Cats are cool. “I’ve got cat class and I’ve got cat style,” said the Stray Cats. Try putting ‘dog’ into that quote (heh, heh).
Felines are wonderfully self-posessed little creatures. No matter that you feed them, make sure they have their shots, scoop their litter box, and all the rest. At a fundamental level, they belong to themselves. Unlike dogs, who seem to exist to please their human lords and masters.
Would you rather date a cat or a dog? Would you rather be a cat or a dog? (“Everybody wants to be a cat.” - The Aristocats) If you’re a woman, wouldn’t you be wary of a man who strongly disliked cats? I would - I’d be worried that if he couldn’t deal with the psychological independence of a ten-pound lump of fur, then he might have trouble with that quality in me.
It’s not as if cats aren’t affectionate and loyal. My ancient cat is both, and I’ll miss her when she goes, as she soon will. But she isn’t going to take abuse; she demands to be treated with respect. Dogs aren’t like that. Consequently, I think more highly of cats than dogs.
Besides, is the line ‘all men are dogs’ flattery? Of course not. Being a cat is cool; being a dog isn’t. Flame away, but it won’t change the underlying truth.
A cat gives affection of its own free will. A dog gives affection because it’s in its nature.
Further, while if I were a woman, I would not want to be called “catty,” I believe I would prefer this over being called a “dog.” (And consider the number of women who post and use AdjectiveCat as their username.)
I dislike cats. I think they are sneaky, slimy creatures. When left inside they climb all over the cabinets in the kitchen all over the furniture…I have yet to go in a house that has cats that stay inside that does not have the awful odor of a litter box. It doesn’t matter how much you try to hide that smell…it’s there…and anyone that tells you that it is not is just being nice.
I’m a dog person from childhood. I don’t particularly care for a dog to be inside…but it is much easier for me to stomach than a cat. Dogs will love you until the day they die. How many cats have you ever seen trained to shake hands? Play dead? Fetch? or for that matter even want to be outside? I know I’ll get flamed for this one, but, dogs over cats any day.
Correction: Cats don’t give affection. The friendly act they put on ceases whenever they’ve gotten what they want from you.
If cats knew how to work can openers they’d have no use for humans. They wouldn’t act friendly. They would be openly hostile to humans, and would be hunted down as vermin.
And people actually let them poop in their house! Unbelievable.
fuzzy: I’ve never had any trouble training my cats to stay off the dining tables and kitchen counters. Cats can understand a middling number of rules, if enforced consistently.
As far as the smell of a litterbox is concerned, scooping it daily seems to solve the problem for us.
I’ve had two cats who could fetch. Every cat that I’ve allowed outside has loved to go out; even my 17 year old, who is slowly dying of kidney failure, demanded to go out until just a few weeks ago.
And every cat has mastered one simple but important trick that no dog is up to: it can pee in a box.
Rysdad, I beg to differ. My ancient cat has always been ready to be affectionate at any time I felt like petting her, scratching her ears, or whatever, and routinely comes up and sits in my lap for no apparent reason other than that she wants to be there.
Every cat I’ve had has been like that: if you want to give them affection, they’re ready for it, and will seek it out in a manner unrelated to food or being let out. If you want an affectionate cat, my experience is that all you have to do is be affectionate to it from early on.
Nothing wrong with dogs, except that they’ll keep loving someone who abuses them endlessly, which is bad for both the dog and the person. Fortunately, there’s one dog breed that’s worthwhile: samoyeds have something pretty close to the soul of a cat in a dog’s body. They won’t do anything you want, unless you can convince them it’s fun. With them, God finally got dogs right!
Two-cat (one dog) household. The fat, friendly cat fetches. He will also climb, step by step, til his head is on your shoulder and he can nibble your ear. (He really gives good ear.)
When I was sick over the holidays, Mick and Rick understood I didn’t feel well. They took turns laying on my lap, or my legs, or my chest – wherever I needed warmth.
On the other hand, Boomer, the dog, increased his demands to go outside exponentially – the worse I felt, the more he had to pee.
And whine!? I’m sure he was mocking me.
I love my dog, but give me cats any day.
Not being specialists on bear’s dicks, none of us responded. We didn’t want to look like fools.
altho, as i mentioned in another thread, i wanted for a long time to be a collie when i grew up (it didn’t work out), i’m a cat person now & i have a theory why more women are more likely to be cat people & men more likely to be dog people.
women are trained–right or wrong–from childhood to take responsibility in the home, including stuff like making sure younger siblings are taken care of. we have to feed & pick up after everyone. except the cat. if i forget to feed mine, they will kill something. i have no problem w/ that. they gotta ‘go’, they go outside. they don’t need to be ‘walked’. one of mine likes to sleep w/ me & often will hold hands at night. otoh, if i am busy & push them away, there’s no hard feelings. they will go somewhere else to sit.
guys, otoh, are trained by indulgent moms to expect to be adored & waited on. (let me assure you right now that i haven’t trained my darling children like this, however.) a dog will, as mentioned above, adore its master to the point of slobbering in love while being kicked out the door.
dogs learn tricks because they have no sense of self. they are groupies. when a cat learns a trick, it’s because it is interested in the learning, the fun of doing, like fetching, & for the reward. my brother-in-law has taught his cats all the ‘dog’ tricks, but he has to persuade them w/ stuff like herring. they don’t work free!
interestingly, my mom has exactly the same opinion of cats that fuzzy-wuzzy has. hates 'em. sneaky little things. & my sister, brother, & i are all catters. naturally, all our cats love to rub up against mom & try to sit in her lap. what little teases they can be. {teeheehee}
Oh, please. Here we go again. Cats and dogs are two different species, with individual characteristics. Preference is purely up that: personal opinion.
I love both, for their differences as much as anything. But to disparage dogs as soulless or groupies is to malign they way they’re hardwired. They are pack animals. They are intensely social in a way that cats aren’t. Dogs relate and react to other dogs, too.
Cats are less social. No less lovable, just different.
BTW, some days I just can’t get home to walk my much loved woofer during lunch. So I put a “training pad” in a flat box, and she uses that for her bathroom moments. She’s quite reliable about it, too.
And I love my dog more than I can say. She’s a wonderful funny, stubborn, loyal, loving companion.
You know,I’ve noticed something interesting about pet debates. It seems that whenever a cat vs dog debate comes up it is almost always started by a cat person, or someone who believes in the innate superiority of the feline race. Why is this?
Now, in my many years(hah) on this planet I’ve had both dogs and cats as pets, and I like them both. I guess theres just something about warm, furry, lovable animals that gets to me. I certainly don’t understand why so many cat owners feel this intense hostility towards dogs. Yes, dogs drool, er, newsflash here, they’re covered in fur. They can’t sweat. It cools them off, if they didn’t drool they’d die. (and just for everyone’s edification, cats do the same thing, but unlike dogs they simply wipe the drool all over themselves…)(yes, it looks like washing. no, it’s not washing.)
Also, yes dogs will still love someone who abuses them, and so will people,and so will cats. And no, dogs don’t have to love their owners either, I’ve personally known dogs that didn’t. (not mine, understand, but they exist)
Finally, the reason that dogs do tricks, play with their owners(yes cats do this as well, but dogs are more consistent about it) is that dogs are social animals. They live in packs. So do humans. (In fact human and canine societal structures are awfully similar. This is why they make good pets.)
I don’t dislike cats, I don’t even prefer dogs to them(as far as comparing the two, I like them both equally) but I am tired of the constant “Cats rule, Dogs drool” comments I continue to hear from cat owners. Why do you find it so necessary to constantly bash other peoples pets?
I’m much more partial to dogs than I’ve shown here (altho I do indeed prefer cats, on the whole). I just felt like a nonreligious, nonpolitical debate, and figured it would start out more lively if I took a strong position, rather than a more neutral one.
I’m not expecting any cat lover to change their mind, but:
Do cats do a lot of life saving? lead the blind? serve as helpers for those with spinal problems? help the police? guard houses? fend off criminals? catch frisbees well (okay, not a biggie).
Do they come when their names are called? Failure to do so, in dogs or kids, is considered a sign of stupidity, not of “personality” or “independence.”
But the biggest reason why dog lovers are superior to cat lovers is that 9 out of 10 cat lovers I know have cat posters, calendars, stuatues, fridge magnets, etc. etc. NO WONDER lots of cats aren’t affectionate! If I had a girlfriend and kept up lots of pictures of other women, could I get away with claiming that I have those pictures because they remind me of her? Cats are smarter than cat lovers think–they know that you’re being a cat ho.
Apples and oranges, people! You can’t sit down and compare the merits of the two species, they’re too different. Sure, they have lots of stuff in common (hell, they’re in the same order at the very least), and they have lots of differences, too.
Some people like cats, some people like dogs. Personally, I like both. People who only like one or the other are severely limiting their pet possibilities (sounds sort of like a bisexual putting down hetero- or homosexuality, don’t you think?).
Cats are my personal favorite over dogs and I have had both, at the same time. They were great friends until my irish setter passed away.
I honestly have to say that I don’t miss cleaning up the dog poop in the backyard, or the killing of grass from pee; nor the trail of water on the floor or on me, from the trip to the water bowl.
Janie is a lap cat, comforts me when needed, wakes me up when my alarm goes off, and comes when he is called. I can go on short trips and leave him at home without worrying.
That’s crossed my mind.
Hmm… Libertarians - cats Republicrats - dogs.
You can stand tall without standing on someone. You can be a victor without having victims. -Harriet Woods-
Way to go Tracer! Who says cat vs. dog is a subjective and untestable question? I think I’d also bet on the cat if it were up against a couple of lapdogs I’ve known.
Or if the cat were a mountain lion.
