I will never ever have children of my own. Ever. Everrrrr!

It is a totally valid choice, juuuuust not for me.

I have almost always had a cat that I was close to – ever since I was small. I have had many pets over the years, but cats are the best combination of easy, cuddly, and cute. They are independent. They are great at self-care. There are various ways which can making caring for cats even easier.

I helped raise my siblings. The age gap was significant, and I took on a lot of responsibility. Kids require constant attention to keep them from accidentally murdering themselves. They are so notoriously incapable of self-care that there is an entire video game about struggling to keep a baby alive. They are an expensive, energy-draining, lifetime commitment. And, after being a mom-substitute as a teen, I will never have any of my own. I had the experience. I didn’t like it. It isn’t for me. And no matter how many passive aggressive remarks I get about my parental figures’ grandchildren being cats, I’m sticking to it.

Adulting is hard. To raise any family, one needs to have a consistent residence, money for the food, supplies and medical needs of their family, and the time to spend with their family. I have bounced around from renting rooms in houses and having a small apartment to finally having a place of my own. I saved up money to buy automated machines to care for the basic needs of my future cats (self-cleaning litter boxes, timed automatic feeders, and filtered water fountains are wonderful). I bought toys, a cat tree, and furniture that would be cat-friendly. I wanted more than one cat so that they could entertain each other. I wanted to adopt a bonded pair so that their relationship would be pre-established. I wanted darker-colored cats because they are less likely to be adopted. I also wanted to plan to adopt during a time when I could stay at home for multiple days in a row to bond with the new cats and acclimate them as part of the household. And even with all of that pre-planning, it is only a minuscule fraction of what it takes to plan for human children. The monetary investment is far lower.

If you are prepared for and want to have kids – more power to you. Live your best life! Hell, you can have kids AND cats! But, I’m sticking with my precious felines – and I am quite satisfied with that.

Not to mention the whole being unable to drink wine or be around cat litter during pregnancy … nope. Couldn’t do it. Definitely not. The worst.

Tweet me @PandoraCray!