Because my cat has been behaving oddly these days, I went on a cat site seeking some help. On the site was this guy who's about to adopt a cat from a shelter, and to his great displeasure, the cat eats only wet food and he wants to feed dry for the convenience and cost. (He leaves the house for short trip frequently and dry food can be left out for the cat, whereas wet food would be spoiled). He asked folks on the site whether he should adopt this kitty or not.
Everyone responded that he should feed only the most exquisite wet food and, get a "cat sitter" when he's on his trip.
It is clear that these cat owners are not thinking with their heads. Maybe some how their love for cat has caused their brains to shrink to feline size. I double people adopting cats are also making plans to hire cat sitters.
Simple, don't get a cat.
If you do get a cat, and it ends up more or less barmy due to owner induced dysfunction, don't complain.
Cats work a certain way. You can't remake them into something more more convenient. You can ignore them of course, but don't be surprised if it decides move out, becomes fearful and/or aggressive, or starting crapping and pissing where you don't want it to etc.
And people who think their pets should adapt to their wishes probably should be strongly discouraged for their own sake.
As for the feed; if you're going to be that cheap about it, don't get the damn cat in the first place.
Dogs can live on just about any old muck. Cat's can't. They need real meat to stay healthy. Cheap dry food is usually not good enough. Expensive dry food is usually good enough, except veterinary discretion says these cats fed exclusively on it tend to get their lives shortened by several years. Dry food mucks up the kidneys, and cats tend to have weak kidneys in general.
The only way to go to keep your cat in health in the long run is to feed it decent quality wet food. i.e. real meat. If that's too much of a chore/too expensive, don't get the damn cat.
Of course, all of this, cat physiology and cat psychology, is a complete waste of breath on anyone who thinks cats are self-servicing, cheap and expendable pets that need no maintenance and should be ignored to whatever level of convenience one prefers. You can do that. The cat will probably get a bit fecked up, but who cares, it's just a cat. When it's not "nice" anymore, just stuff it in a bag and chuck it in a pond and get another one to give the same treatment.
As for this guy, he should 1) get two cats, it's just marginally more work but means the cats actually derive company from each other, making short trips out of town less of an issue and cutting down on the amount of time he himself must spend on them to keep them happy and social, 2) feed them wet food when at home, and 3) make sure they have access to clean water and food, dry if it's convenient, when away, and it's not that hard to ask a neighbour to check on the cats, the food and the water a couple of times.
Me, I'm always amazed at the amount of people who wants a cat but not only haven't got a clue about how cats work, but are also absolutely unwilling to find out.
