As a person who grew up with dogs and never a cat, living with a cat in college has been an eye-opening experience. Cats and dogs are nothing alike. While I’m still a “dog person”, I like having a cat too. However, I learned that mentality and daily life of cat owners is very different from dog owners. Below are 5 things that I have had to learn since becoming a cat owner.

1. Elevated spaces are still fair game for cats

As a dog person, if I set a cup of coffee or a plate of food on the table, desk, or anywhere higher than like 3 feet tall, there is no way my dog is going to get into it. Cats, on the other hand, will use their Super-Spidey skills to climb up on any elevated surface to eat your food, drink your beverages, and knock over/get into anything that a dog person would normally consider “out of reach”. I’m still in the process of trying to figure out where I can possibly put something where I won’t have to keep a close eye on it to guard it from my cat. If anyone has any tips, hit me up.

2. Claws.

Your couch is not safe. Your tapestries are not safe. Your table legs are not safe. Nothing is safe. Cats are like little Edward Scissorhands that enjoy using anything relatively nice as a scratching post. Even walking across the couch or bed, their claws make tiny holes that will eventually become bigger and bigger. And if you pick a cat up that doesn’t want to be held…human scratching post.

3. You never know where they are

Unless they’re sleeping, you pretty much always have an idea of where in the house your dog is. Cats fly under the radar and are silent little stalkers. I never know when I walk by the bed if my foot is going to be attacked by a cat predator, followed by me screaming and running away. Our cat has escaped from the house multiple times and we usually never know for a while after it happens because whether the cat is here or not, the house is quiet.

4. Hairballs

If your dog yacks, something is wrong. If your cat yacks, it’s just another Tuesday. Cats casually throw up hairballs all the time and it’s not okay. Still trying to get over this because my first hairball experience was yesterday, so that’s all I’m going to say on the subject.

5. You can leave them all day

Dogs must be let out every few hours, which means that most of your free time is planned around your dog. Cats can be left for a long weekend and be completely fine. If I left my dog at home for a long weekend, not only would I come back to a ruined carpet, but most likely everything in the house would be destroyed.

6. They don’t do tricks

Cats are wonderful to cuddle with and can be entertained by a shoestring. However, they don’t sit, roll over, or do anything on command. They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but an old dog is 83x more willing to learn tricks than a cat.