Bark! or Meow?
It’s been said that there are two types of people in this world: dog people and cat people.
I’m definitely a cat person. Why, you ask? No clue. Ever since I was 8 years old, I’ve always had cats in the house. I think it could also partly be because when I was a kid and used to walk home from school, I had a couple of scary run-ins with dogs. One time, a dog attacked my pant leg, and another time the dog tore my backpack with his teeth. (How do you like that? The dog DID EAT my homework!)
I don’t care how tough you think you are, when a dog (or any large animal) comes flying at you, you’re going to freak out. And when you’re 9 years old? Pfft. Forget it, we’re talking trauma. Not that cats won’t attack, too. But since your average cat weighs 10 lbs or less, we’re not talking “maul” here. Nobody likes getting scratched by a cat, but I dislike getting bitten by a large dog much more.
It’s not that I hate dogs, mind you. I just think cats are more interesting animals. And that goes all the way up the food chain. Ever see nature footage of a tiger or a leopard killing a zebra or something? Nasty! Ever see footage of a cheetah chasing after something? Now that’s FAST. But canines are not slouches. To me, the scariest thing that can happen in the wild is to be chased or attacked by a wolf. That’s some vicious stuff.
Which do you prefer?
The Case for Cats
1. They’re independent and very clean
Always with the licking. (yuk, yuk) But, hey, it’s what they do. Cats never need a bath. And when a cat goes outside to do his “business”, there’s no need to follow him around with the ole’ “scooper”. When’s the last time you heard someone complain about stepping in “cat doo”?
2. They’re graceful
“Always land on their feet.” Ever watch a cat running at top speed and come to dead stop? They stop on a dime. And they can jump pretty damn high. I also find it funny when a cat stretches himself to amazing lengths (go, plastic man!)
3. They’re (relatively) quiet
I admit, cats tend to yowl at 3 AM, but that doesn’t bug me nearly as much as the dog barking his head off, which is like 50 decibels louder. Cats make noise, but when the doorbell rings, or someone new walks in the room, there’s no mad barking. In fact, odds are, the cat will scurry off and hide.
4. They’re affectionate…to a point
This is one area where I admit that dogs have the edge. “Man’s best friend”, indeed. However, if you get a cat as a kitten and treat it well, the cat can grow to be very friendly. I had a cat that used to FOLLOW me around on my paper route. He would stay on my heels every step of the way. Kinda rare in cats, but it can happen.
5. They’re the KING
Which animal is king of the jungle? The lion, that’s who. I suppose in the animal kingodm, felines score a lot of points for being labelled the “king.”
The Case for Dogs
1. Man’s best friend
I submit this one to the dogs. A well-trained dog can be a really good pet. And here’s an odd piece of trivia for you: when a cat sits in your lap for an extended period of time, they’ll get sick of you after a while, and hop off. Not a dog. They’ll stay with you as long as you want.
2. They’re trainable
I think it’s cool that a dog can respond to “Sit!” and “Heel!” or “Fetch!” or whatever. Try asking your cat to go fetch the paper!
3. They’re not so independent (but that’s a good thing)
Sure, they need to be walked and kept on a leash, but some people love the idea of walking the dog. (Great way to meet girls, right?) Good excercise, too.
4. They’ll protect you
Yeah, I hate barking late at night, but if it scares off the guy making off with my DVD player, I'll live with it. A well-trained dog can also be taught to alert someone if you’re hurt. (“Lassie!”)
5. Seeing-eye dogs
A real Godsend to the blind. Not many animals can be trained to be this helpful.
So, which is it?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tune in next week, when we discuss other pets:
“Fixed” skunks (i.e., no smell)
vs.
Boa constrictors
I know people who have both of these animals as pets!
I’m definitely a cat person. Why, you ask? No clue. Ever since I was 8 years old, I’ve always had cats in the house. I think it could also partly be because when I was a kid and used to walk home from school, I had a couple of scary run-ins with dogs. One time, a dog attacked my pant leg, and another time the dog tore my backpack with his teeth. (How do you like that? The dog DID EAT my homework!)
I don’t care how tough you think you are, when a dog (or any large animal) comes flying at you, you’re going to freak out. And when you’re 9 years old? Pfft. Forget it, we’re talking trauma. Not that cats won’t attack, too. But since your average cat weighs 10 lbs or less, we’re not talking “maul” here. Nobody likes getting scratched by a cat, but I dislike getting bitten by a large dog much more.
It’s not that I hate dogs, mind you. I just think cats are more interesting animals. And that goes all the way up the food chain. Ever see nature footage of a tiger or a leopard killing a zebra or something? Nasty! Ever see footage of a cheetah chasing after something? Now that’s FAST. But canines are not slouches. To me, the scariest thing that can happen in the wild is to be chased or attacked by a wolf. That’s some vicious stuff.
Which do you prefer?
The Case for Cats
1. They’re independent and very clean
Always with the licking. (yuk, yuk) But, hey, it’s what they do. Cats never need a bath. And when a cat goes outside to do his “business”, there’s no need to follow him around with the ole’ “scooper”. When’s the last time you heard someone complain about stepping in “cat doo”?
2. They’re graceful
“Always land on their feet.” Ever watch a cat running at top speed and come to dead stop? They stop on a dime. And they can jump pretty damn high. I also find it funny when a cat stretches himself to amazing lengths (go, plastic man!)
3. They’re (relatively) quiet
I admit, cats tend to yowl at 3 AM, but that doesn’t bug me nearly as much as the dog barking his head off, which is like 50 decibels louder. Cats make noise, but when the doorbell rings, or someone new walks in the room, there’s no mad barking. In fact, odds are, the cat will scurry off and hide.
4. They’re affectionate…to a point
This is one area where I admit that dogs have the edge. “Man’s best friend”, indeed. However, if you get a cat as a kitten and treat it well, the cat can grow to be very friendly. I had a cat that used to FOLLOW me around on my paper route. He would stay on my heels every step of the way. Kinda rare in cats, but it can happen.
5. They’re the KING
Which animal is king of the jungle? The lion, that’s who. I suppose in the animal kingodm, felines score a lot of points for being labelled the “king.”
The Case for Dogs
1. Man’s best friend
I submit this one to the dogs. A well-trained dog can be a really good pet. And here’s an odd piece of trivia for you: when a cat sits in your lap for an extended period of time, they’ll get sick of you after a while, and hop off. Not a dog. They’ll stay with you as long as you want.
2. They’re trainable
I think it’s cool that a dog can respond to “Sit!” and “Heel!” or “Fetch!” or whatever. Try asking your cat to go fetch the paper!
3. They’re not so independent (but that’s a good thing)
Sure, they need to be walked and kept on a leash, but some people love the idea of walking the dog. (Great way to meet girls, right?) Good excercise, too.
4. They’ll protect you
Yeah, I hate barking late at night, but if it scares off the guy making off with my DVD player, I'll live with it. A well-trained dog can also be taught to alert someone if you’re hurt. (“Lassie!”)
5. Seeing-eye dogs
A real Godsend to the blind. Not many animals can be trained to be this helpful.
So, which is it?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tune in next week, when we discuss other pets:
“Fixed” skunks (i.e., no smell)
vs.
Boa constrictors
I know people who have both of these animals as pets!
posted by Glenn at 9:17 AM
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