[Three of Seven]

This is a conversation I have had many times over the past week and with others in the past, I will just open by saying cats are not the same as dogs and as such, can't be compared, which many people attempt to do. You wouldn't compare a dog to a parrot or a cat to a hamster, but commonly cats and dogs are compared to each other. When it comes down to instinct, cats are hunters, while dogs are closer to scavengers, while both have the reverse skill, that is often their dominant one and that is what most likely dictates their behaviours. It is in the interest of a dog to befriend a human in order to gain access to food, whereas a cat, while appreciates the food you provide, can go out and hunt, as some do, sometimes bring home a gift for you.

They are both intelligent but for different things, a cat is less likely to learn tricks unless there is something of equal value in it for them, whereas a dog looks for your affection as a reward. But this isn't to say cats aren't social, they will play games with you and show their affection in different ways, some hurt but it's not their intention most of the time. But then you have some breeds of cats which can be compared with the domestic dog because they are more obedient and willing to be trained tricks, so less wild.

Most animals kept as pets will see you as part of their family, flock, pride, pack, etc but they all express it in a different way. I have had budgies for a lot of my life, they will attempt to mimic the behaviours they see, one used to lay down next to you if you were sleeping on the sofa, or stay with you when you were sick. A lot of animals have this ability, they all just express it differently, it doesn't make them any less loving of your company if you love them back, they can also get along with each other, there have been houses with cats, dogs and birds with no attacks.

I suppose the topic title is slightly misleading and this is just more of my thoughts as I commonly hear about cats not showing affection, but the comparison is always to dogs. Each animal is different, even each human is different!

[Solace]

I've had cats in the past and I've rehomed them because I don't like the scratching and the claw marks on furniture. Currently I have two dogs, both Caviler breed called Robbie and Reggie. Here's a picture:



I would I'm definitely more a dog person, I prefer the companionship that dogs offer, you know "Mans Best Friend" and all that, from my biased perspective I would say dogs are more loyal creatures than cats, although its all a matter of semantics. However Three, you are quite correct that really you can't compare cats and dogs to each other.

I consider my dogs part of my family, I love coming home and then having a lovely excited welcome home from them, getting my dogs was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

But humans need some point of reference to compare one thing to another, and that is exactly what happens when like you said someone compares cats to dogs and says which one is better, its a human fallacy but its just nature

[Three of Seven]

I've had cats in the past and I've rehomed them because I don't like the scratching and the claw marks on furniture.

That is surprisingly easy to train out of a cat if you are worried about furniture, a scratching post is always a wise investment as part of the training.

I would I'm definitely more a dog person, I prefer the companionship that dogs offer, you know "Mans Best Friend" and all that, from my biased perspective I would say dogs are more loyal creatures than cats, although its all a matter of semantics. However Three, you are quite correct that really you can't compare cats and dogs to each other.

Cats are also exceptionally loyal, if they weren't, they wouldn't keep returning to you as they have the skills to survive on their own, nor would they roll over exposing their belly to you. While a lot of cats don't enjoy belly rubs, it is still a sign that they really trust you.

Dogs show loyalty in a way that works better to humans because they are more willing to put themselves in a lower social standing than their owner, while a cat wants a more equal footing.

[Solace]

Cats are also exceptionally loyal, if they weren't, they wouldn't keep returning to you as they have the skills to survive on their own, nor would they roll over exposing their belly to you. While a lot of cats don't enjoy belly rubs, it is still a sign that they really trust you.

Dogs show loyalty in a way that works better to humans because they are more willing to put themselves in a lower social standing than their owner, while a cat wants a more equal footing.

I hadn't considered that, as I said I am more a dog person in that respect. The cats that I had have though were only kittens because more mature cats can be harder to train, its the same with dogs. Because kittens often tend to be rather small I had worries about losing the cat under the sofa and things like that.

I have no doubt that cats are also exceptionally loyal provided you treat them right, it just differs from person to person on their preference of pet, some prefer turtles while others preference big animals like Huskies. I've not had a cat long enough to comment on the belly rubbing point but I can offer a small story.

The black and brown dog in the picture I posted (Reggie) was actually a rescue dog and was quite badly abused by the previous owners. I've had him for a little over a year now and he is starting to trust me more and more each day, there are some days when if I make an unexpected hand movement he will cower in fear. He's suffered some physical abuse in the past, also I suspect other kinds of abuse as well. I've noticed he has a tendency to guard his food and try and steal it.

He must have been underfed in the past or had food taken away as some kind of cruel punishment?

He has to watch precisely what I'm doing with my hands when I pet him other he reacts like above. I make a point to give him some one to one attention in the sense that I will take him for walks without Robbie and let him sit on my lap for a cuddle in the evenings.

[Kerry Malone]

I have been a cat person all my life. I've had many family cats - and at the moment we currently have six of the little buggers. We had a dog for a few years, but we adopted her as an Oldie foster who needed a forever home. We decided to give her the best years of her remaining life after such a poor one (She was used as a puppy farm for 10 years).

Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of ALL the cats, but here's a helping of the one's I have.


Penny


Flea


Sooty


Just to validate Three's comments about Cats & Dogs getting on - here's Mish, Flea, Soo (Who hates everyone) and Sooty.