Posted on 01/31/2016 7:33:29 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Are you a dog or cat person? Does a dog's eager friendliness make him superior to an elegantly aloof feline, or vice versa? It's a debate that has divided animal lovers for generations.
Now a new BBC documentary is seeking to resolve the question by discovering definitively which species has the edge: Britain's eight million cats, or its nine million canines.
In Cats Vs Dogs, animal experts Chris Packham and Liz Bonnin team up with scientists and vets to put our two favourite pets to the test in a host of different categories.
Think you know which one will win? Don't bet on it. Here are some of the findings . . .
Dogs: Almost everything dogs do, from excitedly greeting their owner at the door to lying loyally at their feet, seems to be indisputable evidence of their love.
Cats, on the other hand, are more inscrutable and independent. They decide when their owners are granted a stroke or cuddle. Most owners, however, are convinced their puss loves them but just isn't as demonstrative as a dog.
But are they right? Scientists have already discovered that dogs do seem to love their owners -- studies have found that both produce the 'love hormone' oxytocin when together. It's the same hormone that pregnant women release during birth and breastfeeding to help them bond with their baby.
But cats have never been tested for this. So the show asked U.S. neuroscientist Dr Paul Zak to test both types of animal to solve the eternal question.
'We have pretty good evidence that dogs actually love their humans,' he says. 'A couple of small-scale studies have shown that when owners interact with their dogs, the human and their dog appear to release oxytocin.
It's one of the chemical measures of love in mammals.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
It takes patience. Years ago I had a cat who got a thorn in his paw. Classic right? We had no money for a vet so I laid down close to but not touching him. I talked to him. I stroked his ears for maybe half an hour then I started working down his shoulders and eventually to his leg, one millimeter at a time. By that time he was almost asleep. I got down to the thorn and very carefully eased it out. Cat then licked where it had been and we were done. Still lying there.
Very nice story.
I have had truly God-given dog and cat. I also had a cat straight from the devil. I’ve had others I loved and liked, and while rearing is important, sometimes it’s just genetics and the way they are.
Generally speaking I can’t pick between the species. I love them both. OTOH dogs vary so much, it really depends on which breed.
“Kissing” versus “tasting.”
Too many people, including “lovers” don’t get that cats can be disciplined.
That’s interesting. My husband and I took in a little tortie tiger striped kitten who came into our garage and demanded food.
Of course, she got the food and we named her Tiger. She had a wonky eye, and we took her to the vet. She had a congenitally
blocked tear duct making her eye too dry.
The vet cleared the blockage, and we took her home and medicated her eye properly for several years when it finally cleared
up completely and looked nearly normal. She lived to be 19-1/2, and on her last day, she lay on my lap all morning, looking
up at me while I cuddled her and told her everything was going to be all right. Late in the morning, we took her to the vet,
and after walking her around in my arms and letting her smell the sea air of the Carquinez Strait, we took her inside the
hospital and even though she was nearly gone, the vet euthanized her. I still cry over and miss her. She died Feb. 15, 2002.
I was glad that in her last moments, she could see and smell the beautiful day and know how much we loved her.
I’m convinced that our cats love me- but I wouldn’t care if they didn’t. Their beauty and elegance is reason enough to have them about.
(See my bio page for our varied assortment of cats)
I would, but the Miss Olivia would object.
Dogs are bred to have insecurity issues often confused with love. They are cloying, emotionally dependent, they eat excrement, and they are very much like terrorists if not properly trained.
Cats PUR.
They bury their business [unlike dogs].
They are less irritating, less emotionally dependent.
Dog feces brings in flies and all the disease that goes with them.
They are magnets for ticks, fleas, and pollute the heels of shoes more than all other pets put toegether.
Their barking is one of the most annoying sounds on earth, very similar to rap ‘music’.
But I do like German Shepherds, and I’m a sucker for beagles and miniature scotty dogs. And dangit — other dogs too.
“Lock your wife and your dog in the trunk of your car for an hour. Then when you open the trunk, make note of which one is happy to see you.”
That was rib-splitterly funny
Most reporters are innumerate -- but, this horrible trend got started when some "clever" (and arrogant) editor decided that the great unwashed masses couldn't handle fractions and percentages. Now, instead of saying "1/5th as much", we have "five times less" -- which makes no sense whatsoever. None.
house cats are lazy but wild animals
“Too many people, including “lovers†don’t get that cats can be disciplined.”
My kitty Mao definitely understands the word “No!” And she knows the “look” too.
I never ask how much my cat loves me. I don't care. We go for mile long walks, sleep cuddled, startle or turn at the same unexpected sounds. I suspect she loves me as much and in the same way she related to the kittens in the litter she raised in the wild. If it's not love that's fine with me too.
The rest ... couldn't care less. I'm honored the beautiful little wild animal who raised a family in the wild in the winter during probably her first year of life evidently finds me to be a worthy companion. She's purring and meowing every night I come home from work, not waiting for food or water, just wants to get the headbutts and purrs out.
The benefit of love is to love something else, not to be loved.
If you love a twig more than a dog owner loves his dog, then though that dog may love his owner 1000 times more than your twig loves you, you have a better species for a companion.
I’ve also seen a circus type cat act. They did all sorts of tricks, like walking tightropes.
So true. Truly works of art in motion--- living sculptures!
Dear US Friend In Victoria,
I’ve been thinking about it. Given you state that you are 5 times as peeved as I, and Don W is 90% as peeved as you are. Could I say correctly that I am 8 times less peeved than Don W?
It might not seem like much, but I’m still very peeved. Go figure.
Carry on.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.