My family ALWAYS had cats; at least one, usually two.

We had a golden retriever (Montana) for 13 years before we had to put him down. I loved that dog. Still miss him to this day. Also the biggest golden I've ever seen (130 lbs). Montana was great friends with the neighbor dog. They were inseparable. It was something straight out of a kid's book.

So I love dogs, too. But I've always had an extra soft-spot for cats.

My mom actually put down the oldest cat we've ever owned a few years ago. She was so old, I don't remember a time when she wasn't around.

She was 24. Only reason we put her down was because of incontinence. It was too much watching her suffer day-to-day. Other than that, the vet always said she was completely fine. Her kidneys just gave out from old age.

But yes, mice were never a problem when I was growing up. My folks live on the edge of a small town where I grew up. Our cats were/are indoor/outdoor cats; more like dogs. And that's not coming from me; that's what friends say when they meet the cats. You can go outside and call their names and they'll come running to the porch.

The cat my mom has right now is named Cricket (I named her). She's cute as a button, and likes to catch snakes and, well, crickets.