I don't find them annoying. I live alone and I have a lot of free time so I decided to buy a cat, to have a soul near me. When I bought her, I started to search for some bowls for her and I found the
best cat water fountain. I was very surprised when I read that some of them filter the water. Moreover, it can store a lot of water, so when I am at work, I am not worried that my cat will be thirsty.
Having a pet can be a good companion when you live alone but since you mentioned that you no need to worry about caring the cat while you are at work? So its a soul or slave for you? Many animals got domesticated by humanbeings but still we don't treat them as good as how they are supposed to live.