Dogs or Cats?

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Which pet listed above do you prefer, and why? If you prefer neither, just do the same for your favorite pet.

I personally prefer dogs more now, but I still love cats. I used to prefer cats more because of their independence and personality, but now I like dogs more because of their loyalty, as well as the far greater certainty that they care about you too.

I like cats better than dogs; but I've grown to like dogs more in recent years.

You don't have to "walk" a cat. All you have to do is clean the litterbox. I didn't have to "train" any cat to use a litterbox; it's something instinctual in them.

And I've had cats who were really my best friends when I didn't have a human friend in the world.

My cats saved my life. I was 35, dying of pneumonia and all alone, crying, too weak to move, knowing I wouldn't live through the night. They heard me crying and they came running. They hopped up, one on either side of me, and washed my face and neck and hands with their little pink tongues, then tucked themselves in between my side and my arm, one on my left and one on my right, and purred.

Somehow, I found the strength to live, right then and there. I just could not leave them. I couldn't. I made it through the night and that night my fever broke. The next morning I was able to cough and I knew I'd beat the illness.

They didn't leave me alone for a moment while I was recovering, except to eat and use their bathroom. They followed me from room to room, even camped on the bath mat while I showered. They sat on other chairs at the table while I ate. When I slept they lay beside me. I woke to see one or the other of them gazing at me lovingly. One would watch over me while I slept, then the other would take over.

All of this actually happened.

When they were deathly ill, five years later on, from some kind of cat pneumonia (!) it was my turn. I split my workday, started early so I could come home to them at lunch. I held them in my arms and we gazed into each others' eyes for hours. I rocked them and held them steady so they could use their toilet, cleaned them and wrapped them in fresh warm towels, rigged up a large safe cage for them to stay safe and warm in while I was at work, fed them baby food and lactose-free milk and vitamins using an oral syringe. I nursed them back to health and we had five more years together before cancer took them both.

Two years after that pneumonitis it was their turn again... I had major surgery and almost died, and while I recovered, they were there. The cat sitter I hired to feed them and take care of their litter pans* was astonished, because he came by twice every day, and every time he came by when I was at my weakest, there they were, watching over me. By then I had four of them, and they were literally all around me: one on the headboard of my bed, one at my feet, one on my right, one on my left. Every time. (*because I wasn't supposed to lift anything more than a full coffee mug.)

Cats are loyal. Cats are some of the most loving creatures on the planet. I will care for cats all the days of my life, because cats have cared for me.

(This is not meant to disparage dogs. Dogs are wonderful too. I knew someone whose dog nursed her through a broken leg the way my cats nursed me through pneumonia. But I owned cats, and they were the light in my life, and I'm still here because they were there.)

Edit in: this very moment, my newest cat (2.5 years) is chirping at me asking to be petted as she sits on my right, and my older cat (12 years) is drowsing on my left, with one paw just touching my leg.

the one that reciprocates my love and doesn't give me toxoplasmosis.

Cats.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJM2jgPe6Ew

Because they kill trolls.

I would prefer to live under a blanket of both please.

Dogs. I have had one in my life for a long time and I am allergic to cat hair.

I prefer dogs for the following reasons:

1. They don't jump up onto your computer's keyboard and decide to take a nap there when you're trying to do important stuff.
2. They provide a great excuse to go out for a walk once in a while (not that I need an excuse to go out, since I make sure to take at least one 30-minute walk on a daily basis).
3. They (mostly) don't shed their fur all over the place.

I like cats but I prefer dogs because they're more predictable & routine oriented. Dogs are also more trainable. Not that cats cant be trained but dogs tend to catch on quicker. Cats like to climb on things like the table & dogs can be trained not to go there. Our cat climbs over the baby/pet gate we have at the top of the stairs to keep her out so we started having to close the doors which we cant do when the weather warms up cuz we'll be having a window AC in my room. I cant sleep with an animal crawling on me but heat can also make it hard for me to sleep so I'm thinking I'll have to buy two more AC unites so we can have one in each bedroom with the doors closed & one downstairs instead of just one that kind of cools off the whole apartment. A dog can be trained to not jump over & to stay out. I don't like the feelings of cats rubbing against me when they walk by me while I'm standing up. I'm a little more allergic to cats than to dogs. I'm also sensitive to the tone/pitch of loud meowing sometimes.

I like dogs because they are so loving and loyal.
My boyfriend and I have the most beautiful Labrador/Beagle.

I like both, but I have a special place in my heart for cats. Like you, Esme, a cat saved my life. Her name was Samantha and she started me on a lifelong love of the Siamese breed, particularly the Lynx (tabby) point Siamese. I love mixed breeds. They are so beautiful!

Cats because dogs are intrusive, they jump up and lick you and bark really loudly and it makes me nervous. Cats come nuzzle you gently.

Esmerelda, that is the cutest story, it almost made me cry!

@IstominFan, @DancingQueen: all of it true. I was newly single at 35 (at my request) so those two kitties became the core of my life. Funny how much you can discover in our good beasts - dogs, cats, rabbits, even tame mice and rats, others as well - when life gives you enough time to pay close attention to them!

If I'd had time to walk dogs, they'd be in the mix. Mass hysteria; dogs and cats living together!







(And how about we throw another troll on the barbie?)



Feel free to use the image above wherever appropriate. There is too much trolling here and way too much of it is nasty. About time we responded by troll-blocking and reporting the posts, instead of taking the bait and feeding the dysfunction. (Edit in: some psychologically literate forum cultures respond to trolls - or hateful outbursts of any sort - with pictures of unicorns or kittens or puppies and otherwise dead silence. Might be worth a try.)

I'm very much the cat person, and always will be, for the reason that DancingQueen stated above.

Esmerelda, that was a lovely cat story, it brought tears to my eyes.

I'm definitely for cats, I've had those who showed unwavering loyalty that would rival dogs'.

I'm not against dogs, I have lived with them before but never actually owned one of my own. Maybe I should someday. Until then it's cats, cats, cats!

I prefer dogs, large dogs specifically because they tend to be rather calm. But cats are also fine.