Yes, you can’t expect an animal that basically tamed itself to respect your boundaries, and that’s why dog people don’t like them. They jump on the counter or try to break your coffee cup if it’s too close to the edge of the table.

But overwhelmingly, in my experience as a cat shelter volunteer, people who have owned catsand do not like them feel that way, not because Mittens got overstimulated and scratched them once, but because they cannot cope with their boundaries being disrespected all the time. It isn’t the cats fault, true. It’s just an animal acting the way it evolved to act–but let’s try to be understanding about why many people struggle with them as pets.

It really does take a certain personality to be okay with living with a cat.