<p>We had 2 (sibling) cats from the time they were kittens. Both were really nice - until they weren’t. We moved when they were about 5 years old and they decided that was a good time to start marking. It was horrible. We tried everything to deal with this issue, but it never resolved. Both have since died, but because of that experience I will never get cats again. We have a poodle mix dog that I adore. He’s very easy and low-maintenance. I’m home during the day alone a lot (both kids away at school) and I really like the company of having him around. The only negative is that I don’t have total freedom to do what I’d like, travel, etc without making arrangements for his care. So that is something to consider. But I still think the pros outweigh the cons. In fact, we’re considering getting a second dog to keep the first one company!</p>