No thousands of dollars in college education, no wrecked vehicle, a beautiful yard free of kid playing crap, and never being bothered with school crap. What is not to love about a pet? Sharing your life with six pounds of fur is a unique and fulfilling experience that keeps you happy into old age. It also keeps you healthy into old age. While everyone else is getting up at an ungodly hour to get the kids ready for school you can always sleep in. Truly few people ever experience this in our pronatalist culture.
Just as every cat's coat is different so do they each have their own special personalities. Attempting to compare my cat to your brat is highly offensive. You do not understand what it's like to have a pet around until you have one of your own. Cats keep you energized and happy by always rewarding you with their purring noises. The sound of paws jumping up on your desk is simply a small sacrifice for the love an animal brings into your life. Its much more worth it than the wreckage a brat brings about with their exhorbitant resource-sucking ways.