Opinion Forum

Cats vs. Dogs

May 12th, 2009

I am an animal lover, and I have had dogs and cats before. The majority of people own some kind of pet, and the two most common pets are cats and dogs.

Both dogs and cats are family-oriented, but people disagree about which one is more for families. Cats and dogs were made to be the pets we love today by years and years of breeding. Cats came from North Africa. Wild cats were tamed by the ancient Egyptians in Northern Africa. Dogs originated from wolves and were tamed first in eastern Asia.

Dogs were pets 5,500 years before cats. Dogs were the first pets tamed by human beings and were domesticated at around 15000 BC. On the other hand, cats have been domesticated since 9500 BC, by the Egyptians. Dogs were the first pets probably because they are loyal and very obedient.

There are millions of dogs and cats in the United States today. There are about 100 million cats that are owned by families and about 110 million dogs in the U.S.

Cats are not as high-maintenance as dogs. Cats are dependable and don’t need much attention because they lay around all day. Cats are very lazy while dogs like to run around and play.

People often make the mistake of thinking dogs are a lot smarter than cats because they can do complicated tricks. But surprisingly, cats are a lot smarter than dogs. In fact, cats could easily perform tricks twice as complicated as dogs. The only reason they don’t is because they are stubborn and only do what they feel like doing. Dogs are very loyal and obedient, and that’s why they like to do tricks for their master. To sum up, cats are a lot smarter, just more stubborn than dogs.

Cats are my favorite pet because I can just lay around with them and pet them. They don’t drool all over you. Cats have soft fur that is fun to pet.

Lots of people see cats and dogs as pretty much the same pet, but hopefully after reading this, you can see all the differences between these two great pets!

Articles written by Amber
Tags: cats, dogs, pets
Categories: Life | Comments (20) | Home

20 Responses to “Cats vs. Dogs”

Harvey | May 12th, 2009 at 11:03 pm

Amber,

The histories of dogs and cats was very interesting — I had no idea dogs were around that long ago.

Low maintenance pets, like cats, are also my favorite but the best pet I ever had was not low-maintenance, it was a ferret.

Ferrets are a lot of fun, they are little bandits, always snatching things like key rings, socks and most anything else they can carry; everything goes to the place where they have decided is a good hiding place (my ferret’s hiding place was a corner behind the sofa). The problem with ferrets is that they tend to be a bit stinky and they need to be kept clean; they live in a cage and the cage needs daily attention or it will also stink. But when your ferret climbs into its hammock for a nap you can’t help loving it.

Tom | May 12th, 2009 at 11:26 pm

Amber, my cat, whose name is Cat, is either very dumb or very smart. I can’t tell whether he ignores me because he doesn’t understand what I want or because he considers himself so superior that he doesn’t care what I want. In any case, he has his own way of doing things, and nothing can change him.

I’m not really a cat person. But, someone I know likes cats very much, so I got Cat eight years ago when he was just a kitten. He’s now the one in charge of the household, and I guess it’s OK. Kind of nice to have him around.

Harvey, I’ve heard a lot about ferrets, pretty much the way you described yours–intelligent, fun, entertaining, and stinky. I think that last characteristic would be more than I could take!

Larry | May 13th, 2009 at 5:45 am

I’m a dog person but I’ve got a couple of fine felines as well. Tom,your cat may be deaf. We have an old fellow named JR that is deaf and has been since birth. He’s 14 years old and spends most of his time at my patio window watching the wild birds. The other cats name is Smokey. He is much younger than JR but they get along just fine. Neither of them seem to get to excited about anything. What a life they have!!!

Tom | May 13th, 2009 at 10:01 am

Larry, I’m sure he’s not deaf, except when he doesn’t want to listen to me. Even though he can’t see it, a slight peep from a pigeon on a window sill behind closed blinds sends him to the window like a rocket. Small sounds in the kitchen that might somehow be related to me preparing to feed him, and he instantly appears. The doorbell rings, and he’s the first one there to see who’s visiting (hoping they’re bringing food, I suspect).

He’s large (probably about 15 pounds), lean, and all muscle. And thinks of himself not only as the alpha male of the house, but a big he-cat (despite missing certain equipment, for which he’s never forgiven me, I’m sure).

You can read about him here. He was younger and a bit smaller in the photo.

doris | May 13th, 2009 at 3:07 pm

Cats are like women, dogs are like men. Men drool and do your bidding, women do things if they want to. Cats are smarter, they don’t have to do anything and we still wait on them and love them, all the same, maybe more. Dogs are much more loyal and can die from loss of an owner, they really love you. Cats love only themselves and will change owners with the food flow, but do not like new surroundings and houses. Cats have us trained, we have dogs trained. I love them both, for their differences. Horses are best though, they always listen and as Winston Churchill said, The best thing for the inside of a man,or woman, is the outside of a horse. So true.

doris | May 13th, 2009 at 3:09 pm

Take that back, it was not Churchill that said that but Will Rogers.

Sandra | May 14th, 2009 at 11:58 am

I like pets but sometimes they are too hard to deal with. My girls have two cats one for each of them, and we have fish. That’s it. The cats have different personalities but they play a lot together and are fun for everybody. Maybe a dog someday but I can already hear the arguments about who is going to walk the dog!

Anonymous | May 14th, 2009 at 1:00 pm

The God theory of cats and dogs

Because we feed cats, they believe that they are gods because we are doing their bidding.

Because we feed dogs, they believe that we are gods because we are benevolent to them.

An alternative theory on cats and dogs.

Take your average 40-50# dog and magically transform him to 450#. When you come home from work in the evening, he still wags his tail and wants to go play fetch, will lick you and still be your best friend.

Take your average 12# tabby and magically transform him to 450#. When you come home from work in the evening, he’s going to ambush you and eat you for dinner.

Cats carry two diseases that can be deadly to infants and/or the unborn: toxoplasmosis and cytomegalavirus (called CMV for short). I learned about CMV when my fatally ill son needed blood stored for his heart surgery. I donated blood on his account, but my blood could not be given to him.

Count me as anti-feline.

Brian Bagent | May 14th, 2009 at 1:03 pm

Rats. For some reason, my browser is not saving the cookie from this site. That is my response above.

Kevin | May 14th, 2009 at 4:48 pm

I like all animals and they all seem to like me, particularly dogs and cats. But of all of them cats are easily my favorite.

That said… I have a theory about eligible bachelors and cats:

Learning how to get a grown cat to like you is excellent practice for relationships with women. You can’t force your will on a cat. It just can’t be done. You can force it to do things, but the element of force will always have to be there to get the desired result… and that’s IF you can even get the desired result at all without getting flensed (or even WITH getting flensed!). In my experience women aren’t all that different, at least the women I consider attractive (independent & intelligent). One simply can’t force one’s will on such a creature. Attempting to is an exercise in futility and is counter-productive. But learn how to befriend a grown cat and you’ll intuitively know how to respect the boundries of a women in a way that will be genuinely appreciated.

Tom | May 14th, 2009 at 10:18 pm

Interesting perspective, Kevin. There’s a lot of truth there. I would add that the similarity includes the ability to hear what you say when they want to and to not hear a thing when they don’t. We men, of course, have no such characteristics….

“to flense.” Had to look that one up. First Morocco, then this. You’re getting too far ahead!

Eric | May 15th, 2009 at 3:20 am

Im a dog lover all the way!

Pdon | May 19th, 2009 at 4:34 pm

The purpose of a pet must be taken into consideration:

Do you want a pet that keeps you company, encourages you to exersise and plays a direct role in your life, taking you on walks you would otherwise not go on? Then a dog it is.

Do you want a pet that is more independant, all you have to do is feed him, also he kills rats – an annoying issue in the RUF? Then a cat it is.

Johanna | July 25th, 2009 at 7:12 pm

Tom, your Cat is a beauty! Thank you for sharing the picture. I love all animals but currently I am owned by two cats who happen to be very affectionate and interactive.

Tom | July 25th, 2009 at 7:36 pm

Johanna, thanks for your comment about Cat. I told him what you said, and he seemed happy. Or maybe not; hard to tell. 🙂

Amber | July 25th, 2009 at 10:34 pm

We just got another kitty and we named her Bella. Shes so cute and because we fed her yummy cat food like tuna, now she wont eat the dry cat food we give her. lol!

Brian | July 26th, 2009 at 3:10 am

Amber, mix in a raw egg with the dry cat food. That’ll get her interested in it.

Gena | October 21st, 2009 at 2:56 pm

These are all fun comments to read! I love all animals, my favourite being horses, but since I can’t afford owing one, I have two Maine Coon cats. For those wondering if they should get a dog or a cat , get a Maine Coon, they’re a dog in cat’s clothing. They’re very big cats, with an amazing gentle attitude, and are easily trained: mine respond to various commands, and are also leash trained. With that said, I think all cats are beautiful intelligent, independant creatures. I’ve also owned dogs, and I appreciate them however, I find that if you want a dog that’s more independant than the regulars, consider an Estrela mountain dog.

Amber | October 22nd, 2009 at 4:22 pm

They sound like a good breed of cats, i now only have 2 cats. 4 of my cats disappeared and 3 of them where babies. i dont know what happened to them. 8(