All I can say is that I have never observed a cat do this. I suppose cats and dogs are both beasts and therefore may behave accordingly. It pleases me to think that my cat would keep any such behavior from my sight.
We live with the snuggliest kitty in the land. She always wants to be on your chest, or on your lap, or by your side. The only thing preferable, to her, is table scraps. So, a kitty on the chest would never give me a heart attack- I expect it.
I agree - I was wrong when I said human weren’t pack animals. What I was trying to say is that humans don’t have the unconditional love and the unquestioning obedience to the degree dogs do. The love we feel for friends and family is conditional - the conditions are, among other things, that they treat us with respect and kindness, aren’t violent, etc. When we follow a leader, if the leader disappointing us by acting stupidly, we’ll stop following them. Humans are independent not in the sense that we can survive on our own, but in the sense that the person we trust most, the person we care about most, is ourselves. If you scold a dog for something they haven’t done, the dog will think that, since you are the alpha, they must have done something wrong. They’ll feel guilty. If you scold a cat for something they haven’t done, they’ll just hold you in lower esteem.
I have always had dogs, dogs rule.
I also had cats for about 15 years and I do not understand why people say that dogs are filthy and cats are clean. I think the cats are extraordinarily disgusting, their waste products have an alien revolting smell that turns my stomach and seems to seep into everything, permanently. Their actual bodies don’t smell particularly, but since I like the way dogs smell (assuming they smell like dogs, versus something they rolled in) I don’t find that a particular advantage at all. (I could smell my dogs popcorn toes all day long)
Furthermore, cats are infinitely more destructive than dogs. And much harder to control. Dogs are destructive when they’re puppies, but they are easy to control, and to teach. Cats? Forget about it. My adult cat destroyed carpeting, Curtains, blinds, all kinds of furniture.
Like someone up thread I had one cat that I loved very much, and one cat that I would’ve happily turned over to a Chinese restaurant. I will never have cats again. And I will never be without dogs.
The glorious days of my youth were spent riding a horse and my dog running alongside,
Cats. They’re okay, but you’re never going to have a companion that will feel the rush of speed with you unless you have a dog–and a horse.
Oh, those days were wonderful. Gone forever.
I like other people’s dogs. I can play with them for a little while, then they go home somewhere else. It’s not like I want to get rid of your dog.
I met a dog I liked once. Once. And I think that dog was really a cat in drag anyway.
All cats are freaking awesome.
Stoid, you and I must be from different worlds. Our cat Archie was very well-behaved. We got him as a tiny kitten. He was housebroken quickly, and he never shed fur (he was something of a longhair), and he never damaged anything in the house. The closest he came to misbehaving was sleeping in a basket of freshly-dried laundry or climbing onto the shelf of our hutch. Outside, of course, he was a fierce fighter and a Lothario–we found a litter of kittens that looked like him, as if he cared.
And we had a dog at the same time, who was a tiny puppy when she came to us. She chewed on a few things and ruined my rabbit’s foot. She loved all of us, including Archie, who hated her and would swat her to show her who was boss. He eventually got used to her. She was dumb but loving. 
Cats : They clean themselves really well, to the point that their fur is usually clean and feels good to pet. They also don’t smell, I think their saliva must act like a detergent or something.
They can be super cute, and some cats are playful. It feels fantastic to pet or hold a kitty that is purring. Cats are very selective, and usually hate strangers. They eat relatively little food, and will quietly use a catbox instead of demanding to be let outside.
Dogs : Dogs seem smarter and more social. They always demand that you pay attention to them. Their fur is usually oily and stinks, you can bathe them but why bother, they will smell bad again a day or two later. Petting a dog makes yours hands all greasy and smelly, and they don’t have nearly as soft a fur, and they don’t purr.
Dogs also eat a lot more food, and you need a big yard to absorb the dog poop or you gotta pick it up which is about as gross as cleaning a catbox. Dogs also create tremendous noise pollution, as it is very difficult to train them not to bark at deafening volumes whenever they feel like it.
Overall, a cat makes a better pet for most people, but a dog can do things a cat cannot and is more social.
I love dogs and will never be without one, but cats are my people. 
Not all dog fur is the same, coats differ greatly in density and texture. But no matter the dog, a healthy well cared for dog should not be greasy and stinky. Most don’t have to be bathed all the time (unless they roll in ick), but they do need good food and occasional brushing. Too much bathing can actually lead to skin problems, which often results in oil and stink.
Not all dogs are barkers, and it isn’t any harder to teach a dog to not bark than it is to teach a cat to not claw stuff. Dogs can also be taught that there’s play-with-dog time, and there’s dog-leaves-person-alone time. Not all that hard, really. Cats can learn it too, but it’s more challenging than w/ a dog.
Poop is poop. It’s a fact of life, can’t get away from it unless you surround yourself exclusively with plants and inanimate object. Even so, there’s still your own…
I have a houseful of critters, they make me happy