Dogs vs. cats

[Flyndaran]

I so wish I wasn't allergic to doggies. I love my cats more than anything, but I miss being able to so much as touch a dog.

[Dreamstalker]

I like both cats and dogs, we'd prefer to have both if they would get along and my mom had the space for a dog.

It bugs me when people act like cats are wimpy animals,

One of our old cats, Sooty, most definitely was not. When we got her I had to come up with creative ways of making sure my bedroom door latched, otherwise I would wake up to her chewing on me. We used to joke that if she escaped (living in VT at the time), she would take a couple coyotes/bears/other nasty fauna down with her. She was mean.

And how many times has a large dog been seen walking away with its tail between its legs because a cat stood up to it?

McGriff has been known to intimidate a few dogs (not massively huge compared to him, but a good deal bigger).

[Lace Neil Singer]

Now, I love dogs. However, I can't have one as a pet at this precise moment, due to circumstances; I live in a flat, plus I live alone and am at work a lot of the time, so it wouldn't be fair on the dog. I also love cats; my cat lives with my parents cuz when I moved out, she was already settled and it wouldn't have been fair to uproot her. However, she still considers me her owner and claws everyone cept me. XD Back in the mists of time, there was a family dog who lived to be 15 before she was finally put to sleep cuz of kidney tumours.

I'd love to have both as pets living with me in the future. ^^

[tabbyblack13]

I grew up with both dogs and cats. After I graduated from college and got a house I adopted two cats. I do get greeted at the door by at least one of them. He often can't leave me alone when I first get home. Of course now he's digging in my purse for something. I love cats for the fact that they are independent and at times crazy.

I do want to get a dog in the future. I will have to get a bigger house before I can get a dog. It will have to get along with the cats first and a size that my boy cat won't hunt.

[guywithashovel]

I like dogs, though if I ever get my own pet, it'll probably be a cat. Cats are just so much more independent than dogs are. They don't run up to you the second you get home, desperate for you to pet them and shower them with all kinds of affection. Likewise, a cat won't jump up in your lap and lick your face two minutes after licking its balls.

My aunt D has one cat that she keeps in the house, and she has two outside cats that are kind of like "neighborhood cats," meaning that several people in the neighborhood put out food for them. About a week ago, when we were having a bitter cold snap in my part of the globe, D decided to bring those two cats inside. She had brought one of them in before, but the other one had never been inside her house. The *very minute* she let it inside, it went right downstairs and found the litter pan. I'm sure most dogs would have required a bit more training than that.

And as an illustration of what I said earlier about dogs being desperate for attention, let me use a dog own by my other aunt, Aunt P. P's dog literally goes apeshit every time someone comes through the front door, especially if it's someone she doesn't know or know very well. One day, my grandma and I went over to P's house for P's birthday celebration. Grandma and I don't go over there very often, so we were essentially stranger's to her dog. For several minutes after we walked in, the dog was literally charging from one end of the living room to the other and bouncing off of the furniture. One second it would be darting across the floor. The next second it would be on top of the couch. The next second it would be running for the kitchen. The next second it would be jumping up on the recliner. The next second it would be jumping all over us and trying to get ahold of the cake and ice cream we had brought with us. Etc. Etc. Etc. And when it jumps up on you, it doesn't do any good to do the typical "down, doggy, down" motions with your hands (which is what most people's natural reaction is) because the dog thinks you want to play with it, and therefore just gets more hyper. After a few minutes, the dog did settle down, though. But still, it would be a bit much for me to deal with that every time I came home. I tend to like my space. And usually, cats will give that to you. They like to run off and hide, and then come out and visit with you when they feel like it. And when they do, they're usually pretty low-key.

Now, to move on to another subject, I'm kind of surprised that no one has mentioned the insinuation that dogs are "men's pets" and cats are "women's pets." It bugs me when people act like cats are wimpy animals, and that men who own them or like them are deficient in masculinity. For starters, no one ever accuses women of being butch if they own dogs. Plus, it's flat out wrong. Anyone who knows anything about cats would never---and I mean NEVER---say that they are wimpy animals. They have sharp claws and can weild them with lightning speed. As if that weren't enough, they can walk without making any noise.

And how many times has a large dog been seen walking away with its tail between its legs because a cat stood up to it?

[Giggle Goose]

Did your parents have children so they could have someone to do chores?

Sometimes I thought so....

Kidding. But in years past when agriculture was the primary way of life, couples had lots of kids for that exact purpose: to work the farm. But that's highly unlikely in developed countries in this day and age.

[Boozy]

Did your parents have children so they could have someone to do chores?

Of course not. I think I see what you're saying now, but I still disagree.

We got our farm dogs because we loved dogs and wanted a pet. We then chose a breed that was suitable for life on a farm, and decided to train them to do some herding.

However, our neighbours had more heads of cattle than we did, and they did acquire dogs for the main purpose of herding. But even they did not evaluate their dogs based on the tasks they did for them. One of their best loved dogs was "retired" at the very young age of three due to an injury, and that dog lived with them until dying at a ripe old age.

[anriana]

Dogs can be put to work and be members of the family at the same time, just as people can be. I did chores growing up; that didn't mean I wasn't a member of the family.

Our collies were trained as herding dogs. They contributed to the farm, and they liked it. Dogs are like people in that they like to feel useful. They did what they were bred to do, and that is a great life for a dog.

Did your parents have children so they could have someone to do chores?

I don't evaluate my family members based on the tasks I can use them for.

[Boozy]

Dogs can be put to work and be members of the family at the same time, just as people can be. I did chores growing up; that didn't mean I wasn't a member of the family.

Our collies were trained as herding dogs. They contributed to the farm, and they liked it. Dogs are like people in that they like to feel useful. They did what they were bred to do, and that is a great life for a dog.

[daleduke17]

Either they're treated as a member of the family or they're used as tools - not both.

There are several police and arson K9 units that will disagree with you.

[Boozy]

I'm a dog person, 100%.

But I suspect that's because I've always been allergic to cats. I've never been free to really enjoy them or spend time with them.

My friend has a cat, and she sends me these popular black-and-white Youtube cartoons to watch. Watching how the cat behaves in these videos, and reading all the comments saying how true it is, is interesting. In over half of these videos, you could replace the cat with one of my dogs and the behaviour would be identical. There may not be as much difference between cats and dogs as we think when it comes down to our interactions with them. After all, animals adapt themselves to our lives instead of us to theirs.

[AFPheonix]

I rather like both, they fill different niches in my pet life. My barn cats tend to be very sweet. My favorite one, Hammy (who disappeared a few weeks ago...damn coyotes) would get on the wall of the arena, wait for me to come by on whatever training horse I was on, and if I didn't pet him would run across to the opposite wall and wait for me to come by again.
I wish my husband would have let me bring him here to live at the apartment with us, but between my roommate and her kids, we just had too many people with cat dander allergies.
Now Loki waits for me outside the arena gate for adoration when I'm working someone.

Dogs are sweet and cuddly and funny too. The bonus with cats is they don't eat my underpants, so they do have a leg up there...

[McDreidel09]

I'm more of a cat person. I find cats to be independent and not needing much training. Sure I had to show them where the litter box was when they first got here and when we moved it and if they peed anywhere else, I had to give them a swat. As long as I set out food at the right times,keep their water bowl and cup(yes, a cup. One of my cats is particular.) full,brush them, clean the litter box, and take them to the vet when needed, then I could leave the house and not be worried that they will pee on the furniture.

My cats are very loyal. Fuzzy Butt is very affectionate. Meanie Butt can be affectionate, but only to my mom and myself. When we come in the door, they run to the door and greet us with meows. When we go to sleep.they snuggle next to us and purr.

On a doctor's visit, they took my blood pressure and commented on how good it is, not too high,not too low. The nurse asked me if I had pets. I told her that I have two cats. She told me that pets are really good for keeping blood pressure levels at a great level.

They are my babies. I know I didn't bring them into the world, but I gave them a great home, away from the abuse they were once used to.

[anriana]

IOf couse, both are the most popular pets in America and elsewhere and both usually are treated as member of a family. Even through dogs are more useful than cats since they are used for many types of jobs such as police, military, search & rescue, hunting, helping disable people and so forth. I think the only thing cats are good for are catching mice and rats when they are not sleeping . Also I have seen televised dog shows but I don't think I have ever seen a cat show on television.

Either they're treated as a member of the family or they're used as tools - not both.

[I8DaCookie]

I'm a cat person. Currently, I only have one cat but as soon as I get my own place, I'm going to get a second one.

It does depend on my cat's mood whether or not she wants to be messed with. She can be very affectionate one minute, meowing for attention and then aloof the next. She's also very playful and highly entertaining.

I find dogs to be too "aggressive" for affection. Not the mean kind of agressisve but the pushy for attention kind. They slobber and lick and the little ones are just plain annoying. And if they are aggressive, they are more capable of seriously hurting me than my cat.

Most of all, I'm terrified of dogs. When I was a kid, I was holding the leash of my mother's boyfriend's dog while at a park. The dog saw some people riding bikes and took off after them with me still attached to the leash. I was dragged for a good distance. I've hated them ever since. I hate going to my friends place because of her dog. She knows that if I'm coming over, the dog needs to be placed in a room with the door shut. I have another friend who's family breeds golden retreivers. I hate going there too. So many dogs just rushing at me, just being nice, but still...