Why is there such a pathological hatred of cats in Irish society?

Shenshen

Title says it all, really.

I've never met so many people with such a dislike and hatred of cats anywhere else, and I find it confusing.
Unlike dogs, cats tend to be fairly easily avoided, they are shy and towards humans non-aggressive.
In many countries, cats are the number one pets. Yet here, people will voice opinions like "the only good cat is a drowned cat".

So where does it come from?

fonecrusher1

Some people are morons.

Aldebaran

Cats are awesome.

JonJoeDali

I love cats. She's sitting on my lap looking at this post right now

Sometimes she goes after the mouse cursor, which can be quite annoying...

PanchoVilla

I blame the pope.

Schism

Farms. Cats kill hens.

Also, I like cats.

TanG411

Cats huh?

Bin there, done that.

demanufactured

Shenshen wrote: »

Title says it all, really.

I've never met so many people with such a dislike and hatred of cats anywhere else, and I find it confusing.
Unlike dogs, cats tend to be fairly easily avoided, they are shy and towards humans non-aggressive.
In many countries, cats are the number one pets. Yet here, people will voice opinions like "the only good cat is a drowned cat".

So where does it come from?

It seems to come from farmer folk and boggers who live in the sticks who like to kill everything that moves..

Cats are cool , i have 6 of them

gurramok

They kill birds, thats why. I never hated cats, I just distrusted their loyalty. But since I befriended the neighbours cat, my views of them has been a plus. They are lovely creatures.

Pookah

It's possibly a left-over from the prehistoric age when big cats stalked us, manifesting in the hypothalamus part of the brain.

Cat-lovers are therefore more evolved, according to this theory.

Shenshen

fonecrusher1 wrote: »

Some people are morons.

I somehow doubt that the percentage of morons in Ireland is so significantly higher than anywhere else, though.

JohnathanM

Love cats to bits, and the really great thing is you don't have to go looking for them. They just appear when you're catless and worm their way into your life. The new cat we have was living up a tree in the back garden, now it's snoring on my pillow. How do they manage that?

Latchy

It might have something to do with cats being free roaming spirts were as dogs can be trained and more deserving of the title of of mans best friend .Dont own a cat and haven't had one since childhood but I like them

Shenshen

Schism wrote: »

Farms. Cats kill hens.

Also, I like cats.

I thought dogs killed hens?

GLaDOS

Schism wrote: »

Farms. Cats kill hens.

Also, I like cats.

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't the domestication of cats in part due to cats ability to catch vermin which was useful around the farm?

Personally I love cats and it pisses me off when people say they hate cats then can't back it up with any logical reason, which happens quite often.

Kiera

My hatred comes from the little fúckers nearly killing me as a child cause i got some crappy disease from one.

mikom

Cats are bitches, just using you for food, heat and lodging.

How many cats do you see sat with a homeless person?
Now ask yourself how many dogs do you see sat with a homeless person?

Case closed.

Shenshen

JohnathanM wrote: »

Love cats to bits, and the really great thing is you don't have to go looking for them. They just appear when you're catless and worm their way into your life. The new cat we have was living up a tree in the back garden, now it's snoring on my pillow. How do they manage that?

*lol Tell me about it, we've been adopted as well this summer.

Shenshen

mikom wrote: »

Cats are bitches, just using you for food, heat and lodging.

How many cats do you see sat with a homeless person?
Now ask yourself ow many dogs do you see sat with a homeless person?

Case closed.

Never said everybody has to love them, but why not just leave them alone, then?

newmug

I hate cats, and shoot any that stray onto my property. First I try to make them leave. If they keep turning up at my door, I try to find their owner. I take photos, put up posters etc. If that doesnt work, its the bullet. There are so many strays around, its unbelievable. A friend shot 30 in one day that were hanging around his farm, 30!!! The hatred stems from people not giving a fcuk about their animals, and allowing them to become feral vermin. Never, not a single time, have I ever found an owner for the cats I've shot.

fonecrusher1

demanufactured wrote: »

It seems to come from farmer folk and boggers who live in the sticks who like to kill everything that moves..

Cats are cool , i have 6 of them

Have to agree with this.^

It is very much a bog people thing. Jaysus look mammy ders kittens in da shed, suur i'l tro dem in a bag an drowneded em...

Its the height of stupidity.

PanchoVilla

Cats have been historically revered in pagan religions and were thought to possess supernatural powers. Ireland, being a strict Catholic country, has probably swallowed the crap about cats being evil etc. Ironic really as the Catholic Church is probably the biggest pagan religion there is. The Catholic Church just wants you to worship their sun god as opposed to the earth/moon goddess of other pagan religions.

Sanjuro

Shenshen wrote: »

Yet here, people will voice opinions like "the only good cat is a drowned cat".

Boards.ie aside, where have you heard this in such quantity that you think Irish people pathologically hate cats? I'm no cat-lover. I'm a dog person. But I've never met anyone who actually hates cats. I think you're making a generalization. And a grossly inaccurate one at that.

gurramok

Kiera wrote: »

My hatred comes from the little fúckers nearly killing me as a child cause i got some crappy disease from one.

An unfortunate experience from one or two should not make you label them all as evildoers.

Would you have the same attitude if another child passed a disease onto you? No, you wouldn't!

Misanthrope

Because they're useless.And their crap stinks like nothing I have ever smelled.

If your house gets broken in to the dog defends you and himself.The cat either legs it silently or seizes his chance to rob food or both.Even a goldfish would do more to help.
Cats eat and sleep all day with the odd 5 minute burst of destroying furniture or pretending to hunt.Snakes have easily as much personality with far more limited physical facilities.

I actually roughly categorise people into cats n dogs.The ones I dislike are always catty spiteful sneaky selfish sorts.The ones I like best are the dog like ones,fun loving,loyal and too damn clumsy to enact any serious deceit.

WindSock

demanufactured wrote: »

Cats are cool , i have 6 of them

Uh huh.

Irish society was mostly rural for a long time, so cats were not really as beneficial to own as dogs I guess.

Shenshen

Sanjuro wrote: »

Boards.ie aside, where have you heard this in such quantity that you think Irish people pathologically hate cats? I'm no cat-lover. I'm a dog person. But I've never met anyone who actually hates cats. I think you're making a generalization. And a grossly inaccurate one at that.

4 people out of 40 in the place that I work.
And others before them, can't give an exact number, but it always left me wondering.

Kiera

gurramok wrote: »

An unfortunate experience from one or two should not make you label them all as evildoers.

Would you have the same attitude if another child passed a disease onto you? No, you wouldn't!

Haha, i'm not gonna change my opinion on them just cause you think i should

Chuchoter

I ****ING HATE CATS!!
And I'm a lesbian so like my favorite thing after women and motorcycles is supposed to be cats, but they smell and they get under your feet and they don't even like you! You just feed them and then they're like **** you I'm a cat I don't care about you. DOGS ALL THE WAY!

Shenshen

newmug wrote: »

I hate cats, and shoot any that stray onto my property. First I try to make them leave. If they keep turning up at my door, I try to find their owner. I take photos, put up posters etc. If that doesnt work, its the bullet. There are so many strays around, its unbelievable. A friend shot 30 in one day that were hanging around his farm, 30!!! The hatred stems from people not giving a fcuk about their animals, and allowing them to become feral vermin. Never, not a single time, have I ever found an owner for the cats I've shot.

Out of curiosity, how many stray dogs do you shoot on average?
The number of stray animals in this country is utterly unreal, that much is true. The only times I've seen similar numbers of strays would have been in 3rd world countries.

bad2dabone

I love cats, my cat had a great snooze beside me all morning while I had a lie in. Don't get me wrong I love dogs too. Cats require a bit more work but in my experience are just as rewarding if not more so than any dog i've ever had as a pet.

GLaDOS

Misanthrope wrote: »

And their crap stinks like nothing I have ever smelled.

At least cats can bury their faeces, unlike dogs who just **** all over the path

Logical Fallacy

Pookah wrote: »

It's possibly a left-over from the prehistoric age when big cats stalked us, manifesting in the hypothalamus part of the brain.

Cat-lovers are therefore more evolved, according to this theory.

Proposing the theory that requiring a parasitic relationship implies those people being less evolved would be funny.:D

Personally it would be my experience that cats are grand, people who like cats are grand, people who treat their pets as people are morons.

Micky Dolenz

most people like their animals dumber then them.

Lab_Mouse

they're too much like people and only come to you when they want something.Fukking horrible creatures.Provide good target practice with my air pistol though,only plus side to having the things about tbh

Shenshen

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

Proposing the theory that requiring a parasitic relationship implies those people being less evolved would be funny.:D

Personally it would be my experience that cats are grand, people who like cats are grand, people who treat their pets as people are morons.

Only surpassed by people who treat people as pets...

JonJoeDali

PanchoVilla wrote: »

Cats have been historically revered in pagan religions and were thought to possess supernatural powers. Ireland, being a strict Catholic country, has probably swallowed the crap about cats being evil etc. Ironic really as the Catholic Church is probably the biggest pagan religion there is. The Catholic Church just wants you to worship their sun god as opposed to the earth/moon goddess of other pagan religions.

Funny that Benedict XVI is a cat lover.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2008/04/benedict-xvi-po.html

Which leaves one wondering about all the other incorrect content in your post.

Shenshen

Lab_Mouse wrote: »

they're too much like people and only come to you when they want something.Fukking horrible creatures.Provide good target practice with my air pistol though,only plus side to having the things about tbh

Ok, why bother with them, then? Why not just leave them alone as they would leave you alone?

Gummy Panda

crayolastereo wrote: »

I ****ING HATE CATS!!
And I'm a lesbian so like my favorite thing after women and motorcycles is supposed to be cats

I don't see the connection

Purring kitties rock!

Tbh I'd prefer a red panda as a pet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=occw-8sSao4

newmug

Shenshen wrote: »

Out of curiosity, how many stray dogs do you shoot on average?
The number of stray animals in this country is utterly unreal, that much is true. The only times I've seen similar numbers of strays would have been in 3rd world countries.

I only ever shot a dog once, to put him down. Cant remember the last time I saw a stray dog, its fairly rare. Dogs stay with their owners.

Misanthrope

newmug wrote: »

I hate cats, and shoot any that stray onto my property. First I try to make them leave. If they keep turning up at my door, I try to find their owner. I take photos, put up posters etc. If that doesnt work, its the bullet. There are so many strays around, its unbelievable. A friend shot 30 in one day that were hanging around his farm, 30!!! The hatred stems from people not giving a fcuk about their animals, and allowing them to become feral vermin. Never, not a single time, have I ever found an owner for the cats I've shot.

What cal. do you use.Airarm or Firearm.Just interested to know what is best for as swift a kill as possible?

Don't worry people,this is purely a ballistics issue,I'm not going shooting any pussies.................with load firing weapons.................made of steel...........which are not physically part of me.That there's what I won't be doing

Balfie

I had a cat once, it died soon after

Shenshen

newmug wrote: »

I only ever shot a dog once, to put him down. Cant remember the last time I saw a stray dog, its fairly rare. Dogs stay with their owners.

Where do all the strays on the roads come from, then?

I have to admit that I'm scared of dogs, having been attacked by one as a child. So I found walking in the evenings here to be a really frightening experience....

Earthhorse

mikom wrote: »

Cats are bitches, just using you for food, heat and lodging.

How many cats do you see sat with a homeless person?
Now ask yourself how many dogs do you see sat with a homeless person?

Case closed.

How many hamsters do you see sat with a homeless person?

Yet, they are not reviled in the way cats often are.

Case re-opened.

Latchy

Gummy Panda wrote: »

Purring kitties rock!

Tbh I'd prefer a red panda as a pet

After watching that I wants one for christmas now

Logical Fallacy

crayolastereo wrote: »

I ****ING HATE CATS!!
And I'm a lesbian so like my favorite thing after women and motorcycles is supposed to be cats, but they smell and they get under your feet and they don't even like you! You just feed them and then they're like **** you I'm a cat I don't care about you. DOGS ALL THE WAY!

I think it's supposed to be pussy, not cats.

Misanthrope

ScienceNerd wrote: »

At least cats can bury their faeces, unlike dogs who just **** all over the path

Dogs learn things if you teach them.They can learn not to crap on the path and a whole lot more.

Imagine what this lil poochie must think when he sees a cat in it's litterbox.Is there facepalm for dogs.Face paw?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPV9SwCecTQ

PanchoVilla

Cats are awesome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofrSio_jZO0

Shenshen

Misanthrope wrote: »

Dogs learn things if you teach them.They can learn not to crap on the path and a whole lot more.

Imagine what this lil poochie must think when he sees a cat in it's litterbox.Is there facepalm for dogs.Face paw?

Meh. My cats not only poop in the toilet, they flush it down afterwards.

newmug

Shenshen wrote: »

Where do all the strays on the roads come from, then?

Where do you live? Its probably just a problem in your area. I havent seen a stray dog on the roads in all the 2000's.

Misanthrope wrote: »

What cal. do you use.Airarm or Firearm.Just interested to know what is best for as swift a kill as possible?

Not sure if it would be wise to reply to that publicly. Suffice to say if it'll kill a bunny, it'll kill a pussy;)

Patri

fonecrusher1 wrote: »

Jaysus look mammy ders kittens in da shed, suur i'l tro dem in a bag an drowneded em...

I live pretty far into the countryside, and yet I've never heard a single person say something so ridiculously idiotic as this. Maybe if you went back a few generations you'd find some illiterate folk, but that was just sheer stupidity on your part.