Cats vs. Dogs, time to let the fur fly.

The BBQ Pit
1

A) Do not reply if you have only had contact with one type of pet, the dog/cat lovers who have never given the other a chance, need not apply, people allergetic, well…

B) A slightly trmantic, i.e. did not require emergency assestance, experience with the dog/cat from Hell should not include that animals entire species. (note: I’ve been attacked by more humans via bite or scratch than dogs and cats combined, mostly it was a kids from Hell.)

c) People who abuse cats or dogs better not post here, abusing animals is a sign of mental illness, you need help. Please don’t tell me of the dog/cat you beat into becomming more like the other animal, you are the animal. ~Nuff said
I’m not expecting any converts or anything, but this could be fun, let the flames and fur fly…

Cats are better than dogs!
They are not as suspetable to as many genetic problems, are generally safer, all have distinct personallities, and usually not as stupid as the dogs I have met(owned) (excluding Tickles, the Blue Ticked-hound.)
and any/ all of a cats misbehavior problems can usually easily by solved, and all have an equally expensive doggy equivelent, i.e. Cat not supplied with, or not usuing, scratching post instead usuing corrner of couch, as opposed dogs to chewing/ attacking it to death. Cats onwed outnumber dogs owned sence eaither 1992 or 1995. Sometimes cat vs, dog prefrence is based on gender, women tending to like cats, and cat lovers, more. Certain scientest and otherwise famous people loved cats, certain infamous people hated cats.

2

I own both. I prefer the dog. Don’t get me wrong, I love the cat, but I don’t think she loves me.

The dog is affectionate, loving, and obediant. She senses when I need comforting, and sympathetically licks my hands or brings me her favorite toy as consolation. She comes when I call to her. She protects me with her ferocious barking when there’s a bump in the night, and she loves taking a bath. She’ll play games, and do cute tricks.

The cat couldn’t care less. As long as her litter box is clean, and there’s food in her bowl, I could be laying dead on the floor for all she cares. And if the mood takes her, she’ll claw the furniture/the dog/my fiance. I couldn’t bathe her without requring a blood transfusion. (I let the kennel do it, heh heh.) She surveys me cooly from her perch on the mantle, occasionally allowing me to pet her, but most often stauntering away noncholantly. Once in a while, she’ll rub up against my legs.

Cats seem to be very stand-offish animals. Dogs relish human contact. Thus, I prefer dogs.

3

I have both and I prefer the cats. My cats are very affectionate, they love to curl up in my lap and be petted. When I don’t pet them, they rub up against my hands to coax me. They are so small and delicate and graceful. I love their almond eyes, their pointy ears, their triangle noses, their tiny feet. I love to listen to them purr and I love it when they curl up next to me, on me, or under the covers with me in bed. My heart soars just thinking about them.

I love my dog, too, but he’s been such a trial. The dog I had before was little and cute and very loving, a fluffy yellow 14 lb. mutt with a pointy nose and floppy ears and a fan tail. We think she was some kind of a pomeranian mix. She was beautiful and she was mine (she hated visitors and would bark at guests and nip if they tried to pet her–she loved me.) But the new dog is so young (he’s done teething, thank God, but apparently we’re still not out of the woods on the house breaking), so big (35 lb. and growing), so rambunctious and in need of constant attention. His only two modes are sleep and play; God have mercy on your soul and furniture if you want to eat, read, use the computer, go to the bathroom, anything while he’s in play mode. And he isn’t lovey. He doesn’t want to cuddle. It’s just play play play. He’s cute and funny, but he’s also an enormous pain in the ass.

“I hope life isn’t a big joke, because I don’t get it,” Jack Handy

4

What kinda twisted crap is this? I thought the purpose of the BBQ pit was to flame if one must, not ask STUPID-ASSED questions in hopes of starting a fight. Take it to
MPSIMS, yuh nutrods.

5

The dealio, C#3, is - 1. I saw a thread all fulled up with flaming and hatred, (gawd, I love that shit) so I decided to subtly confront Christian school prayer advocates with their blatant hypocrisy. (I noticed not a single one of them took me up on it, (yourself included, although now after reading your much belated bio I realize your poo-pooing of the issue is not related to any religious zeal, but to a hopeless apathy. You have the balls to call yourself a liberal?)).
2. I myself am a hypocrite. Sue me.

6

Iknow some one ‘like’ you Nickrz. So, are you a dog or cat?

Myself? Well, I’m only prejudice against the hypocrite, and the bigiot… Yes, myself. ~Jamie Green

7

Nah, buddy… they promised they would loosen the restraints if I keep a civil tongue in my head. Keep up the good work - and I’m praying for you. Heehee.

8

Just to get back to the thread, fellas…

I like both cats and dogs (have a cat right now, no yard for a dog presently). Couldn’t say which are better but one thing’s for sure…both are infinitely preferable to humans (witness the previous exchange).

9

I have always owned dogs, I will never own a cat. I have cared for other peoples cats, have friends that have cats, so I have had plently of contact with cats. I will never own a cat for that reason, I know what cats are like.

To rebut Firetiger, (in somewhat of an order) I dont know of any proof that dogs get more genetic problems than cats when you are talking purebreed dogs. Safety? I would much rather trust my pooch to protect me and my house in case of an intruder, whats a cat going to do? A lot of dogs, even big dogs are great with kids. All dogs I have owned and came into contact with have different personalities. I read that scientists theorized dogs are more intelligent than cats because they show loyalty, and by the way they are easier to train too, so misbehavior problems are easier to correct with dogs and they stay that way. I dont hate cats, but they are not for me, I just had to post. (of course)

10

All I want to say here is that I have four cats and I love them all…I will refrain from telling you any cute cat stories, but trust me, it’s worth it to have a cat. Please, everybody, help out your local Humane Society and everyone else who takes care of helpless domestic animals. I know it’s not as important as the people in Kosovo or Rwanda, but it’s still important. Help out the people who need help, but don’t forget the animals, either.

11

In reply to Neobican, in some kind of order.

Lets start with…Dalmations, Great Danes, and C. Spanials, all three of theese, though usually do to bad breeding, have genitic problems. Dalmaitions after the live releace of 101 Dalmations were in such demand that many were purchaced and some breeders allowed in-breeding to keep up with demand. The results were unpredicitibal animals that often ‘had’ to be destroyed. Great Danes often have sever hip problems, and C. Spanials are nessaraly inside dogs because of thier caterac problems. These are just some of the recent examples.

I wasen’t refering to protection but in some cases, such as Humaine Society adult dogs, have been abuse in the past to the extent that they can be just as unprdictable as the crazy (baddly breed) dogz. The Humaine Society though often can tell this about such animals and warns potential owners about this. I do not think it worth my life to take a chance. (personal experiance, an 75-100 lb. dog can easily kill, I was only bitten because Rocky at the last moment (lets here it for dog loyality) reconized me.
I still love dogs it just so happens my current three cats are (atypicaly) loyal. Cats seem to have a better understanding of human issues and better problem-solving skills. There are exceptions to every rule and one odd cat of 4 and 1 dog with issues of 4 isn’t bad. I just feel safer knowing that all three cats would have to work extreamly hard at killing me. (not that they would)

~Is there a vet somewhere around that can verify this better one wat or the other?~

Myself? Well, I’m only prejudice against the hypocrite, and the bigiot… Yes, myself. ~Jamie Green

12

I’ve never owned a dog but have friends who own several. While they are frequently cute, always playful, and have demonstrated an unbelievable ability to understand many English words, they are always loud, smelly, obnoxious, and demanding. My cats are perfect in regards to their overall behavior. They are clean and quiet but love to play and cuddle. They have very distinct personalities. They run to greet me when I come home. They are more affectionate after they eat. They rarly fart. They bring me mouse kits (assemble the pieces…) Cats are endlessly fascinating to me.

My personal philosophy regarding the two?

Dogs, if they are big enough, will protect you, your family, your car, and your property until death stops their loyal hearts.

Cats, if they were big enough, would eat you.

P.S. FireTiger: Check your keyboard, I think it is seriously deranged. If not, please invest in a dictionary.

13

OK, it’s old, but nobody’s done it yet, so…

Dogs think, “These people feed me, they keep a house for me, they pet me, they love me;… they must be gods.”

Cats think, “These people feed me, they keep a house for me, they pet me, they love me;… I must be a god.”

14

This seems to be a common theme with dog/cat owners. I wonder why they insist on attributing human qualities to these lowly beasts? Cats don’t understand anything, let alone “human issues”, and they DO NOT have “problem solving” skills. Dogs/cats operate on a mixture of unconditioned and conditioned behavior. Both varieties are UNconcious and UNcontrolled. A cat might jump up at the sound of a can-opener, but this is not learning, it’s classical conditioning. (Much the same as the emotional response pet lovers will experience when they read these words). I will admit cats can be adorable, and I understand all about their positive effects on their owners, but when I go to dinner at someone’s house and see their cat prancing about on the kitchen counters with its microbe-laden-hey-I-just-played-with-my-feces feet, I wonder why anyone tolerates their presence. (Not to mention the hair - gawd… no horizontal surface is immune, and every stitch of clothing you own is contaminated, what a fashion statement…)

Now I’ll hear ALL about the “WE don’t let OUR cats on the counters” and “WE own a vacuum cleaner” blah blah blah and “MY blood pressure is low because Kitty…” Yah, fine.
You can say what you like, but I ain’t eating the cherries jubilee you made, and I can’t stop myself from grabbing that Scotch tape dispenser when you walk into the office.

Dogs? Even worse. There’s nothing more revolting than to see someone swapping spit with these disgusting creatures, unless it’s watching as a dog owner lets his/her canine pal defecate in a public park, or on my front lawn and nonchalantly walk away as if nothing had happened. (These people are using a surrogate only because they are afraid to literally shit on us themselves). Any animal that sweats through its mouth does not belong in a civilized society. Slide through a pile at 2nd base, thou foul dog-owners!

Any dog/cat lover who insists on applying human attributes and emotions to a lowly beast which cannot have them is insulting the human race. Learn the differences between the human brain and that of lower animals before regaling us with your cutesy stories.

There. Maybe not exactly the fight you were looking for, but one perhaps more suitable to this forum. Have fun, kids.

15

Perhaps you haven’t ever done any research into animal emotions. It’s a fascinating subject.

Some animals approach sentience in my opinion. Chimpanzees, for example. 99.6% genetically identical to humans. They can communicate their emotions though sign language, yet people still don’t believe they have them.

They can be observed greiving, showing sympathy, displaying love, and joy. They are not furry robots, running on autopilot and reacting to learned stimuli. They are living creatures, flesh and blood, who feel pain and pleasure the same as we.

Other mammals as well can be observed displaying complex emotions like emapthy and jealousy and love.

Try telling Jane Goodal that animals don’t have emotions. A lot of experts agree. I am not an expert, but I can tell you without a doubt that my dog loves me. She demonstrates it daily, and will ignore a bowl full of food to comfort me when I cry. When her friend, the schauzer next door died, she moped around for weeks, staring at her friend’s empty dog house and whining. Our neighbor gave her one of the dead dog’s toys, and my dog laid on the floor beside it, inhaling the scent of her friend, and sighing. She carried it with her for months. Unlike her own toys, she has never played roughly with it. She almost seems to be keeping it as a memorial. How else could I explain it?

My dog, by the way, is very clean. I vaccum off her shedding hair daily. My cat never walks on the counters. That’s disgusting, I agree. I never swap slobber with my dog. That’s also pretty gross. She’s allowed to lick my hands, but never my face. She’s bathed weekly. I wouldn’t allow a dirty animal in my house. I have a pooper-scooper for when she and I are on walks. People that allow their dogs to leave messes are rude.

16

Much as we would like to think these animals are displaying “complex emotions”, it’s just simply not true. They are displaying unconditioned responses to unconditioned stimuli - that is, the connection between “tummy scratch” and “roll over” existed long before we domesticated them, and “tummy scratch, I roll over because I *LOVE[/i} this human” is nothing but wishful thinking on our part. These conditioned and unconditioned behaviors are a direct result of the evolutionary process; those that display them get food and shelter; others who display more predatory (love that “mouse kit” comment) instincts are banished. This position might be called cynical, but I call it realism.

Sure, pigs share 99.6% of our genes as well, but that doesn’t prove anything either. I’ll have to refer you to Mortimer J. Adler, a contemporary philosopher whom I greatly admire. The answer to the fallacy that chimps are communicating emotions lies in the two books mentioned in this blurb. I have read them both, and suggest you do likewise as a means of “research into animal emotions.” (Sorry if this came off as heavy-handed, but I’m proud of the human brain).

Adler: I have dealt with this subject in great detail in a book I wrote in 1967, “The Difference of Man and the Difference It Makes,” and in another book in 1990, “Intellect: Mind Over Matter.” So, here I will only state the most important and obvious ones: Intellect is a unique human possession. Only human beings have intellects. Other animals may have sensitive minds and perceptual intelligence, but they do not have intellects.

No one is given to saying that dogs and cats, horses, pigs, dolphins, and chimpanzees lead intellectual lives; nor do we say of nonhuman animals that they are anti-intellectual, as some human beings certainly are. Other animals have intelligence in varying degrees, but they do not have intellectual powers in the least degree.

Free will or free choice, which consists in always being able to choose otherwise, no matter how one chooses, is an intellectual property, lacked by nonintellectual animals. Some of their behavior may be learned and thus acquired rather than innate and instinctive, however it is determined by instinct or by learning, it is determined rather than voluntary and freely willed.

A person is a living being with intellect and free will. That is both the jurisprudential and the theological definition of a person. Everything else, animate or inanimate, totally lacking intellect and free will, is not a person but a thing. Only persons have natural and unalienable rights. These we call human rights. There is no comparable animal rights."

Whoa - that last should put a few people off, but I happen to believe it true.

17

Nicrz~ So why are you in this thread? give me # dogs and # cats EVER owned. Oh, and to the cat problem you could always invest in a hairless cat and train it to use the “human litter-chair” (a real cute 3 year-old).

a) Animals have the following rights. The right to live. The right to avoid abuse (not to be abused).

b) So what you’re saying, in general, is that animals do not have decision making souls.

  • Which would be OK except that my cats all have very diffrent personalities, Miss Priss, the youngest always responds to my calls, Dotty the middle cat, never. Taffy, my cat for the last 10 years, seems to think about comming first, and sometiimes comming half way before- stoping to eat or harrasing one of the other cats, or simply walking right by me. If this is do to his nature and not decision, he has me and most oter people fooled with his ‘inate’ responce to someone he ‘thinks’ is his mother.

Myself? Well, I’m only prejudice against the hypocrite, and the bigiot… Yes, myself. ~Jamie Green

18

I like both dogs and cats…

dogs are cool when you want to play. But they are a pain in the butt to take care of and demand a lot of attention. For this reason, I prefer dogs when they are someone else’s - I can play with them and then go home to relative peace and quiet. (sounds like what a lot of people say about kids, eh?)

I like cats because they are calmer, don’t poop all over the place, eat less, don’t sniff my crotch, don’t try to hump my leg, don’t jump up on me and knock me down, don’t chew anything and everything in the house, don’t bark at four in the morning, etc. I don’t need to give them constant attention. When they need attention they come up, let me pet them for a few minutes, then go with their lives. Perfect pet for someone like me.

19

Nickrz:

I take it you don’t get the Dicovery Channel or TLC.

20

Dogs are better than cats.
Cats think they’re smarter and they’re always trying to pull one over on you. They think that humans were put here to feed them and let them in and out on command, to scratch and pet them when its “just us two,” but then jump up and run away whenever another human comes on the scene so you can never prove that “Snowball let me pet him.” Perhaps some of the above beliefs of cats are valid, I’m not saying that cats are NOT, in fact, smarter than me. Although I can always beat one at a staring contest. . .

At any rate, I prefer a pet that’s more on my level. Also (sprach Melatonin) I think dogs are better.