I’m big on both cats and dogs. Cats are different from dogs, and each individual dog and cat tends to have quite a distinct personality from other members of their respective species.
I have a cat, and not a dog. The primary reason for this arrangement is simply practicality: I live in a condo, and the association outlaws dogs. Also, I’m hardly ever home, and dogs need to be walked, etc. It wouldn’t be fair to the dog, at this juncture, to have one as a pet.
Despite the cat’s lauded independance, my particular specimine is needier than most dogs I know when it comes to TLC. He can poop and eat on his own, and fortunately likes to nap a good portion of the day, so I don’t need to keep him entertained 24/7. He also still gets plenty of milage out of chasing his own tail or sundry inanimate objects that he bats around until he gets bored of them. But he is one people-loving cat. When I get home, he cries his little head off until I drop everything and engage in at least a ten-minute coddling session, which must be followed by a fresh bowl of wet cat food. He must sleep with us; preferably (to him) he’s on top of or nestled against us. I’m still amazed after nearly 8 years that I put up with him pacing around on me at 3:00 AM, stepping on my face or my nuts, etc., until he gets comfy. He adores me. He’s like static cling when I’m home. Sometimes I literally have to pry him off so I can do things like eat or go to the bathroom. This “cats are standoffish, and only antisocial types would want them” thing rather baffles me, I must say.
Where I feel cats leave something to be desired is in the outdoor sports arena, rather than the interpersonal (er, interanimal?) relationship dept. Try playing frisbee with a cat. Ever see cats hiking up a mountain? Taking my cat on a canoe would probably get me cited for cruelty. So while I always want a cat around (they are damn entertaining and charming, in their own feline way), I’d love to have a dog to drive around the woods with, fetch sticks, that sort of stuff. Then, at night, me, the wife, doggy and kitty could curl up in front of the tube, and as we doze off, dream of frisbees and mice and our next big adventure.
I used to have dogs - and rodents; rat, guinea pig, gerbil & a ferret - a duck a goose, and chickens. All died of old age.
I have two cats now and babysit dogs now and then. When I see how dog owners behave towards their pets, I have to say I very much disagree with you. [when you’re not wooshing]
My brother brought this special bed with a feather cushion for his spaniël. He writes CARDS to his dog when he’s on vacation.
I’ve seen people sing a lullaby for their dog.
Birthday cards for dogs are big bussiness.
Dogs don’t get the chance to be their doggy self. They’re [substitude] children.
Now what do you think would happen when I try to put a sweater on my cats when the weather is chilly?
Allow me to provide you with the rule-of-thumb regarding cat-people vs. dog-people that has been a commonplace among psychologists for decades. I won’t argue in support of it; I merely report it:
Dog-people are those who desire unconditional love, no matter what, under their own control. They cannot abide the occasional independent moods of a cat.
Cat-people, on the other hand, find the unconditional love and subserviance of a dog rather boring and, instead, value more highly the love that they have to earn by gaining the trust and acceptance of a cat. Also, they value the unpredictability of a cat.
Dog-people, on average, tend to have somewhat lower self-esteem while cat-people, on average, have somewhat higher self-esteem.
And, as someone pointed out above, those people who like both fall into a different category, perhaps halfway between the other two.
It may be because I’m an animal lover (have one cat and one dog at the mo) but I have always found it a turn on to see men who are good with animals. However, a man who only likes cats is for some unknown reason, a little creepy for me, whereas a man who only likes dogs is not so creepy. Preferably they like both.
Anyone else?
Why is it that when this question comes up pet owners spazz into denial?
Cause we can’t face the truth, is why.
People who have cats are basically lazy. Think about it: cats cover their own poop and pee; they get the run of the house, so when they feel like it they will occassionally let loose a bit of affection and soft, warm fur (actually, they are just marking you as their property with their glandular excrections); they make few demands on you; they walk themselves; they even *bathe * themselves with their tongues!; and they provide vector control (birds, rodents, bugs and lizards) to boot.
People who have dogs have poor self-image. And the dogs they have reflect what they most fear they are not: loving, fearsome, adept, heroic, cute, etc., and what they want to be. Dogs require an inordinate amount of care, but can be unconditionally loving for their caregivers, giving them love they can’t get elsewhere and don’t believe they deserve.
Come on, face the mirror, admit it!
Now, on the other hand, people who have snakes for pets:
Stupid me, I assumed it common knowledge that cats, civits, skunks and other animals have glands that emit waste products (similar to urine or sweat) that they use to mark things with their scent. This helps them identify their territory and helps warn other animals (competitive) to stay away.
Felines have scent glands in their cheeks and near their rump that serve this purpose, so when they rub their faces and hips against your hands, legs, etc. (ecch!), they are ‘scenting’ you as their property. And you thought they were just being friendly?
The molecules used by cats to mark with scent are not waste products but pheromones, and hence are not excretions. They can be carried along with excretions (when a male cat sprays urine, for instance, or when scent is deposited by the anal glands on stool). The scent glands on the tail, lips, “cheeks” (the ones you mentioned), and foot pads, are not even associated with excretory function, much less do their secretions use excrement as a vehicle.
And, believe it or not, being “claimed” by a cat is about as affectionate as cats get. Since we can’t ask cats what they’re thinking, it’s far from proven, but domesticated cats seem to behave around people as if we’re their mothers. They purr when we’re around, stroking them, for instance. Kittens do this when their mothers groom them. They often knead our flesh, a rather painful massage (if your cat’s not declawed or its nails trimmed) which kittens do to their mother’s mammary glands to stimulate lactation. Adult feral cats do not do any of these things when other cats are around, and it appears normal adult cat behavior involves little or no contact with other animals except to eat or mate. Cat mating isn’t the most romantic activity I’ve ever seen, either. So, really, the only thing resembling an affectionate and friendly emotional bond cats normally make is with their mothers. Even that relationship turns to alienation once they’re weaned. But domesticated housecats appear to exist in a state of arrested development, where they never really grow out of the kitten approach to us, their surrogate mothers.
So when your cat “claims” you, just like when she or he snuggles up to you or greets you when you get home, or any of those other relational activities, it’s pretty much the greatest expression of “love” a cat is capable of, as far as we can tell.
I’m in the same boat. I don’t know that I would go so far as to say that it’s a turn on, but it is a requirement for a relationship with me. As far as I’m concerned, the pets (a dog and a cat) are part of the package.
And, yes, cat-men do creep me out a little. I think it’s because I generally think of dogs as behaving more like men. They don’t hold grudges, they tend to be more single-minded, and they are less emotional. So, I get confused when a man can’t relate to that kind of relationship and then I’m not sure if I know how to relate to him. Just my 2 cents…
I’m being wooshed, right?
