Why Do Some Christians Hate Cats?

[Piprus]

Honestly, in the church that I grew up in, cats didn't figure into the equation one way or the other.

 

But I've always liked cats, ever since I was a little kid. Right now I have two of them, both black shorthairs, and I can say I love those little critters. They're great companions, they don't demand a lot, and they're great pets. They're always ready to give you the "warm and fuzzies" if that's what you're looking for. I like all animals, dogs too...but cats are different personality types than dogs, and if you can accept them on their own terms they're great.

[LtJayson]

We have three cats (Don Gato, Cola and Munch) - I love them all! In fact, they are attacking the air as we speak (I love them, didn't say I understand them!)

 

None of the churches have had a problem that I have been with, but some of my congregation members felt that they were signs of people in witchcraft (which must have been fun with their Pastor having some haha)!

[Astreja]

Of all the listed cat names, I think only "Frogger" is an indictable offense.

 

Me, I'm still running from the long paw of cat-naming law for such bizarre constructions as...

 

Ludwig von Snow (alias Herr Schnee; The Bub; Qat; the Fluffy Dude)

Caramon (alias Moose; the Tum-Tum Cat; the World's Biggest Kitten; the Kliban Cat)

Raistlin (alias The Master of Cats and Kittens; Captain Alfredo, the Saucy Cat; Feral Boy)

Walter J. Smooch (alias the Lavender Cat)

Gregory Greyscale (alias Shakyamuni; Baby Grey; GreyGrey)

RJ-45 (alias Lady R; Babette; Peaches; Xaos)

Freyja Vanadis (a.k.a. Freyja Girl; Blue Eyes; Bastet; the Cat Detector; Queen of the Post-It Notes)

Frey (a.k.a. Frigga; CleoPatrick; Little One; the HyperLynx; Kittens)

 

Eight cats... Thirty-seven names. And sometimes they even come when they're called...

[LtJayson]

Hey, all of mine come to their names...and they even have nicknames and come to each of them haha

 

Don Gato - Gato, Gatito, Tito

Cola - Literacola, Cola, James (my wife gives them middle names)

Munchkin - Munch, Munchy, Crunch 'n Munch, Munchki (that's the polish derivation lol)

[MathGeek]

I have two cats...

 

Garfield (aka Garf, Scaredy Cat, Skitzoid, Skitty, Skittish)

Midnight (aka Mid, Middie)

[Grandpa Harley]

I forgot... she also acknowledges "Little Pokey Nose" and 'Beautiful'

[Alan Bragg]

Cats are a bit too much like atheists aren't they. I watch my girlfriends dog acting around, and I must say, she never sits down and wonders where its food comes from. She will go to her food bowl and eat, but never stop to think too much. Sort of like christians. Hell the "good news" is easy to come buy, and offers a bit of happiness, but a lot of christians never address WHAT infact they are mentally digesting.

[Guest Zenobia]

Our cats...

 

Greebo, aka Spaztail, Grobbers, Shwadums

Shylan, aka Kitten, Shy-one, Little One

Henry, aka Grumblebutt, Honrowl, Honners

Jennings, aka Nano, Butthead, Stinky-turd-cat

 

And they all come when they are called, provided there is canned food or treats waiting, and provided they are in the mood.

[Purple]

I don't get it, the "I hate cats" thing either. They're animals, yes they are different than dogs, birds and rodents are different than dogs too. Then to me each dog or cat individually is different too. I prefer cats, I just understand them better, but I like dogs, a lot actually. Only thing I don't get is people who keep reptiles. I've never seen a reptile that seemed to actually like it's owner. I curently have 4 cats.

 

Butters aka Boo, Booboo, boo face, Senior Fluffy Butt (even though shes a girl)

 

Loretta aka Lolo

 

Kitten aka Darrel, Creepy

 

Tweeker aka Tweeks

[Guest Zenobia]

I used to own a 5-foot-long iguana named Einstein, aka Eini. In outright contradiction to his name, he was not the brightest of god's creatures, lol. He was actually pretty affectionate (for a lizard) until he reached sexual maturity - then he started attacking me. Serious - this giant iguana would chase me around the house, lash at me with his tail and try to bite me - if I let him out of his cage. So I sold him to a pet store and they gave him a huge "display" cage where, as far as I know, he was much happier.

 

I still care for several breeds of newts. I feel they are some of the least understood and loved creatures, and they are rapidly disapearing on this planet Along with salamanders and frogs. Most people actually don't even know what a "newt" is - they think it's an ingedient found in a witch's caldron. Well I'm a witch, and I assure you I don't use my newts for any potions!! They are so cute and precious and they really do have personalities. It's amazing.

 

BTW, I also had a sweet cat named Booboo... he died about two years ago from renal kidney failure. It broke my heart and I still cry when I think of him. he was the sweetest cat that ever lived. He walked on a leash with me and was always loving to everyone he met, even dogs...

 

If only people were a little more lke cats... *sigh*

[Deva]

I have a 10 month old dilute tortoise shell kitten named Peaches, also known as Peach Tree and Sweet Pea.

 

Peaches has many endearing habits. She likes to sit on top my computer monitor. She loves it when I print something. Wherever she may be in the house, when she hears the sound of the printer she rushes out and puts her nose right to where the paper is going to come out.

 

She also has recently become interested in one of my aquariums. I have a breeding colony of Brichardi chichlids (The older fish were named after the Manson family - Charlie died but there is Squeaky and Linda and a bunch of their babies to carry on). She sits on top of the tank. Don't much like that - its a 20 gallon and the top is flimsy plastic.

[Crazycatlady]

Well, since everyone else is listing their cats (in oder of least to greatest affection)...

 

Tabby -- Tabbers, Tablasan, Tabernacle and Great Hunter

 

Flicka -- Flick, Flikc-e-ah, Scaredy Cat, Little Lady, Great Huntress, Baby Orange

 

Zorro -- Zorro-worro, Marry Me (don't ask!), Oreo, Bandit, Baby Black and White, You Old Man, Fat Cat, Flat Cat

 

Hudson -- Hundsonater, Baby Black, Silly Kitty

[ShackledNoMore]

OK, OK....

 

Midnight, aka...

Midnig H T cat

Midnig

kitty kitty kitty

Cat face (heart, nose, head, breath, etc... I don't know why)

Sweet cat

[Naughtyhamster]

The Baptist church I used to go to had no problem with cats or any other animal. Once we had an elder ask permission from the pastor to bring an abandoned kitten into our church as she was feeding it by bottle and couldn't leave it home. The pastor had cats himself, and even let her bring the kitten into the sanctuary where all the kids wanted to pet the poor little kitty. He even decided to have a prayer for the kitten while we had a prayer session as the elder didn't know if the kitten was going to survive at it's age without it's mother. It was so funny when the pastor tired to preach his sermon as the kitten woke up and started mewing at the appropriate times, and he couldn't help but crack up every time an "Amen!" or "Hallelujah!" was followed by a "Mew! Mew!"

[R. S. Martin]

I still care for several breeds of newts. I feel they are some of the least understood and loved creatures, and they are rapidly disapearing on this planet Along with salamanders and frogs. Most people actually don't even know what a "newt" is - they think it's an ingedient found in a witch's caldron. Well I'm a witch, and I assure you I don't use my newts for any potions!! They are so cute and precious and they really do have personalities. It's amazing.

 

I thought Newt was a man's name. With people posting from so many different geographical areas and cultural backgrounds world wide, I'm not ashamed to confess that I don't know what a newt is. There's just too many different kinds of creatures for me to ever know the names of them all.

 

What animal do I like best and why? I grew up on the farm and worked with a variety of animals. I liked some species better than others. Within species there are drastically differing personalities. Personalities also go with breeds, but personalities are still individual.

 

There are several things I go by to determine what species of animal I like. One is appearance. Another is personality. A third is smell. My favourite animals are Holstein cattle and many breeds of dogs. Cattle don't make good pets but dogs do and so do cats. I like cats almost as much as I do dogs but not quite.

 

I had a dog and cat for many years and they probably didn't know which one I liked most. I'm not sure myself which of those particular two animals I liked best. They liked each other and got along very well.

 

The thing I tend not to like about cats in general is their smell and their independence. I want pets because I want a creature to snuggle up to for the warm fuzzies, or to welcome me home--and not just because of the food I'm bringing. My cat had the run of the farm where we rented part of the house and out-buildings (this included a small horse barn where the cat lived). Even so, she used to come and curl up beside me when I rested under the shade tree. Sometimes she would also come out the lane to meet me when I came home; I would be walking. But she would come so sedately and inconspicuously that I never knew whether she came to meet me or whether she was just out on a mouse-hunting tour. My sister refused to allow the cat in the house because cats are so hard to train to stay off the table and out of food. At least, so she perceived it. She allowed me to have the dog inside. That was a major change from how we had been raised.

 

For my mother, absolutely no animals were allowed in the house. That was basically a cultural thing, though there were rare exceptions.

[Guest Zenobia]

Of course she came to meet you My cats love to follow me when I go on walks. I walk all around in the woods by our house and the cats follow right behind, granted they run off to sniff things now and then, but they always come back to me when they're done. When I was a kid, my cats used to follow me to the school bus. they are so much more social than peeps give them credit for

 

For info about newts, check out this site:

 

http://www.caudata.org/

[R. S. Martin]

Of course she came to meet you http://www.caudata.org/

 

How sweet of you. Yeah, I began to notice she would make a large U-turn and walk back in the lane with me after she met me.

 

My cats love to follow me when I go on walks. I walk all around in the woods by our house and the cats follow right behind, granted they run off to sniff things now and then, but they always come back to me when they're done. When I was a kid, my cats used to follow me to the school bus. they are so much more social than peeps give them credit for

 

I just didn't know cats were like this. Even independent creatures have their loyalties when they're treated right, so it seems. I know I do.

 

For info about newts, check out this site:

 

Thanks for the link. I checked it out. Somehow, I thought it would be some kind of small furry creature--maybe because that is what I'm drawn to.

[MathGeek]

My one cat, Midnight, is my lap baby. Garfield is the same way just less so. Midnight and Garfield though have this innate ability to sense when I am about to feed them. I switched on the basement light switch last night and within thirty seconds, Middie was at the top of the stairs hoping for food. I swear he is worse than a puppy dog, but I love both of them anyway.

 

Honestly, though, what sect of Christianity is afraid of cats? Did that particular founder have this mental disorder that made him equate cats to the reincarnation of Horus from Egypt? Did he think that they were demon-possessed and were the 'familiars' of his nearest Wiccan neighbor? Seriously, I don't understand some people. I've owned cats throughout most of my life and they are the sweetest pets known to mankind.

 

I guess "the god delusion" can create new delusions all their own.

[Guest Zenobia]

R.S. Martin - Nope newts are amphibians related to frogs and salamanders They just have bumpier skin, and like toads they can secrete toxins. They are amazing creatures - they can completely regenerate limbs. I had one newt get her leg bit off - and I watched it grow back over a 5 month period. First, a little nub, then little fingers, then joints and then it grew bigger. I wish science would learn more about these amazing creatures. What if we could figure out how they regenerate limbs? Food for thought.

 

Anyway for cats - check out a series of books by Peter Gethers called "The Cat who Went To Paris." Peter hated cats until he was forced to adopt one. Then he became an instant "convert." If religions could find a way to use "cuteness" as successfully as cats - they would take over the world. Thank the goddess they haven't figured it out. Here's a link: http://www.amazon.com/Cat-Who-Went-Paris/dp/0449907635 His cat follows him everywhere, without a leash, even in the streets of Paris.

 

Mathgeek - After seeing the results of the poll, I'm beiginning to think our church was unique in its hatred of cats. Or it may have been a generational thing. The founder was an old man and many of the ministers seemed to think the 50's were the ideal time in all of human history... who knows. But they definately didn't like cats so I think some of that middle-ages xtian superstition still clings on.

[Purple]

Well not sure you're alone, this is JW I think but wow, someone tok their crazy pills....

 

http://www.dbhome.dk/carlo/cat.htm

 

*whoops* It appears this si a joke to show how the Watch Tower twists things. Oh well still pretty funny.

[Grandpa Harley]

What if we could figure out how they regenerate limbs?

 

Technically, we do know HOW to regenerate a limb, just not painlessly, nor without serious risk of infection... Newts don't always get regeneration right... which is also the problem with mammalian limb regeneration... you can't go around looking like something from the 1982 version of The Thing.

[Vomit Comet]

I was in Rome this winter. Lots of feral cats everywhere, but they especially congregated in the ruins. I remember walking up through Palatine Hill, and there was a big fat tomcat perched atop a large stone block, over all our heads, surveying his domain like he owned the place.

[Grandpa Harley]

What do you mean 'like', human?

[Guest Zenobia]

Yep, I've traveled to 21 countries and everywhere I went there were CATS. And ALL of them owned whatever place they were at. But not all countries treat cats as well as others...

 

Israel - CATS wandering everywhere and especially in the ruins, same as Rome

Russia - OMG cats in backpacks on the subway, cats riding in ladas to the dacha, cats living at the TV station, cats, cats!

Syria - Poor unloved kittens wandering some muddy village

Japan - Pampered little sushi-loving cats!

Thailand - Temple cats Cats at the night bazaar

 

I watched the Discovery special "Life After People" and it said that one day, after people manage to kill themselves, CATS will grow wings and fly from skyscraper to skyscraper hunting birds. Yes... one day CATS will rule the planet. My church must have known this, no wonder people hated/feared felines!