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Dog
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Add to FavoritesA dog makes a better pet. I have had both dogs and cats. I am sorry kitties. But, as pets go, you are no competition for doggies. Dogs make better pets for a many reasons.
For one, dogs offer companionship. Cats are independent and are loners. Dogs live for their owners. They greet you every morning like you are the greatest thing since steak. Dogs want to be with their owners all the time. It is in their nature. Wild dogs live in packs. Domesticated dogs are no different. They still live in packs. The packs are just dominated by humans.
For a family with children, dogs make better pets. Kids love to hug animals. A dog that is good with children can be given a good love squeeze. Parents do not have to worry about claws and bites. Dogs that are good with kids are extremely patient. If the dog's patience is tested, they will give the child a warning growl. Cats tend to warn by hissing and scratching simultaneously. Yes, one could get their cat declawed. I admit I did this horrible thing to my cat when my oldest child was three. The cat scratched my daughter near her eye. She gave him a hug that was a too much for him. However, the cat and my little girl were inseparable. The love was mutual, but my daughter just hugged him too hard. The cat lived to be seventeen. But, his paws were deformed because of the surgery.
Also, dogs have superior intelligence. This intelligence helps make them easy to train. Dogs can be taught not to be destructive in the home. They can be trained to do tricks. Training, when done properly, makes the owner happy and the dog happy. Dogs love to please their owner. This is in a dog's nature. The dog sees his or her owner as the Alpha dog. Or in plainly, the dog's leader. In the wild, dogs please the leader. If they do not, they risk alienation from the group. Then, the dog's survival is endangered. Consequently, dogs are "wired" with the desire to please their owners. Dogs actually feel shame when they make their master angry.
Also, dogs can be trained to defecate outside. So, the mess is outside the house. I know some dogs are harder to housebreak than others. But, every dog can be housebroken. It may take a lot of work. But, it can be done. Cats have litter boxes. The litter gets tracked all around the litter box.
Next, dogs can help their owners stay healthy. Dogs love to be walked. Walking is healthy for the owners and great fun for the dog. Walking is one of the best forms of exercise. It gets you outdoors. So, you get your vitamin D. Gets your heart pumping and gives your lower body a good workout. I have heard of cats being leashed and taken for "a walk". But, somehow I cannot believe it is much exercise for the owner.
Finally, dogs have personality. Now, I have had cats over my life time that have had personality too. But, those cats were the exception not the rule. Dogs can have an abundance of personality. They even seem to have a sense of humor. The Bichone Frise breed is said to enjoy playing tricks on their masters. I have a rescued Bichone Frise mix. He does play tricks on me. He smiles. But, just as he can smile he can get depressed. When some one leaves the house, his smile is gone. But, all he needs is a little extra love and his smile returns. How can you beat that? A dog smiling at you everyday. Pet owner heaven.
Learn more about this author, Trish Austin.
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Cat
Cats are probably the secret rulers of the world. Look at a bunch of cats sitting on a fence or street corner, and you will see that they have this rather smug, contained, watchful air about them - that's likely to be because they are in constant telepathic contact with national governments and the UN Security Council, imposing their inscrutable catty will on all of us humans.
I'm not the only one to think so; I'm sure that other cat owners suspect this. Well, I say "cat owners" but we're not really owners, more like employees (as someone once said, dogs have owners, but cats have staff.) They're very good employers, actually. For a pittance in cat biscuits and vets' fees, they agree to grace us with their august presence and bestow their affections on us (on their own terms, of course.) Now that's what I call a fair exchange.
In the pet rankings, cats and dogs are at the top, basically. In the UK, for instance, there are about 7 and a half million pet cats, and over 6 million dogs. I came down on the cats' side in this debate because I'm working for two cats at the moment, and for several generations my family have been faithful retainers for a number of distinguished felines. However, I can see the attractions of dogs, too; quite a few of my friends have dogs, and one day even I may well become a dog owner. Is this heresy? Treachery?
Well, no. The dog/cat people divide thing is, by and large, an artificial debate, just to get people talking and writing - it's a bit like "Which colour is better, blue or green?" or "Which is more musical, C sharp or B flat?" Both cats and dogs clearly make excellent pets, it's just that they are different from one another and each have their advantages and disadvantages. I'm sure that, given the choice, most people would want to have a dog or a cat rather than, say, a Komodo dragon or an earthworm (although I'm sure that Komodo dragons and earthworms have their advocates too.)
Really, it all comes down to a question of suitability.
For a young family with children, I think dogs are probably better - where there are growing kids, dogs will happily join in the rough and tumble, and add to the fun. An added benefit is that looking after a dog - making sure it's fed, walked and trained - is a good lesson in responsibility for youngsters. There are social dividends for dog owners too - developing new acquaintances and friends is a lot easier when you have something in common, which is what two people walking their dogs automatically have.
On the other hand, a person with mobility problems would be better off with a cat. Cats don't need walking, all they need is a cat flap to give them access to the great outdoors. And there are some breeds of cat which are happier indoors than out, which makes them ideal for apartment-dwellers in big cities.
Plus there's the fact that cats are perfect for people like my wife and me - DINKs (or Double-Income-No-Kid s types) - who go out to work all day. It would be unfair to leave a dog by itself for over eight hours a day, but cats are fine with this - they do cat stuff (sleep, mostly) while we're out and come to greet us when we return. Which is pretty much ideal.
Both dogs and cats bestow physical benefits on their owners. We are generally more relaxed, have healthier hearts and are less prone to stress and depression than we would otherwise be. Cats may even come with an added bonus as they purr at frequencies of between 25 and 150 Hz (hertz) which, allegedly, stimulates broken bones to heal. I hope that I never have to put this to the test.
But even without a broken arm or leg to mend, listening to cats purr is magical. There are few experiences nicer, in my opinion, than sitting quietly by the fire on a crisp autumn evening, with a good book and a glass of wine, next to a happily purring cat. It's one of the best ways I know to soothe away the problems of the day.
Well, I was going to write some more, but have had the sudden, unexpected urge to get up from my chair, go downstairs and put some biscuits into the cats' bowls. Now where did that impulse come from? No idea, but duty calls - got to go.
Learn more about this author, Alex Cull.
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