same can't be said for dogs. About thirty people are killed by dogs in the US every year. There are no documented cases of cats killing humans. A cat can make your life hell if you're trying to sleep, but that's because they're active at night, and most humans aren't.

"Cats carry disease." - Oooo -  The deadly "cat scratch fever." Well, CSF is generally transmitted to humans by a scratch from a kitten. It is unpleasant, but can be treated. If you're worried about this, your kitty can be tested to see if they're carrying Bartonella henselae, then treated if they are.
Now, a cat bite is another matter. Never mess around with a cat bite. You probably won't die; just wish you could.

Dogs carry disease, too, like rabies and various parasites. Fido can transmit all sorts of yucky stuff to you and your kids like worms, fleas, ringworm, etc.

"Cats suck the life out of babies." - This comes under the category of: WTF?
I guess at some point a cat crawled into a baby's crib and smelled it's milk sodden breath and opened its mouth in the flehmen response (something cats do when they smell something new.). Then, the baby's grandmother walked in and thought the poor cat was sucking the baby's breath away. Seriously. Once again, people are messed up. Cats do not suck the breath away from a baby!

Flehmen Response

Dogs have never been accused of this, but I know for a fact a dog can rip a baby's face off in a heart beat. This is usually because parents can be stupid and think it's cute when the baby gives their sleeping dog a kiss. Then, when the dog thinks it's getting attacked and reacts by biting the baby, all hell breaks loose. Never a good idea to let a child of any age sneak up on a dog. Any dog.

Well, those are the myths I heard as a kid about cats. All lies. Look, if you don't want your kid to have a particular animal, just say so. Don't mess with their heads by making stuff up about the species. Animals are animals, and unless your kid wants a Komodo Dragon or a Python, you probably don't have anything to worry about.