Country life is hard — for a cat! 8 reasons mine prefer city life

I spent several years living on the family homestead in a small, rural Maine town with my brother, sister-in-law, and an assortment of goats and poultry. It seemed like a good life at the time, but little did I know that when I moved to the city, a whole world would open up for my cats, as well as for me.

When my cats look back on the time they spent in the country, they see what they’re grateful for now that they live the urban life. Here’s a comparison in text and photos.

1. Better cat trees

My little studio carved out of a post-and-beam barn did offer some opportunities for my cats to climb, but the rewards were limited and the perches were uncomfortable.

2. Better television

If you grew up in the country, far from the reaches of cable TV, you’ll remember that you had maybe three or four channels available — and even then, you’d spend as much time moving the antenna to get decent reception as you’d spend watching. I bet you didn’t know cats like having more viewing options, too.

3. Better smell-o-vision

I always thought the scents I brought in from my treks around the country homestead intrigued my cats, but I guess I was wrong. See for yourself.

4. More modern conveniences … like not shivering in the winter

One of the hardest things about life in my country home — aside from having to truck 50-pound jugs of water up rickety stairs and do my business in an outhouse — was the fact that it was always cold. But in our new home, the cats can stretch out full-length, even on an arctic Maine winter day.

5. Better food

Back in the country, my cats had to live on kibble because, well, I was just too poor to go with the deluxe food I wanted to give them. Now they get the very best, and they don’t even have to work for it.

6. No competition for cuteness

When you live on a country homestead with non-feline animals who are constantly having babies, people ooh and aah over the other critters while forgetting the inherent cuteness of cats. In their new urban home, my cats always win the “awwww” contest.

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7. Better sun puddles

Back in the country, my cats’ sunbathing options were sadly limited. The only two windows in my place faced the morning sun, and in the winter I had to put blankets over one of them so we wouldn’t freeze to death. Now the kitties get sun puddles all day, any time the skies are clear.

8. No attack geese!

Don’t fool yourself: Geese are mean! Here in the city, nobody is barred from getting into the house by an aggressive gander guarding his harem!

Do your cats prefer life in the country or life in the city? Or how about suburbia? Let us know in the comments!

About JaneA Kelley: Punk-rock cat mom, science nerd, animal shelter volunteer, and all-around geek with a passion for bad puns, intelligent conversation, and role-play adventure games. She gratefully and gracefully accepts her status as chief cat slave for her family of feline bloggers, who have been writing their cat advice column, Paws and Effect, since 2003. JaneA dreams of making a great living out of her love for cats.

More by JaneA on life with cats:

• 7 Ways My Cats Live Better Than I Do
• High School Was Homophobic Hell for Me- A School Cat Would Have Helped
• You’ve Probably Adopted a Cat- Has a Cat Ever Adopted You?
• 7 Ways My Cats Are the Perfect Antidote for High Drama