The Cat vs. Dog Debate

You will never believe this - if you know anything about our past. We have devoted numerous posts over the last years about this much heated debate between Ben and I.
We are actually planning to get a cat. I KNOW! That is crazy - I can't believe the words came out of my mouth one day. I think it started when I was looking through some classified ads with a cute picture of a kitten - and Ben just about melted into a pool beside me. I totally realized how much he loves cats - like he reallllly loves cats. He runs across busy streets just to pet a cat (then I get really grossed out that his clothing is covered in cat hair)....and aimlessly walks through pet stores just to see the kittens. Then he told me his story of his family cat Tigger:
Tigger was around a few years before Ben was born and lived until Ben turned 17. Then she needed to be put down at the Vet. Ben went to the Vet with his cat, watched her be put to sleep, then took her home in a box, and buried her by himself. He was heart broken. When he told me this story -his eyes even glistened a little bit. He will never admit that and when he reads this post he will completely deny it. And for all I know its an act just to get me to cave in....
So anyways, in my compassion I told he we could look for a kitten under a few conditions:
a)Ben has to scoop te poop every other day at the most
b)Ben has to vacuum up all the hair every day
c)We need to finish our basement suite downstairs with a separate laundry area , so we don't have a litter box on our main floor.
d)We get claw covers for it so it won't scratch the leather
e)it must be spayed/neutered.

and on the upside:
a)cats are more independent and I won't feel as guilty about being at work all day as I would with a dog.
b)cats use a litter box and dogs make yellow spots on our lawn
c)when we go away a cat is easier to leave behind with minimal check-ins by a friend/family member

So I can't believe it - see how nice I've become??!?!

Anyways, thats my story for the day. Have a great day everyone!