# Are you a dog person or a cat person? Which did you have when you were growing up? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 12, 2025, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-dog-person-or-a-cat-person-which-did-you-have-when-you-were-growing-up/1022996 "2025-09-12T22:45:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2025, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-dog-person-or-a-cat-person-which-did-you-have-when-you-were-growing-up/1022996/21 "2025-09-13T00:44:08Z")
We had both growing up. These days I like **some** dogs, but I am ruled by a clowder of scamperbeasts (currently a gray tuxedo, a ginger and a tabby.) ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2025, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-dog-person-or-a-cat-person-which-did-you-have-when-you-were-growing-up/1022996/22 "2025-09-13T00:46:09Z")
I think I see @wolfpup about to post. Being a person-dog isn’t the same as being a dog person! ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2025, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-dog-person-or-a-cat-person-which-did-you-have-when-you-were-growing-up/1022996/23 "2025-09-13T01:07:08Z")
I had a dog as a child. I don’t remember who got it for me, but I remember this cute little puppy suddenly appearing in cardboard box when we were at our country cottage. He was a mutt with a resemblance to a smooth fox terrier, much like this, and was very intelligent: [![](https://www.greencrossvets.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Fox-Terrier-1.jpg) ](https://www.greencrossvets.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Fox-Terrier-1.jpg) Fun fact: One of my prized possessions is an early 1940s era console radio, practically an immaculate museum piece, except that the lower panel has scratches from when that dog, as a puppy, liked to scratch his claws. Later on as an adult, I had two different cats at different times, then later on, when my son was young, I got another dog – the Bernese Mountain Dog that is depicted in my avatar, who inevitably became my dog. This was him: [![](https://i.imgur.com/M8tr0Yd.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/M8tr0Yd.jpeg) So I do like both dogs and cats, but still, I saw a news story recently that I can’t find now that puts things in perspective. It was about a dog that saved its owner’s life when a house fire broke out. It appeared that the fire had been started by a cat. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2025, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-dog-person-or-a-cat-person-which-did-you-have-when-you-were-growing-up/1022996/24 "2025-09-13T01:14:52Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I think I see @wolfpup about to post. Being a person-dog isn’t the same as being a dog person! Sometimes I like to pretend that I’m a hooman. I understand that on the internet, you can get away with it! 🐶 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2025, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-dog-person-or-a-cat-person-which-did-you-have-when-you-were-growing-up/1022996/25 "2025-09-13T01:26:13Z")
I’m a dog person, but I did not grow up with any pets except for some fish, which barely qualify as “pets” and are more akin to a screensaver. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2025, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-dog-person-or-a-cat-person-which-did-you-have-when-you-were-growing-up/1022996/26 "2025-09-13T01:27:02Z")
What a beautiful picture. Dogs, we don’t deserve them! ---
**Author:** ![X.L.Lent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/a5b964/32.png) [@X.L.Lent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/X.L.Lent)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2025, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-dog-person-or-a-cat-person-which-did-you-have-when-you-were-growing-up/1022996/27 "2025-09-13T01:37:02Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > You have too small of a sample size. There are going to be very few things in life that have no exceptions. Yes, I know. That’s why I posted the question here. For the record I grew up with cats although we did have a dog for a couple years. I’m definitely a cat person. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2025, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-dog-person-or-a-cat-person-which-did-you-have-when-you-were-growing-up/1022996/28 "2025-09-13T02:00:20Z")
Cat person. (We have seven of them now.) We always had cats when I was a kid (up until just a few months before my 13th birthday), and we’ve always had cats since I got married 32 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2025, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-dog-person-or-a-cat-person-which-did-you-have-when-you-were-growing-up/1022996/29 "2025-09-13T02:04:11Z")
Growing up I was a dog person, although we did have cats for a brief period. My wife only had cats growing up, and had 2 when we got married. We’ve always had at least 2 cats, and had 3 for a brief period. We’re on our third dog, who is presently snoozing next to me on the couch. One of the cats just walked by and wrapped her tail around my leg. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2025, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-dog-person-or-a-cat-person-which-did-you-have-when-you-were-growing-up/1022996/30 "2025-09-13T02:12:10Z")
We had both when I was growing up. I’ve had, as an adult, 3 dogs and 2 cats. The cats ended only staying with me for a couple of years…they left with the girlfriends. 2 different cats and 2 different girlfriends just to be clear. Dogs for the win. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2025, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-dog-person-or-a-cat-person-which-did-you-have-when-you-were-growing-up/1022996/31 "2025-09-13T06:21:47Z")
We had a dog when I was younger as our first pet but, in reality, it was more like “There was a dog that existed” than feeling like a kid & his dog. My dad usually had the dog stuck in the laundry room (it was a small dog and a fairly large laundry room but still unfair) and, although I was young when the dog died, I don’t remember anyone being especially upset. Next we had a cat that I was very attached to. The rest of my youth was a string of cats and one lovely dog who we all loved (my parents were divorced by then so it was mom and us kids). These days I’m a “cat person” in that I like dogs just fine but don’t find the reward worth the significantly greater obligations and problems. I’m more the dog visiting type than the dog owning type. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2025, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-dog-person-or-a-cat-person-which-did-you-have-when-you-were-growing-up/1022996/32 "2025-09-13T07:35:48Z")
I had a severe fear of dogs as a child. We had a cat (eventually two), then as some kind of exposure therapy, we got a puppy alongside them when I was about six years old. We had that dog until I was ten, when he ran away (or more likely was stolen). I got used to dogs after that, but still don’t like aggressive or unpredictable behaviour from dogs to this day. I consider myself a cat person, though I personally have never owned a pet, just shared households with roommates’ pets. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2025, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-dog-person-or-a-cat-person-which-did-you-have-when-you-were-growing-up/1022996/33 "2025-09-13T07:56:43Z")
We had a dog (Jack Russell Terrier) when I was young - and my family let me choose it. 🕶 I much prefer dogs. They greet you when you come home and constantly show their love for you. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2025, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-dog-person-or-a-cat-person-which-did-you-have-when-you-were-growing-up/1022996/34 "2025-09-13T08:05:07Z")
When I was young, our family had a dog and a few cats. I was closer to the cats than to the dog (I guess the dog really was my father’s), though the dog and I did play and have fun together. Anyway, as a result, I’d call myself a cat person. In that regard, years later, I met a young lady who also loved cats. We started with two, from a farmer friend’s barn, then another one, then another, and so on and so on. At the most, we had seven at one time. All were fine companions, each with their own personality and quirks. They’re all gone now, and I miss them. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2025, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-dog-person-or-a-cat-person-which-did-you-have-when-you-were-growing-up/1022996/35 "2025-09-13T08:06:29Z")
Oh, and my wife is not a dog person or a cat person, so we don’t have either. It’s unfortunate. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2025, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-dog-person-or-a-cat-person-which-did-you-have-when-you-were-growing-up/1022996/36 "2025-09-13T08:25:43Z")
I grew up with A dog which was the bane of my mum’s existence. He roamed, he barked, he wandered down to the local butcher shop and would whine incessantly until Harry (the butcher) would chuck him a shin-bone to shut him up. Bimbo was a fucking arsehole of a dog. 😛 But I’m still a dog person after all these years. I’ve had many, and many cats too, but dogs still steal my heart, arseholes or otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2025, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-dog-person-or-a-cat-person-which-did-you-have-when-you-were-growing-up/1022996/37 "2025-09-13T10:34:38Z")
Growing up. It was mainly cats, with a couple of dogs thrown in. Now, it’s only dogs. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2025, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-dog-person-or-a-cat-person-which-did-you-have-when-you-were-growing-up/1022996/38 "2025-09-13T11:34:11Z")
When I was growing up, we had cats since I was 5, and got a dog when I was in high school. To the extent that one or the other label applies, I’m a cat person. As an adult, I’ve had cats but never a dog. I know more about cats, and I “vibe with” them better; they’re a better match for my personality and temperament. But I freely admit that, objectively, dogs have a higher upside: the best dogs are better than cats. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2025, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-dog-person-or-a-cat-person-which-did-you-have-when-you-were-growing-up/1022996/39 "2025-09-13T11:46:18Z")
Growing up on the farm, we always had one or two loveable mutts and a plethora of barn cats. I loved all of them. As an adult, I’ve had both and loved them all. Now we have neither, and I’m fine with that. If I had to choose, I’d say I’m a dog person. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2025, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-dog-person-or-a-cat-person-which-did-you-have-when-you-were-growing-up/1022996/40 "2025-09-13T12:03:05Z")
No animals of any size when growing up. I and Mrs. J. have always been Dog People\*, with the exception of a couple of great rescued stray cats, who were unlike typical felines. \*the furry ears are a nuisance when showering. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-dog-person-or-a-cat-person-which-did-you-have-when-you-were-growing-up/1022996.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-dog-person-or-a-cat-person-which-did-you-have-when-you-were-growing-up/1022996.md?page=3)