really glad i found this thread... my 4 year old dd announced the other day that she'd really like a cat as a pet. not that i'd consider it right now at this age, but i am keeping it in mind for when she is older. i have NEVER had a cat, or liked them much, always been a MAJOR dog lover, however after having kids i can't stand dogs anymore - the barking, the dog poo, the responsibility, the jumping up on kids - we had a big dog so had very loud barking that woke my rarely sleeping baby, masses of dog poo in the yard that my partner rarely picked up, and the fact that the dog was so big and not trained very well (our fault entirely), she wasn't suitable for young kids, so she has ended up living with a family member.

ok so my questions for the cat owners are:

is there any way to stop them jumping up on kitchen benches - this does not appeal to me at all...
do they wreck your furniture?
i don't understand a cat being an inside cat, do they NEVER go out? what happens if they get out? If a cat is an indoor/outdoor cat - how do you monitor where they go, or do you not monitor it at all? how do you get them to come back, or do they just do it by themselves... this whole scenario is weird to me, as i've only ever had dogs so i don't get the whole roaming pet thing...?

if you were to go on holiday what happens to the cat - what do they need in the way of people time, or is it a matter of them just needing somewhere to poop, and some food and water. do they need human contact or would they just cope without the family for a week or so?

sorry as u can see i know nothing of cats!