Thanks Dark. I'm glad I got to gain a little more knowledge about my furry friend. Cats are fascinating little creatures, aren't they? In terms of outside body structure they feel a lot like dogs, (aside from the fur and claws of course), but they're definitely not like dogs at all. I guess humans and monkeys are kind of the same deal though now that I think about it, except humans and monkeys seem to be distant cousins or something. Seems I've gone on a tangent.

That was an interesting read, although it did go over my head just a little bit. Nevertheless, it was still a great read. BTW, I'm a dog lover myself. I like cats, but I wouldn't want to keep a cat because it's a little harder than taking care of a dog.

@Dan_Gero, fair enough. I was actually pleased when finding that article since I was trying to remember the species classification details, as it's handy whenever you look something up, or want to know what is related to what.

@Draq, that indeed is the point though. Dogs are pack animals and yes require you to take care of them more (though in the case of guide dogs of course, this isn't entirely one sided), however most dogs will see humans as part of their pack, will want to be around people, and will be a definite presence, giving affection and wanting human contact, thus are more likely to become a real companion.

Cats can! Be affectionate, can get attached to people, but equally there are a lot of cats who are solitary loners, and see humans mainly as a utility, or actively dislike people, and there is no guarantee that when you get a cat, even a fluffy little kitten, that it'll be the sort that will bond with people and care for human attention.

this isn't of course to say all! cats, I've met some lovely cats who definitely like people, but where as with dogs your almost always guaranteed that if you get a pet dog, and put in enough time making friends, the dog will like you in return, the same is not true for a cat.

Btw, last year my lady and I went with a couple of my mum's friends to the cat Cafe. This is exactly what it sounds like, a cafe where they take care of cats, and have a lot of cats wandering around the place that you can just chat to.
I met the most lovely Maine coon cat called Heethcliff, who was almost like a feline version of Reever, my dog.

Basically, he was a huge ginger rug of a cat who simply wanted to lie there and be stroked, and if you started stroking him, he clearly expected you to do it all day .

Ironically, Reever, who is now quite an old dog, has exactly the same personality, indeed she's lying on the carpet beside my sofa while I'm writing this.

@Gcw, with respect to time and earning a dog's trust, it depends on the dog.
With Reever I had an incredibly difficult time at first, since she just wanted to be with her trainer.

Even though I was trying my utmost, and even though animals in general, and dogs in particular tend to like me, Reever was just not interested at all, she spent literally the entirety of my training lying by the front door just waiting for her trainer to come back.

this apparently is one of the differences between Labradors and golden Retrievers, Labs transfer affection far more quickly than retrievers do, but once you have it, it's a permanent thing.

I had once obtained a book on the complete anatomy of cats, and it is a good content to study. except I like to hear them purr and pinch their ears, nothing more to say about it. I love cats!

I dont do it. I just caress their ears

Yep. I've been around a few cats who wanted nothing to do with me. This is sometimes expected when dealing with a cat that's never seen you before. Some cats just have boundaries just like people do as well. In most cases I can reach a cat given time.

One cat warmed up to me very, very slowly. She eventually felt comfortable with sleeping on my bed with me on it, then lying on me. It took her about three years to be comfortable with getting on my lap, and that was out of the blue one day. She still doesn't care for being picked up or being petted too much. She probably gets overstimulated, so we worked out a system for that. It works most of the time.

Another cat that my mom had years ago didn't really want anything to do with me until I allowed her to stay in my room to hide from a new dog. Then she started to be comfortable with me handling her.

There's only one cat that I can think of that I was never able to reach. She growled at me when she saw me. She wouldn't let me touch her unless she was lying on furniture. One day she went outside and never returned, so I always wonder if I could have gotten her to trust me given enough time.

Unless you have a very messy kitten, a fairly sick cat of any age, a kitty who goes outdoors a lot and gets into dirty places, or a cat that refuses to groom for a medical reason that isn't dangerous, I gently recommend -not giving cats baths. Hairless cats also fall into this category (see below).
Cats groom themselves very thoroughly. This is why you'll sometimes find unpleasant hairballs; their rough tongues tear off loose hair and allow them to comb the dirt, grit and dander out of what's left. Some of this gets swallowed, then later ejected. Cats do a pretty good job of cleaning themselves up, and they're virtually odourless if they keep on top of their grooming.
A hairless cat, like a sphinx, might actually tolerate a damp cloth or a sponge better than a whole-body bath, especially if the sponge is warm. The issue for these cats isn't so much the temperature of the water (though that does matter too), but also the temperature and movement of the ambient air. If you take a hairless cat out of a nice warm place and bring them into a place where cool air is blowing past them, that'll make them very cold, very quickly. A damp cloth or sponge that's fairly warm will let you gently wipe away oils that can build up on their skin over time.
Most cats don't like to swim. There are some exceptions to this, but most cats feel inherently unsafe in water that partially or completely submerges them. If you bring them to this sort of water, then restrain them after placing them into it, it's probably not gonna go well.

A general caveat: all of what I said above is true, but if you are showing cats, you may need to do much more upkeep, including bathing and blow-drying, than I laid out here. What I'm talking about is average, everyday cat care. Tl.dr of which is: don't give your cat a bath unless you have no other choice. There are usually other better ways to help them clean up.

Hmm, so wich one is easyer, like post 6 said, you have to take it out, walk it, and cats don't even have to go outside as much as dogs, if they do at all. And i also have a question to, do dogs actually hate cats and stuff like in the movie's lol. But i agree with dark on having like, a permanent bond with your dog once you get it. I hope i have taht with my dog, she doesn't really listen to me. But she licks everyone all the time, sometimes she listens. i don't no lol. My Mom says you half to be the first one to see it fore him to like you or something. I don't no.

I've always found it interesting how fast animals like dogs and cats adapt to their surrounds and people they regularly interact with. For instance. I had a pregnant cat once. She moved just for me. not for anyone else, for me. fully blown pregnancy and would usually lay around the house, but get up and move when I came walking across the room. Eventually she figured out hey, this guy's going to step on me if I don't move. She wouldn't move for anyone else, but me. Period.
Every cat I've ever tamed and enjoyed being around figured out they need to meow or make a noise so I could find them to feed them. There's a stray out side my house that figured that out after the third time they interacted with me.
Scratching at doors to get in and out. you see where I am going with this.
Some of it can be considered basic adaptations, but From most sited others I interact with. it would appear that they seem to adapt accordingly.
Mouse and cheese in maze anyone?
should add a few tips here.
1. as for litter boxes. Scoop them out. Grocery bags, the plastic ones, gloves, or a but load of paper towels help to filter the litter clumps.
you should scoop it out once per day if you are able.
Most cats do not like scented litter.
2. Believe it or not. cats like routines. feed them each time at the same time each day and they will eventually begin reminding you when you need to feed them.
3. if else statements. whatever you do, don't let the cat's trigger be, waking up, feed cat. let it be waking up, do something else, then feed cat. or else if you end up napping in the day or falling asleep. they will recognize your vidle signs changed, then you wake up, they expect food.
4. keep water dishes clean. change water daily.
make sure to rence out water dish well.
5. it's a good idea to rence and boil out all their dishes at least once a week.
I'll admit to spoiling my cat and giving her a treat bowl for goodies and other things. as well as training purposes.
6. Like guide dogs, they will learn where it is and sit there for you to put the bowl in front of them. If trained and reinforced correctly.
While it is more easy for you to train them from kitten hood, you can attempt to in force certain habits if they are older.
final...
best advice I can give anyone?
cats work better with rewards.
the old spray bottle trick and other things will just make them afraid of you eventually. so yes, you can make them interact with you out of fear, or you can make them interact with you because they know they got rewarded for doing what you want them to do, or because they only get attention from you when they did something desirable to you. Cats bond just as much and some times more than dogs do. but in different ways.
to completely contradict everything I typed write here...
Remember, cats live in the now, so can be quite stubborn. some times they need time to figure it out for themselves, some times, you can't teach a cat anything.
It took me about a month and a lot of patients, but I finally got a cat to actually go where I want them to go and sit there, watch me make the food, then give it to them. It's going to take me a bit longer to teach a cat I need to integrate to another house to sit down, let them make their food, then you get yours when they get theirs. However I get the feeling, sadly,  after they put their paws on the stove a few times they will learn to stay away from the cooking area until the food is finished being prepared.
cats have personalities like dogs do. some times you can get a cat that bumps you and puts their sent on you, purring when you pick them up. other times you can get a cat that's aloof and only comes to you when they want attention.
proud owner of cats for over 30 years.
figured I would post something so everyone knows I'm still around.
Later.
Neo

@Neo, this is a good piece of advice. It seems you have a big experience in taking care for cats. I've recently adopted a cat and I can't figure out how to make her get used to a feeding regime if I 'm not home all day long. Should I just leave the food and she will eat anytime? I read that sometimes it leads to overweight.