and then they poop all over the place? No thanks...
Cats are among the cleanest animals on the planet. If a cat is doing that it is trying to tell you that something is wrong.
I can't imagine my cats deciding to poop anywhere but their litter area! What a tragedy!
Isn't the litter area inside? I don't think I would like to have a litter box inside my house. It has been a very long time since I owned a cat.
My dog is trained to go outside and he never makes mistakes. He is great dog. Very intelligent and loyal.
I have a question. Do cats run to the door when you come home? I really don't know the answer to that question. That is one of the best times of my day. When the dog runs to greet me.
Also, my dog doesn't go on the furniture or kitchen counters. One of my relatives has a cat that climbs all over everything. My neighbors cat kills birds all over my yard and poops in sandy soil. I hate finding dead birds and cat poop.
I guess it's just a matter of preference.
The litter is in a part of the apartment that I do not stay in, as long as I stay current on the litter my home is happy. I can see why this would be an issue depending on the outlay of a home.
My boy cat must recognize the sound of how I walk because he is always right at the door when I come home ready to be picked up. This cat also hates when I leave even if he has other humans and cats to play with him, sometimes he howls, he would go crazy when he was younger -- even if I just take a shower [he used to get into my shower with me!]. My girl cat sleeps on my chest every night, or my back if I roll over. She is like a little lumberjack who can balance on a rotating log -- I don't fall asleep right w/o her now. My old dog [of blessed memory] used to light up when I would come home, sleep at my door so no one could bother me and she would know when I woke up first... I never needed a leash for her either. A cat being excited to see you when you come home and a dog excited to see you when you come home are different experiences, although both very pleasurable.
My cats seem to stay away from kitchen counters, but they do get on other furniture. In the past I have let my dogs onto the furniture as well. I guess I am just pet friendly as far as furniture goes. Sometimes it is interesting to me to watch my cats try and walk on certain areas, like my bookshelves that go around the room [the books provide an uneven surface so they need to balance carefully!]. They also have some "cat furniture" which I enjoy watching them play with.
I do not let my cats outside very often. I'll take my boy out to see a change of scenery every so often but indoor cats live a lot longer than outdoor cats, or even indoor/outdoor.
I like dogs a lot too. If I was not a dog person I would have never gotten my first cat, a sickly little 6 week old stray cat who lost his mom somehow who passed out starving under my cars tire. I like mammals in general. One day I hope to have another dog; my best dog was a Shepard-Rottweiler mix... I am holding out from getting a new dog until I, God willing, make Aliyah; I've been considering a Canaan dog, one of my Israeli friends has one. I'd also like a horse, I intend on at least riding a camel once to see if I like them [I've heard they are finicky and can even spit at people!]. I've had hamsters as a kid, and when I worked in SoHo NYC I adopted a rat my friend tried to feed to his boa constrictor that was too big to eat [and later a companion rat]. I don't like reptiles to much, or birds really [but I have taken care of a parrot at a store I used to run, and I have read about cockatiels and might check more out on them in time].