Posted on 02/23/2012 10:00:18 PM PST by Altariel
Isn't it funny how we feel the need to describe someone as a "cat person" or a "dog person" when introductions are made? I happily consider myself a "multi-species person," although I admit to favoring cats (apologies to my Scottie, whom I love dearly!)
Cats and dogs have very different skill sets when it comes to fitting into a family. Let's add up the plusses and minuses to see which one makes the better pet...
* Cats are quiet (+1) * Dogs, while loud, make great low-cost home security systems (+1) * Cats are independent (+1) * Dogs are in-your-face creatures (-1) * Cats only come to you when they want something (-1) * Dogs are always glad to see you come home (+1) * Cats are not good travelers (-1) * Dogs love to go for rides and walks on the beach (+1) * Indoor cats require a litter box (-1) * Dogs require "yard duty" (-1) * Cats jump on food prep areas (-1) * Dogs can't reach those areas (+1) * Cats can be left for hours and even overnight on occasion without worry. (+2) * Dogs can't be left alone for long stretches and need to be boarded at times (-2) * Cats eat much less than dogs (+1) * Dogs are less finicky when it comes to food (+1)
Well, it's a tie and I'm still confused. Both animals offer unconditional love and companionship so personal preference is the way to go. Oftentimes you won't even get to choose as the pet picks you.
For some odd reason, dogs are considered more adoptable than cats, although there are more felines in homes in the U.S. than canines, according to the Humane Society of the United States This is probably due to the fact that 52 percent of cat owners have more than one cat, while only 28 percent of dog owners have more than one dog. (Another "plus" here for cats?)
Whatever you decide to bring into your own home as a family member, please consider your lifestyle and the requirements of the pet. We, of course, encourage you to consider a cat or two as 10 percent more of them are euthanized each year than dogs in the shelters, according to the ASPCA.
Kitten season is beginning and soon there will be scores to choose from. Please help us stem the tide of overpopulation by having your pets spayed and neutered this month. And call us if there are free-roaming feral cats in your neighborhood so we can TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) them before they breed.
Marci Kladnik is a board member of Catalyst for Cats, a Santa Barbara County nonprofit organization dedicated to the welfare of feral cats. For more information, call 685-1563 or visit www.catalystforcats.org.
When’s the last time you removed a dog clump from the place in your house where you prepare and eat yer corn on the cob....? Now if you could teach a cat to take out it’s own clumps....
plus cats carry dangerous diseases...so....
Very cool info. Thanks.
I love cats but alas I have sever allergies to them, such irony.
Oh my goodness! Thank you for sharing that!
I’ve had dogs and cats since I was 16 years old. For a a few years we only had cats. a few years ago our last and final cat passed away. Only dogs now. The deal was, add a dog, but no more cats or litter boxes.
OMG that is sick.
I had to laugh at your description of the basset! Great job! I have never had a basset but been around them and you are right on! But I wanted to share the name given by my UK friends for that flying slobber. I learned it when I acquired an Italian Spinone from England years ago. They call it FLOB (flying + slobber). And yes, it goes all the way to the ceiling. When mixed with dark West Texas dirt it makes a sort of black concrete that is difficult to remove too, especially from white ceilings. Ahhh the joy of jowly dogs. :) Gotta love ‘em or you would...well, you know.
LOL and my golden slept right thru it.
Dogs need to be laundered (-2)
Cats clean themselves (+2)
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I know what cat’s breath smells like and cleaning themselves with their tongue and spit doesn’t count. I would rather they NOT clean themselves. We always bathed our cats just like we do the dogs.
I love animals, dogs included, but I’ve always had a special heart for cats.
It’s my experience that men tend to view cats as sort of a sissy animal, more suited to women, but IMO that’s wrong. A cat is the neatest animal on earth, to me. He’s a miniature tiger in every way——tough, fearless little bundles of solid muscle. There’s nothing frou-frou about them, unless you’re talking the fluffy, overbred, lay-around longhaired types, and that’s not my kind of cat. That’s the man-invented kind, and not the true feline.
“The Vikings traveled with cats. That says something too.”
Did Vikings travel with cats to the exclusion of dogs? No, they did not. So, they had the means to bring more than just one domesticated animal with them. Therefore, we can’t assume they viewed cats as more valuable based on the fact that they brought some along.
“Note also that Native Indians didn’t grow wheat or have mass graineries, as Egypt did.”
Corn doesn’t count as a grain? I’m pretty sure rodents won’t turn their nose up at it. Of course, they did build granaries as well, I don’t know where you got that notion from. Also, for all the cat people love to cite Egypt as evidence of how important cats were, they fail to mention that cats were a novelty, being domesticated there long after Egyptians were already living happily with their dogs. They may have modeled a minor goddess after them, but the fact is that one of the major deities was Anubis, who took the form of a dog. So, even by that standard, the Egyptians gave more reverence to dogs in their pantheon.
“Cats have their place in human history, don’t try to deny it.”
I’m not denying it, just putting them in their proper place, behind dogs. Dogs were most likely the first domesticated animal, and probably preceded any domestication of plants as well. They’re ubiquitous and inseparable from human history. You just cannot say the same for cats.
“I hate cats! People say they taste like chicken.
But they don’t.”
It is all about preparation, my FRiend. Were they fried or baked? Personally, I like marinated meats.
All I can say is Texas Cowboy would be having the time of his life on this thread.
;)
Cats jump on food prep areas (-1) * Dogs can’t reach those areas (+1)
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Somebody come here and ‘’splain that theory to my girls....please???
Oh geez.
LOL!!!!
I am also a “multi-species” person.
I have a slight preference for dogs, if only for practical reasons. They can do things for us. But then, I have dog types I don’t care for much at all. So it sort of evens out.
I love cats too. I’m appalled by people who are very prejudiced against 1 or other.
“Cats only come to you when they want something (-1)”
I had cats who both came when called, and came just to get love. I’ve also known a few.
“Cats jump on food prep areas”
Untrained/disciplined cats jump on them. Trained animals know their limits.
“Dogs can’t reach those areas”
What kind of dog do you have? Oh yeah, a short-legged terrier. Dogs WILL try - again, UNTRAINED animals.
My best cats have always been buff-&-white. Seems to be a kharma.
I’ll never forget the look on my husband’s face when he got home from the store....looking all over the kitchen for the 2 filets he put on a plate, on the edge of the counter, with a young GSD...alone in the house.
The plate was there, however ... ;)
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