For years, my mom has talked about wanting grandchildren. For years, I have told her that all she's going to get out of me are cats, probably a dog or two and maybe some lizards. I have never felt inclined to have children, and I don't think that's going to be changing anytime soon.

There's too much I want to do before I think about settling down and giving my life to the next generation, and I know that it wouldn't be fair to any kids I have to neglect them while I aim for my goals.

Besides, the idea of playing customer service to a miniature me is kind of terrifying. I wasn't a monster growing up, but I was certainly a brat.

While my cat is karma in some respect - constantly talking, going from wanting to play to wanting to be left alone, waking me up at unholy hours because she's bored - it's nothing compared to an actual human child.

Let's get this straight: cats are not "better" than human children, and human children are not "better" than cats.

I don't think either is "better" because that's so subjective.

I just know that children aren't something I could handle, probably ever.

I dropped an amount of money (which pains me to think about, let alone type, so just imagine having to drain your checking and savings account) for my cat in a single day, and I don't regret any of it.

Jasmine, my little 5-year-old furry nuisance, has skin issues. She scratches and licks and bites until she goes raw, and then she'll continue until she's scabbed. If I don't keep an eye on her, it can get really bad.

We've tried allergy steroid shots, which work for a limited time, and we've tried a strict food diet to cut out allergens, which didn't do anything but make her not want to eat because it didn't taste good.

None of this was all that cheap, but it was the cheapest I could get. College students have to cut down on costs somehow, so I was doing my best to avoid driving an hour to see a specialist so I could spend an exorbitant amount of money.

I eventually did because the shots were supposed to work for at least two months, but she scratched her cheek fur off after one.

The place is nice, the people are nice, but it was expensive. Again, think about pretty much draining your primary checking and savings accounts. That's what I did for her.

That's what I'll continue to do for her, too.

Come early May, I'll probably spend another checking account worth of money to start her treatment, and again I won't have any regrets. She's more than just part of my family, more than just my child, and that's why I think a cat will always be more worth it to me than a child.

She scratches, she yells, she runs around screaming at one in the morning, but she kills bugs, she sleeps next to me, she purrs as we "groom" each other. In my opinion, a child would be all the nuisance of a cat but with less reward.

What I've learned from being the mother of a cat is this: cats aren't less expensive or less annoying than children, but they're more emotionally worth it for me.

Sorry, Mum.