Cats vs. Dogs

It was inevitable. Fight of the Century. Clash of the Species. Call it what you will. It's a subject that we had to face eventually. We have lots of forum cats and dogs. It's time to face off!

Let's have a lighthearted 'debate' to determine the superior species. Please - no religion or politics! Hee hee. ^_^

I like dogs a lot, but they just can't measure up to cats. Cats are much easier to deal with. They wash themselves and go the bathroom themselves. My kids can't even do that. They magically turn bad breath into great-smelling fur! Don't know how they manage that. They curl up with you. They can be with you while you do almost anything - including being online. (Crash is on my lap right now!) They are truly independent and just plain cool! Those are just a few reasons.

If I had a dog, I'd be the sucker having to drag him out in sub-zero temps and wait for him to pee or poop. And it seems that the worse the weather is, the longer it takes for them to go. And you have to give them baths 'cause they stink!!

So offer some of your reasons why dogs or cats are better.

Here is a classic George Carlin routine about cats. (Profanity alert!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nzvm8k5kSjs

I grew up with a cocker spaniel & later raised them. So they are my first love. There have been 4 cats at our house. Enjoyed them all, but can really no longer have cats which go outdoors because of the coyotes. they were useful around the barn. Our last cat, who came indoors at night got rather heavy. But as I told the vet , after lying around indoors, he would go and do the same in the barn, so not get much exercise.

This is a hard one Victor. You do make some good points. I have 7 cats and 2 dogs...
Have to disagree with you on the lap bit though. There is a dog in my lap way more than ever there is a cat.

I end up taking the dogs out in sub-zero weather true but you can't beat the happy dancing welcome greeting from a dog when you come home from work or the store or even from just being outside for a minute. I don't get that from my cats.

Cats are self-sufficient yes, at times, but you hafta admit there is nothing more annoying than a hungry cat when the food dish is empty!!
Dogs NEED us, they're like furry children and they show their love and gratitude in a multitude of ways that cat's don't.

It's a toss up which is better, if either.

Cats would be my answer for all the reasons Victor already has listed. Mostly the doggy smell part. My cats stay inside too because of predators in the woods. People train dogs, cats train people, both make lovely pets depending on the situation.

**sniffs deeply of my dogs**

I've never noticed a bad smell from either of them, must depend upon the breed.

I like both. I have cats because I don't have the time to take care of a dog right. Cats are great till the 7 1/2 lb. decides he wants the queen sized bed for himself. Hubby just gives in to him and I'm the one who has to push cat to the smaller space he needs. Cats definitely train there people and not the other way around. Still love them very much.

Hmmmm....I have had cats and dogs. Currently 2 dogs and one cat. But if I HAD to choose one or the other, it would be the dog. Dogs are a bit more work, but more rewarding. Can't take the cat hiking or swimming with me. Especially the swimming part! Yikes.

No bad smell from mine either 3G. In general, bathing dogs is really not good for their coats or skin. If your cat needs a bath, make sure full body armor is available. I have noticed that Lab's feet smell like Fritos. Dogs, I have to pooper-scoop, Cats, I have to clean the litter box. Toss up.

If I lived in an apartment I would have a cat. But the one cat I would never have is a Tiger ^_^ sorry, couldn't resist.

Litter box is easy compared to the horse stall!

(Dog owners never smell their dogs.)

Ever been in a house where one too many cats decided the litter box was not necessary? Could be male cats just have lousy aim....like some male humans!
;)

Hee hee. My brother and I used to have a contest when we were kids. See which one could walk further away from the toilet while peeing and still get it in!

I bet your Mom just LOVED that game!

Oh yeah. ^_^

Saw a nice adult cat at the vet's today. Would have taken it if I had less than three. Owners had to move (recession) and could not take him. They were crying terribly according to the people there. So sad.

Awwww....what's one more? Sorta like kids....once you have 3, what's 3 more? Well there is the vet bills, I guess. That's why I don't have another dog now.

That is another thing in cats' favour...you don't notice how many you have, they tend to spread themselves out in a house. I have to really hunt to find all 7 of mine.

grew up with 2 cats and a dog - both a good pets and loved them both - one is not better than the other - if i had to choose it would be a dog - you can do more stuff with them like venu mentioned.

do not have any now although wife would love a dog - she has started saving catalogs with puppy's on the cover - white lab puppy with black lips is what she would like - i just do not want an animal leaving hair everywhere and jumping on the furniture or climbing into bed, which my wife would allow and encourage - so it is a no go.

although she does concede that if we had a dog it would end up being mine because we would do stuff together outside - dog just would not get into project runway - this could also be a ruse to get me to agree, i will stay strong.

7 cats??

I've had both cat & dog, if I had to choose I'd pick a dog. Cats are worthless, (lol,, jk!). They don't protect the house, they have attitudes, scratch, pee, you have to keep a litter box in the house... YucK! I don't know why I ever had a cat now that I think of it! lol!

- To be honest I don't have either one now, (that's the way I like it). Unfortunately they both have limited lifespans and it's too heartbreaking to see them 'leave'. They are affectionate pets and you can get attached to them very easily.

yup, 7 cats...and 2 dogs.
Can't tell there's 7 cats in here though. Right now 2 are in the kitchen, 1 on the stairs, 2 on my bed pre-warming my jammies for me, 1 in the spare bedroom and 1 in the dining room. Both dogs are at my feet snoozing.

I've had dogs all my life---couldn't live without one, I guess. Didn't have a cat until I married---we had 4 at various times. Although I like cats, they can't replace a dog for me---my airedale smells musky, but that is their natural smell---he gets shampooed & clipped 4 or 5 times a year---my pointer doesn't smell---very easy to groom---just a damp towel over her short fur---Robs doesn't shed, Suey sheds 24/7----both are very smart, smarter than any cat we've had. Smart dogs can have a vocab up to 250 words according to researchers, average dogs to 150----cats? I don't know! But I do think a dumb dog is easier to live with!

I love both, no contest.
When I was little I was the kid who "found" strays. At one point we had 3 adult cats, 13 kittens, 1 dog, 2 parakeets(Pete & Gladys), 2 rabbits and 1 duck ...Fuzzy Wuzzy. ^_^

Dogs all the way...haven't met one I didn't like. Met many cats I didn't care for though! I have never been without a dog in my life and can't imagine not having one. I currently have 4 and never bathe the Danes just wipe them down once in a while. The bulldog does get a bath in the summer since she tends to think she is a pig and can roll around in the dirt. I guess I like the smell of dogs so they never seem to stink to me. My in-laws have 2 cats and that's the first thing I smell when I go in their house. Can't stand when they walk on the counters either, especially after they use their indoor potty!! LOL

The unconditional love they show can't even compare to your own kids let alone a cat!! LOL

I've never heard of "kitten breath" either!

victor:

As kids, that only works if you're acuminate...

As for us - it's all cats all the time (currently at 4) anymore, because of extended work schedule away from home. When our two old dogs passed away (at 16 and 15, respectively), we converted. Cats remain self-sufficient, yet extremely animatedly affectionate upon our return.

They can even do this:

http://www.wimp.com/inefficientdrinker/

Actually prehensile, VV, but don't want to get too personal...

I've seen that video - great!

Pixie--as a kid, I hatched a duck from an egg laid by the white ducks my father bought one Easter--his name was Lucky Duck!
(only he was not do lucky, my sister stepped on him :-( )

This was an purple dyed 'chicken' egg that my brother bought me for Easter. You were supposed to bring it home, place a lamp over it and watch it hatch. I did and it looked like a very BIG chick when it hatched. ^_^ Now supposedly the dye they used would kill most of the chicks... but mine wasn't "most" much to my poor Mother's dismay. This was not a chicken but in fact a duck and he didn't like mailmen, but loved the neighbors garden. (whoops) Needless to say when Dad didn't get his mail for 2 weeks and the lady next door was greeting him every evening when he got home....Fuzzy Wuzzy had to GO.

Well, that's just 'ducky'! :-( Sounds about right though....they don't make the best pets.

Another cool thing about cats - their ability to land on their feet when dropped upside down. Also, they have survived falls from crazy heights unscathed.

I actively dislike dogs, so it is hard for me to be fair. I hate their neediness and too many people don't train them properly. I'm short, and was REALLY short as a kid - dogs were always huge and therefore intimidating, esp when they run up to greet anyone at the door (friend had dobermans). I've also had a couple try to hump me while I was sitting on the floor. And swimming with them was difficult because they wanted to be where you were, but then you couldn't come up for air!

so, yeah, no dogs please. unless they are well trained, and even then, from afar.

cats match my personality much better. I've only had one so far, and she's awesome. Because I'm allergic, the third night we had her we closed the door. heartbreaking, but it did the trick. We can now leave the door ajar and she never sleeps with us in the bed.

And she gets really excited when I come home, but in her own way. She hears me open the door, and if she is still in bed upstairs I can hear her jump down and run over. And it is so cute - if she is upstairs in her bed, and my husband & I are downstairs and start talking, she'll come down. She's not a lap cat, but she likes to be around.

oh, one last comparison - I *think* I heard my cat fart once. Never smelly. Dogs? At least the dobermans I grew up with, OMG ew. enough said :D

Just got this by email. Great story. My cats can't do this. ^_^

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGODurRfVv4

as kids we always picked up our cats in the "dead deer" position as we called, holding front and back paws - to see how close to the floor we could drop them and still land on their feet. Mittens the mother cat could do it touching the floor - amazing cat - friskie (we were very creative with the names) would just land on his back - he has to be a foot up, lazy cat who lost every fight he was ever in.

the cat's didn't much like us doing the dead deer as i remember:)

I like the dead deer part.

That's a great story Victor. My cat couldn't do that either. Neither could my dogs, although Dexter might give it a shot.

What IS it about boys?? I came home from school one day and my brother had cut the whiskers off my cat. The cat didn't seem to mind, but I was mad at my brother for weeks.

A side note; Dexter is now alive 6 months past his predicted death date. Yay Dex!! I often find him and the cat sofa snoozing together.

Go Dex!!!

Yeah, my brother was weird like that. (No coincidence he became a postal worker.) He used to cut the fur off the ends of the cat tails so it had the square look.

We didn’t do anything like that, as kids we used to see how many clothespins we could put on their tails before we had to let them go.

Cruel!

It was just a kid thing (lol!) I would never do that now of course!!

My cats greet me too, Eve. Two out of the three, anyway. My parents' cat actually sits on the arm of the couch when my dad leaves, staring at the door until he returns!

Living in apartments, I grew up with cats (ones I brought home, to my mothers dismay). I liked their independence. We once got a puppy from a litter in front of the Pathmark, too cute to pass up (even mom was won over). It grew up to be a Saint Bernard. Needless to say he didn't live with us long.

I have one cat and four dogs now. The dogs guard the house and yard. They lay with me when I feel sick (don't know how they know), and follow me around when I'm puttering in the garden. They check out everyone who comes to the door and I feel pretty much protected with them around ( the chow/labs are 90 and 100 lbs).

The cat does walk with us when we go out, but is pretty much a bed and breakfast boarder. I guess he keeps the mice away,havent seen any lately, and he is not picky about his food. They each have their jobs and get along well together so I think I wouldn't have one without the other.

Joyce

great story Victor.