I married him. :-)

Seriously, with him, he just didn't 'understand' cats.

However, now he loves the one I have been posting about this week. We had the tabby for years and he never warmed up, but he tolerated her.

But Bindi connected with him in a way no other cat had.

He also had encountered a devil cat years ago that gave him a very bad first impression of felines - most likely a cat that never got rid of its feral nature.

He had never heard a purr. When we first got the tabby, he thought she was growling.

With him it was a total lack of ever having had a relationship. He viewed them almost as small lions or tigers, and really hated them.

Now that he developed a relationship with my little booger Bindi, he has even started teasing and petting the tabby.

I do let guests know I have cats when I have people over - mainly for allergy sake - but also so people have a heads up.

I imagine if I had a dog, I'd do the same.

That way it's their choice to attend a gathering at my house or decide to meet somewhere else.

good for you!!! i like to think i would have had the same guts to do what you did.

for 4 years, i worked for a woman who hated ALL animals. she used to scheme up ways to kill her niece's cat because she hated getting cat hair on her clothes when SHE went to THEIR house.

i worked for her when i had to have my 15 year old siberian husky put to sleep. she grudgingly gave me the day off but would not pay me for it and would not let me have any more time than just that one day.

this same woman, when my partner's mother had a heart attack, would not let me leave the office because since he and i weren't married, she didn't consider his mother "family" to me.

eventually, i quit. i just could not take her hateful ways, especially when it came to MY family and animals.

i got my digs in years later. not long after my soul mate died of cancer almost a year ago, i ran into her at the local filling station. she said to me that she was sorry to hear about my loss. i said to her i was thankful i no longer worked for her when it happened because since we weren't married, she probably wouldn't have let me have any time off.

people who hate animals are sorely lacking something in their personality and i find they are most often self-centered and narcissistic, big time!

My parents say they are dog people but they love all animals. While growing up I wanted a kitten so badly and my dad refused. My mom grew up with barn cats so never had an interest in them as house pets.

Dad loves German Sheppards but we got a small breed that ripped up pillows, a visitor's $75 boots and my dad's wallet. One day they took him for a ride and I never saw him again (they gave him to a good home but never told us until the deed was done). My dad swore that he would get a cat before he ever got another dog. I held those words in my box of tricks knowing they would be my ticket to a furry companion. Sure enough my dad just brought home a dog that a friend was trying to find a home for and I brought up his oath. And I reminded him of it periodically. Eventually a friend was trying to find a home for his older cat that lived in a shop he was selling and my dad agreed to take it home for me. I was so excited! Then it ran away, lol. Well my dad couldn't take back his words and disappoint his little girl so we looked in the paper and started a search for a kitten. He found fault with a few and I was afraid he'd never settle on one until we went to see a small black kitten, free to a good home. The owner had, tragically, ran over a neighbour's cat and the older lady was devastated by the loss. They picked up a kitten to make amends for what happened but the lady said she wasn't ready for another cat so they had a kitten they needed a home for. We brought a friend who was knowledgeable about cats and I fell in love. We took him home that night and everyone admired the cute lil guy.

A long story but a series of events led to me finally being able to get the kitty I always wanted. The dog and him became good friends, my dad would watch tv with the kitty sleeping on his chest and mom refused to let me take him with me when I moved out, despite the fact that I was his mommy. He lived 19 years and we still fondly remember him. My parents would never look to get another cat for themselves but my dad saw a black stray in the backyard and he began feeding it and decided that if it was still there by a designated time that they would take it in as a pet (the stray moved on before that time) but this from a man who swore we'd never have a cat. So I think experience is a key factor in how people view animals.

I think having a pet is like having a child. You have to be willing to compromise, share and sometimes sacrifice. Sharing is the biggest part IMO. You are sharing your space, time, money, food, water, energy and love with another creature/being. Some people only see the negatives that a pet can have upon their lives and forget that there are some rewards that money can never buy. Opening your heart to an animal means opening up your life, all of it, and some people aren't able to do that.

As to your visitor what she did was rude and inexcusable. Its like going into a home and seeing a baby and saying 'I hate kids!'. Even to go into another person's house and say something like 'I hate your carpet or furniture or decorum' would be rude and I'm sure if you went into her house and told her you hated the way she styled her hair she probably would have a fit. Good for you for standing up for your furry family member!

Some people have never had the pleasure of growing up with an animal, some people have been tormented by animals *I have a friend who when younger had a guy throw a cat at her, the cat scratched her and scratched her, she avoided them and years later told another friend that she did not like cats, he decided he was going to "fix" the problem and instead of letting everyone alone and letting them get to know each other slowly, he forced the issue, she was attacked again...now she hates cats, all because of people. Recognize that when someone says they hate a living object it is often due to a misunderstanding of the animal or a bad experience. Dont allow a prejudice against an animal to come between you and a good person. People can change, and friendships dont need to revolve around pets...

Several years ago I had a cat who contracted feline FIV (this was before the vaccination for it was available). I had a boss who was a big cat lover, and she had had a cat that had contracted FIV too, so I would give her updates on how Toby was doing. Eventually, I needed to make that awful decision, and chose to have it done on a Saturday. I cried the whole weekend. When I went in to work on Monday, I told my boss that I had to put Toby to sleep. I was very tearful and my boss was very sympathetic.

Then came the *itchy co-worker from hell. This woman, Barbara, had always made it very clear that she hated animals. Her poor 10 year old son couldn't even have friends over to their house - they had white carpeting and white leather furniture and Barbara didn't want her son's friends to get anything dirty. When I was telling my boss about Toby, I became a little emotional, and Barbara, never one to mind her own business, came around to my cubicle and said, "He was just a cat." I then told her to mind her own business and go back to her own cubicle, that she was not invited to my conversation. That comment was made to me about 12 years ago, and I never forgot it.

Anyone who comes to my house knows that I have three large, well behaved dogs. They also know that the dogs have complete run of the house, which includes being allowed on all furniture, except the beds.

When people react negatively to any of this, I simply state that the dogs live here, it's their home. If they have an issue with this, they are not welcome, and I probably will not have them as a friend.

BTW. Most people are completely shocked that I have such a neat clean house.

SG

Good for you!! I had a co-worker who, upon overhearing a conversation between my cubicle mate and myself about our cats, came over and stated "I HATE CATS!!" To which I replied "Really, I hate people who hate cats." He was pretty much speechless, hehe. I was surprised I was brave enough to say that, but I am glad I did. :o)

I don't have any use for people who dislike animals. To me, loving animals is such a big part of who I am, I just can't relate to someone who doesn't feel the same way.

Wow - BRAVO for you! What an extremely ignorant thing for her to say.

This is a question I've been asking myself for years: why do people who don't like cats feel the need to tell cat-lovers how much they hate cats?? I was raised that if I don't have something nice to say, then don't say anything. Good for those of you who stood up to the uneducated, ignorant jerks who offended you!

I think that some people have an inborn fear of felines just like other peole have about spiders or snakes. It is not their fault and not necessarily something they learned in a bad experience. It just is.

It is polite to tell someone about your pets before they visit your home, and it is polite to suggest you meet elsewhere if they have allergies and fears. It is what it is. Judging does not build bridges between people in this situation or any other that I know of.

Good comeback to the person who hates cats, I would have said the same thing. The older I get the more I don't care. I was an only child and had no pets. I was and am a huge animal lover and would bring puppies and kittens home and had to return them. I told my mother when I got married I'd have pets. My father hated cats , so when my first real pet..( I briefly had a rabbit) was a purebred Siamese who cost $15, my dad couldn't believe I paid for a cat. He was my first of 15 cats I've had and he lived till 21. Both my kids grew up with a dog and cat and two birds. They both have always had cats but so far no dogs. My cats are all rescues and my newest and just my third dog is a rescue from Petfinder. Most of the friends I really like are like minded pet owners. The ones who don't have pets lead very boring lives, I think. Who is there to greet them? I am the most a cat lover but have fallen in love in the six weeks I've had Ziggy , the wonder dog.

Anyone who hates cats, it is their loss. I can't believe someone would be so crass as to actually say it out loud, but then look at some of the posters we have here. Not really shocked.

I too find it odd that people feel the need to announce their hatred of something. Hate is a powerful word and I try not to use it. I try to correct my wording by saying something like 'I don't like how messy birds are when it comes to bathroom habits' (yet I'll hang out my window trying to get a shot of a pretty Bluejay and throw bread out for them and the squirrels). If there is no underlying cause then for someone to simply say 'I just have never become fond of cats' is a better way to express their feelings. I don't hold people's beliefs and opinions against them because we are all entitled to them but to butt into a conversation that one was not included in to express a strong opinion regarding the issue they weren't invited to take part in is very rude.

Couldn't have said it better... why is it that people feel the need to do that? They do the same thing regarding dogs... and follow it up with something silly like... "they shed too much"... or something equally intelligent.

There are things in this world that I'm not fond of... but I wouldn't bust into a private conversation at work to announce it.

Hate is a very strong word... I don't even hate my husband's ex-wife. I just know that karma works... and someday, life will transpire to make her pay for her transgressions against my step-children. :-)

Hating someone for hating is just as ignorant as hating cats for no reason. I hate humans who turn away other humans for another species, don't you realize what species YOU come from? Are you dumb? Cats only care about themselves and are out for themselves, they should all be thrown back out in the woods and left for the Wild. Animals shouldn't be domesticated, humans only did that because they can't even face their own lives they have to project a new life onto an animal who is "innocent" cause they can't form cognitive thought. Look inside yourself, I bet there is a sad little girl there unable to face what the world really is so she stays curled up in the corner with a cat crying how the cat must love her, even though animals can't feel emotions. pathetic.