Dog People vs. Cat People: What Pet Preference Says About You

ABC News ^ | March 9, 2012 | Dan Harris and Keturah Grey

[Zakeet]

Ask anyone on the street whether they're a cat or a dog person, and chances are, they've got a quick answer. Like the choice between Coke or Pepsi, or chocolate or vanilla, how you respond to cats versus dogs could say a lot about you.

"Dog people are a little more outgoing," a dog owner at the Westminster Dog Show told ABC News. "Cat people are a little more aloof, because that's just how cats are."

Karen Hessel, the proud "mama" to 3-year-old Ripley, a golden retriever, said, "They say that cats are very intelligent but I haven't seen that yet in a cat, but I know my dog is brilliant."

Over at the Black Diamond Cat Show in Kimberton, Pa., cat owners were telling a different story, saying intelligence is the key difference between dog and cat owners. Cat people, they say, are simply smarter.

[Snip]

A major study at the University of Texas shows that there really is a difference between "dog people" and "cat people."

Those who define themselves as "dog people" are more extroverted, more agreeable and more conscientious than self-described "cat people." Those who love felines, though, were found to be less traditional, more creative and more neurotic.

[Thorliveshere]

My last cat, a big tough tom, was so good.

Then you were just very lucky.... A cat has never listened to me. Also, when you do tell them to get off, they will take the LONGEST POSSIBLE ROUTE on the counter itself to get off, but not just jump off from the point which you catch them. Ever notice that?

[goat granny]

It looks like the dog found his buddy....it would be ideal if you could get the dog to eat closer (a little at a time) to the house....he may not have had rabies shots. It takes patience to get him use to you. You could also try throwing him some treats when he's with the bull... Its funny how some animals bond with others. The dog has found his soul mate....:O)

We laughed ourselfs silly watching a horse follow 2 ducks around....when they left the arena the horse would wait for them to come back....It was an outdoor arena. The horse was stabled at night, but the barn cats kept her company then....

The other horse had been her stable mate for years. She sure was happy when the other horse came back home...

[Rebelbase]

“My cat doesn’t engage in non-stop “serial barking at nothing” like my @#$%^&* neighbors’ dogs do.”

15 years ago my neighbor got a dog and put its pen at the back of the his lot that adjoins mine and was only 50’ from my deck.

The damn thing barked all the time. It only took a few evenings of making a loud SHHH! then tossing a firecracker in that direction to train him to shut up when it heard the SHHH! After a while it learned what it should bark at and when it should bark.

[Rebelbase]

“[barks at} his own gas,”

LOL. My GF has a Chihuahua/Terrier mix that is scared of its own farts.

[Rebelbase]

“My lassie collie would wait at the fence line of our lane for me to come home from school.”

I had a wired hair stray that adopted me when I was in grade school. She’d walk with me to the bus stop every morning and be there waiting for me in the afternoon.

Every week day at 3:30 she’d let my mom know it was time to go outside.

[Quix]

Easy to believe.

Great animals.

Thanks for your narrative.

[Nervous Tick]

>> It only took a few evenings of making a loud SHHH! then tossing a firecracker in that direction

HA! Thanx for the tip!

[Nervous Tick]

>> am introverted, unsociable, schizoid, and have a terrible disposition

Have you tried a hedgehog? They are supposed to make great pets! :-)

[Ditter]

The dog won't come within 300 feet of a human and no one actually lives on the ranch. My husband goes down there 3 or 4 times a week and he has a man go and check his cows when he can't go down. We put worm medicine in it's food but a rabies vaccination is out of the question. This creature might as well be a coyote.

[CatherineofAragon]

"Then you were just very lucky.... A cat has never listened to me. Also, when you do tell them to get off, they will take the LONGEST POSSIBLE ROUTE on the counter itself to get off, but not just jump off from the point which you catch them. Ever notice that?"

LOL....."I'm gonna show you."

Actually I only remember him jumping on the countertop once, after I had told him no. He immmediately looked startled and jumped down. And it wasn't luck; I just started training him from kittenhood---consistently--that no, you don't do that.

[Mountain Bike Vomit Carnage]

Dogs rule, cats drool.

[Zakeet]

[ZULU]

“When it comes to rodent control, they have no equal.”

My grandfather used them for hunting rabbits. Ran them into a rabbit burrow to drive the rabbit out and into a bag.

They really look very cute.

[steve86]

I don’t know where to put this but he has left the forum on behalf of a relative.

[Titan Magroyne]

FTA: “Dog people are a little more outgoing,” a dog owner at the Westminster Dog Show told ABC News. “Cat people are a little more aloof, because that’s just how cats are.”

Dunno about that. To me a home just isn’t homey without both cat(s) and dog(s), tho I favor dogs. The bigger the better. Can’t stand most people.

[Fawn]

I most certainly did understand your post. I used your lack of thorough thinking to my advantage....

[Eaker]

Wow!

You thought THAT up in just three days?

LOL!

[Fawn]

I haven’t been on here in 3 days....I don’t live on here like some. I have a life. ;)

[Eaker]

Okay, We can go with that.