cats or dogs?

Great Debates
#1

I’ve stopped reading the religion, UFO, and evolution threads here, which hasn’t left a lot else, so:

Pets: cats or dogs?

IMHO: cats.

My reasoning:

  1. Cats don’t drool.

  2. Cats don’t eat other animals’ shit. You don’t have to teach them not to; they figure it out on their own.

  3. Cats (usually) don’t smell bad, even if you don’t bathe them.

    3a. You don’t have to bathe them.

  4. If your cat likes you it’s because it choses to, not because it was genetically incapable of anything else. A dog’s respect is automatic, while a cat’s respect must be earned.

  5. With a few exceptions, cats talk only when something needs to be said. Dogs can spend all day going “WOOF Woof Woof! <pause> WOOF Woof Woof! <pause> WOOF Woof Woof!..”

  6. Cats are not awed by people. They don’t think “Oh my god it’s the master! Maybe he’ll pet me! Maybe he’ll throw the ball! OH MY GOD HE THREW THE BALL!!! THE MASTER THREW THE BALL!!! OH MY GOD!!!”.

  7. Cats pant only if they have heatstroke. Dogs pant all the time.

  8. You don’t have to walk cats. You can go away for a weekend, leaving out enough food and water, and the cat will be OK by itself while you’re gone.

On the flip side of the coin:

  1. Dogs are fun to play with if you have a big yard.

  2. Cats only listen when it suits their fancy.

  3. Dogs come in a wider variety of shapes and sizes (leaving aside wild cats).

  4. You can make a dog feel bad that it did something wrong and easily modify it’s future behavior. You can’t make a cat feel bad about something it did. All actions taken by the cat are acceptable in the cat’s eyes, and it’s up to the human to adjust its outlook accordingly.

  5. You can walk a dog on a leash and it’ll go where you want to go. A cat will expect you go to where it wants to go.

  6. Puppies are chick magnets.

I like to visit dogs. They’re fun to play fetch with. But for an animal to share your domicile with for up to two decades, definately cats.

Most other potential companion animals fail the “must by cuddly” test. Fish are not cuddly. Lizards are not cuddly. Birds are not cuddly. Pigs are not cuddly.

–
peas on earth

#2

The difference between cats and dogs:

A dog thinks: “This person feeds me, pets me, gives me a warm place to live. He must be God.”

A cat thinks: “This person feeds me, pets me, gives me a warm place to live. I must be God.”

#3

Personally I like cats and can’t understand why “everybody” likes dogs so much.

And you can make a cat feel bad about his/hers wrongdoings just as long as it hasn’t grown up and started to think of itself as a deity

-Polycarp :)-

#4

Good one, Poly! I plan on steal… er, using it when appropriate.

Oh, and if anyone is keeping score at home, Satan is definitely a cat person. Read into that what you will…

Yer pal,
Satan

#5

Definately cats. The reasons extolling the virtues of cats in the OP are right on target.

I don’t like dogs much at all. As a biologist, I have a heart for most critters, including dogs. But only in an abstract kind of way. I wouldn’t ever want one around as a pet. I can respect dogs that perform tasks or are generally useful for certain purposes, but to just have a slobbery, smelly, or yap-yappy nuisance around? I don’t think so.

And I think dogs are generally pretty stupid animals. Yes, they are loyal and loveable (I guess to some people), and they can be trained; sortof like Nature’s version of Forrest Gump.

#6

Neither. I think the amount of money some people spend on animals is ridiculous.

#7

Both

#8

bantmof:
As a pig, I am offended by your assertion that we are not cuddly.

Cats are better as pets for me. Dogs make wonderful companions and partners, they are great for hunting, chasing away foxes, rescuing drowning toddlers and hypothermic mountaneers, catching frisbees, and getting nervous before tornadoes. Of those, cats can only manage the latter, plus controlling rodent populations.

But dogs are too high-maintenance for me, and most people I know, many of whom own highly understimulated dogs. I’ll say, “Looks like your pooch wants to go for a walk”. They’ll let pooch into the backyard.

That doesn’t quite do the trick for a dog that has been bred for countless generations to chase sheep all day. So the dog will have to get exercise by jumping into people’s laps, getting pushed on the floor, dropping cow-bones on people’s bare feet, looking upset when barefoot people scream in pain, etc.

Wouldn’t a self-grooming, self-entertaining, poo-burying tabby be much more practical?

#9

Gross generalizations follow:

Dogs. Definitely. They are cheerful, accomodating, affectionate, and loyal. Cats are not. I prefer dogs to cats for the same reasons I prefer cheerful people to snotty people. You can do no wrong in the eyes of a dog; you can do no right in the eyes of a cat. And while the actual cat may not smell, the out-put from a cat smells terrible; nothing can ruin an apartment like a cat. A dog would give his life for you; a cat wouldn’t even notice you were gone.

#10

I like big, “proper” dogs; golden retrievers, huskies, labs. I don’t understand the appeal of the “furry rat” variety of dog (prejudice: I had a roommate whose Chihuahua would steal my underwear. It was a girl dog, too. Maybe he trained her to do that). Any full-sized dog that is well trained is OK by me.

However, I’m going to go with cats as the better pet. Cats are easier to care for: I’ve left my cat at home while I went on a vacation with a big bowl of food and water with no problems (I did have a friend check up on her). Cats don’t pant in your face with nasty breath. Cats don’t bark all day and piss off the neighbors. Cats are friendly but not obsequious. They’ll greet you at the door, wander over for a cuddle, but they’ll leave you alone when you want. Unless you’re reading a newspaper. Well, everyone has some flaw.

“Eppur, si muove!” - Galileo Galilei

#11

Cats are in league with the Devil. Had they done their job, the Bubonic Plague wouldn’t have happened. But they were too busy playing with a ball of string, while millions died.

They are sneaky, under-handed, parisitical, arrogant little fur ball generators, nothing more.

We had a cat for 12 years. When he died of old age, I did not grieve. My wife, on the other hand, was inconsolable for weeks.

There was always an undercurrent of hostility between the cat and I, but for the most part, we simply refused to acknowledge each other’s existence.

We have a dog, now. He thinks I am 100% okay.

I respect his opinion.

According to the Pope, a woman can be a saint, but not a priest.

#12

You ever walk into a cat owners house and know right away that there was cat crap buried nearby? My wife ,NOT ME, but my wife owns two elderly female cats, that SHE has had since they were kittens. They live better than Donald Trump! I refuse to feed them, pet them, and will only look at them if they act as if they need to go outside and crap. Cats are probably the most filthy animals on the face of the earth. Have you ever seen a cat wash it’s paws after taking a dump? No, they use their paws to bury their turds, and then climb all over your furniture. A litter box, or a cat that’s recently been in one or dug a hole outside, carries with them a who’s who in deadly disease. It took me five years to finally get rid of that cauldron of disease called a litter box, and we live in a house with a nice yard for them to do their nasty business in. I know, dogs are dirty too, but Fido’s not going to give you “Dog Scratch Fever”. But fear not Opal, I’m not mean to wifey’s little hairballs, I just hate them.

#13

Hm, is it just me or have all the pro-dog people been far more vituperative than the pro-cat people?

Even as an avowed cat person, I had to laugh at the Onion headline I saw:

“Cats. Pets for people who want boxes of shit in their house.”

“Eppur, si muove!” - Galileo Galilei

#14

I am a definite cat person. I think energy level has a lot to do with it–most dogs are just too damn hyper all the time, for no reason. That bugs me.

My cat has a single daily dose of hyperactivity, usually from around 11:00 to 11:30 at night. Other than that, she moves for the purposes of food, elimination, and personal hygiene, and that’s it. I can see her point.

I like dogs, I just wouldn’t want to have one around all the time.

Dr. J

PS: For the record, my cat does drool. Not to the copious Rottweiler level or anything, but she does drool.

#15

Right on, Bubba!

Hang in there. You’ll outlive the pompous little buggers.

#16

Cats rule! Dogs drool!

Now that I have gotten that cliché out of my system, I have to say that I’ve never met a cat I didn’t like. The number of dogs that I like I can count without having to resort to a second digit. Cats are quieter, more self-sufficient, and tidier than dogs. At least cats bury their shit, as opposed to leaving it out in the open where any other dog can eat it. Plus, there’s the excitability issue. When I was growing up, I had a dog named Snowball. Perhaps “had” is the wrong term, she is alive and well and living with my dad. In any event, While I was staying with him over summer break, I got into the habit of taking her for walks late at night. She got used to this, and now, every time I emerge from my bedroom, she immediately dashes off to the shelf where we keep the leash. Every goddamn time! Cats never do this! That’s why I like my feline friends.

#17

I’m a cat lover at heart but I always liked this one:

[ul]“Cats are a waste of otherwise valuable space.”[/ul]

What I always wonder about dogs is, what’s with the deal with the “pattern barking”? There’s a dog just down the street from me and for hours upon hours, nonstop, it’ll go, “WOOOOOOOF woofwoofwoofwoofwoof (pause) WOOOOOOOF woofwoofwoofwoofwoof (pause)”. And it just repeats that pattern over and over, tirelessly.

Somebody earlier mentioned Huskies. I do like Huskies - those are cool dogs - my friend has one. Not so hyper (usually), pretty smart, and very friendly. And not so annoying like the little yip-at-your-ankles dogs.

–
peas on earth

#18

  1. Dogs have never tried to sit on my face when I’m sleeping.

  2. Cats make me sneeze.

  3. Ever heard of a guardcat?

" <— My own personal quote. I call him Doug.

#19

Either or both. Not to be a pantywasist, but there are cats and CATS and dogs and DOGS.

But that said—dogs, by a mile. They are funny, loyal, stubborn and completely devoted. It always amazes me that people say cats are more intelligent and manipulative. Dogs, by their unconditional love, get you where you live and manage to change you. Cats–and yes, I do love them–are more like air plants, Spanish moss or something. They hang around and are more independent in the sense they’re less care. But, IMO, they give less, too.

I purely love dogs. I love the fact that this hunting species has accepted human into their pack behavior. I love that my dog forces me to get out and get the exercise we both need. Tossing her into the tub (and she’s a big dog!) isn’t tough. Besides, her acting and antics make the whole thing a hoot. I love that she and I are a pack of two, and that she gives me so much more in unconditional love than she ever asks back.

Dogs WORK with people; cats just tolerate us. I like that extra, making a bond with another species that’s so complex.

Watching the pup, snoozing on
her pillow,
Veb

#20

Rysdad…Re #3. Certainly. Cats will defend what they feel is important enough to. It’s just that their idea of what’s important and ours doesn’t always coincide.

I once observed a 9-year-old black cat and a dachshund puppy team up to drive a full-grown German shepherd out of a yard. The humor value of that was immense!