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 ...
The love you take
is equal to the love you make
If you want a lap cat, get a ragdoll.
Your average American alleycat was bred for generations to be a mouser not to cuddle.
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.
is equal to the love you make
Great reply!
Cats are largely feral animals that recognize they can’t kill a human. Mine is just an eating, crapping machine that only looks out for herself. She bites and scratches relentlessly and I’ve finally just disconnected from her altogether. She’s only still here because of the wife, I’m hoping she escapes out the front door like she wants too. If she does, then she can see how Mr. Coyote treats her.
I’ve tried it and it doesn’t work 100% of the time. Some cats are just mean and feral.
LOL— love it—I think its spot on too. No pun intended.
Dogs are way too needy and high maintenance. When I used to do online dating, if I saw that a woman was a dog lover, or bad pictures of her dog posted, that was an instant deal killer.
My present girlfriend has a Siamese cat that I love. He’s noisy, but at least he doesn’t bark.
If one loves something “5 times less,” does that mean 20% as much? Or do we know how imperfectly a dog loves a human and estimate a cat would love us 5 times less than that. 5 times MORE, I would get. But I never understand doing anything 5 times less. Anyone?
HA!
Another blanket statement study. I have had many cats. They are like people: personalities differ widely. The one I have now is a true friend.
The poster who said something to the effect of you get the love you give is spot on.
Shocking.
A fifth as much.
Nonsense. Just like the “cats are aloof” line.
A fifth as much. Pet peeve of mine too. People are judged by the words they use.
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