The ultimate question: Are cats better than dogs?

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.

Oh, filets. Mmmm. Can’t blame the animals for liking them!

My animals just must learn the manners. They do not even put their noses to a coffee table. My cats understood the differences, too. The rule: you don’t put feet anywhere I don’t put my butt. They could walk all over the sofa, but not cross over to the coffee or end tables.

My GS Tara is also very good about food. However, there is 1 thing she CANNOT resist if you leave it in an easily (*note: the counter is not “easy”) accessible place while she’s alone. Chocolate. She will withstand steaks and all sorts of good food. But she likely WILL steal the chocolate in the candy dish if you run out to the store.

The 1st time I discovered her “problem” is pretty funny. I had some Nestle Treasures in a dish on the end table. I had eaten some and left maybe 3 on the dish. Went to work, then when I sat down later expecting to grab 1, there were none. I was SURE I still had some there, but memory isn’t very good so dismissed it. It seemed to happen another time, I think. Then I found purple wrappers in Tara’s potties. She had pilfered them leaving absolutely no evidence - dainty as could be, she moved nothing around and dropped nor broke nothing and ate all the food evidence.

We’ve sometimes caught her trying since. Rule: don’t leave out chocolate at all when leaving the house, and don’t put choco wrappers/etc in small trash cans.

LOL!

50 reasons why dogs are better than men:

A dog gets a new coat every winter.
Dogs are not so careless about leaving puddles on the bathroom floor.
A dog is less likely to leave a filthy, stinking mess for you to clear up.
For a dog, a wet nose is a sign of GOOD health.
Men are even less useful for testing cosmetics on.
Dogs don’t wolf-whistle.
A dog is far less irritation to have in the back seat of a car...
...and will be less likely to show its rear end to the people in the vehicle behind for a laugh.
Elizabeth Hurley has a faithful dog whom she loves dearly.
If a dog says sausages, that’s clever. If a man says sausages, that’s just greedy.
Dogs will wait patiently outside clothes shops...
...and not criticize your purchases afterwards.
A dog will fetch the morning paper for you.
Spots are an attractive feature on a dog.
A dog is better protection from intruders.
Dogs enjoy ball games. But they don’t spend six hours on the phone trying o get tickets for France 98.
Dogs greet each other by sniffing bottoms. Men are far less polite.
Puppy love doesn’t wear off so quickly with a dog.
You can be prosecuted for neglecting a dog.
Dogs can find their way back home - even after a really heavy night out.
Dogs can be trained not to lie on the bed. Men always lie in bed.
A dog can moult without becoming obsessed about premature baldness.
Dogs can be taught the meaning of the word “NO!”
A dog will trot faithfully round at your heel.
Dogs don’t break wind in public and blame it on the man.
In the canine world, boxers are quite intelligent.
If a dog gets ill, it won’t take eighteen Panadols in order to avoid having to go to the vet.
You can also ask the vet to perform the snip, even if the dog objects.
Small, ginger-haired dogs can be quite appealing. As for men? Two words. Robin Cook.
You can find a nice dog by advertising on a card in a shop window, or in the classified section of the local paper.
A woman can live with more than one dog, without rumours starting.
When dogs beg, it’s cute. When men beg it’s pathetic.
Dogs sometimes dig the garden.
A dog can go out fox-hunting without being incredibly stuck up and pompous.
Dogs don’t necessarily prefer blondes.
Dogs won’t get embarrassed if you call them by a pet name when their friends are around.
Dogs travel more cheaply on the bus.
Dogs whine less.
Some dogs can be quite talented at singing.
Men lost the World Cup. A dog found it.

Dogs are less reliant on tinned food...
...but after a few cans, a dog will still be able to stand up.
And there are some things even a dog won’t eat - like the remains of a three-day-old King Prawn vindaloo that they found on the floor behind the sofa.
You can leave a dog alone in your house without worrying so much about what it’ll break.
There are still thousands of totally undomesticated dogs in Australia; but far more undomesticated men.
Your dog will never refer to you as ‘a bitch’.
In disaster films, the dog is always far more likely to have a miraculous escape.
Dogs do not waste money betting on the dogs.
You can stop dogs getting too randy by throwing a bucket or water over them.
All the best clips on ‘You’ve Been Framed’ are the ones with dogs in.
If a dog starts worrying sheep, that’s just its natural predatory instinct.

If a MAN starts worrying sheep, however...
A ‘King Charles’ is much more likely to be a big, floppy-eared dog than a big floppy-eared man.
You can also call a dog schitzu without offending it.
“Working like a dog” is strenuous. Working like a man is, er - not.
You can fondle your dog in the park without being arrested.
A dog will encourage you to lose weight by taking more exercise. A man will just remark on how big your bum looks.
Dogs do not attack other dogs for being a different colour.
Having a dog around the place can actually ease stress.
You’d feel guilty about turning a dog out on the street.
A dog can take a barrel of brandy to a lost mountaineer without drinking ANY.
There aren’t so many good reasons to keep a dog muzzled in public.
You can buy a dog’s affection with a squeaky toy.
A dog will be eager to walk, rather than getting a taxi.
Most dogs are really good with children.
Dogs have a highly-developed sense of smell. Men, on the other hand, can quite happily wear the same pair of pants for a fortnight.
A dog is more useful for tracking down criminals.
Who did YOU miss most from Blue Peter - John Noakes or Shep?

A dog might actually take a bath of its own accord.
There’s more chance of your dog being able to operate the video recorder.
You can buy a choke-chain for a dog.
A 16-year-old dog is very mature.
A dog is easier to keep well-groomed.
Dogs have more chance of receiving an award for bravery.
Dogs are easier to house-train.
Dog do not scratch themselves so much in polite company.
A dog can look as though it understands what you’re saying.
Dogs went into space first.
A man will roll over and play dead only if you ask him to get up and make coffee.
Dogs enjoy swimming, and not for the chance to ogle girls in bikinis.
Being a dog’s mistress is no reason to feel ashamed.
You can keep your dog tied up if it starts misbehaving.
Saggy skin and a hang-dog look aren’t half as appealing on a man.
You can train a dog in obedience.
A dog in a studded collar isn’t kinky.
Few men would answer to ‘Lassie’.
A dog is a pack animal. A man is a six-pack animal.
Dogs spend the day sniffing drugs only if they’re with the police.
Dogs aren’t obsessed with ‘doing it man-fashion’.
A dog is a faithful companion.
A dog is for life.

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