“Steemit Engagement Challenge S11-W4 | Happy World Cat Day"

TASKS

• Are you a cat keeper or are you a cat lover? Tell us !

• Do you think Cats are unconditional friends? Give your reasons!

• What is your understanding and effort regarding animal welfare for cats?

• Are there myths that develop in your community about cats? Share with us

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Are you a cat keeper or are you a cat lover? Tell us !

I'm not a cat keeper however i have grown to love cats so much.

This is weird because growing up i never really liked cats but overtime I've learned to get used to them.

What also helped with this is the fact that a close friend of mine got a cat sometime ago and thankfully he got this cat when she was still young and so i didn't have to deal with the scratches and hissing that most big cats would dish out to strangers.

I would say i bonded with this cat as she would almost always crawl up to my laps and play with me. I also found her lack of survival skills growing up to be very alarming. She would always climb up to high places and somewhat do a trust fall in the hopes that someone would definitely catch her. It's so nice how easily they learn to trust humans.

Do you think Cats are unconditional friends? Give your reasons!

I would say this answer is somewhat relative. It may depend on the breed of the cat in most cases.

Cats can tend to be very lovable creatures and would most likely shower you with love and affection if they sense that you also care about them. I've also found that cats would most likely hate or stay away from you if you treat them badly.

Cats are not really like dogs who learn to love unconditionally. There has to be cause and effect relationship and it's quite harder to get a cat to become an unconditional friend than it would get a dog to. In most cases, you have to earn the trust of a cat.

Another thing I find interesting is how cats could have different personalities just like humans and behave very differently given the circumstances.

IWhat is your understanding and effort regarding animal welfare for cats?

Animal welfare is sadly an issue that is not very much taken into consideration here in Nigeria. A lot of pet owners out here lack the basic knowledge and have very little idea of the responsibilities that come with having to own a pet of their own.

Even. vets are not really a common thing as only very few people would actually take their pets to the vet when they get sick. However, I'm a believer in being able to provide your pet with a suitable environment to allow them to thrive, taking their physical and emotional needs into consideration. I also strongly believe that the process of pet ownership should be a responsible one and include necessary vaccinations, veterinary care, and proper adoption.

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Are there myths that develop in your community about cats? Share with us

Yes!

The existence of these myths greatly contributed to my not liking cats from a young age.
I really wanted nothing to do with cats until last year. Some of the myths were, cats were witches and were mostly a means for witches to monitor one's life and that if you constantly saw one it meant that you were being monitored. Also, the way their eyes shine at night made a lot of us believe that tale.

There were also myth that if you see or walk past a black cat, it meant that you were cursed with badluck. This particular one made me hate cats, especially black ones.

I'm happy i was able to spend time with one as i found out they are really cute, lovable creatures that have a first class degree in knowing how to make your day haha.