What's so great about cats?

[Rolyo85]

Cats > Dogs

End of story

And a thrilling fantasy story it was!

[rareboy]

Never owned a cat because my dad hates them, but I've never had anything against them. Wouldn't mind owning one some day, but only if my BF knew what to do and wasn't allergic. If he didn't, then I guess I'll stick to dogs since I know how to own those already!

Just a heads up.

You can never own a cat.

[GiancarloC]

Dogs have heart and soul---they save humans---there was a story this week of a rescued dog in Rome--who's owner died 3 months ago ---the dog can't get over it's grief---and the dog wanders in the church everyday where her funeral was held, and lies in the space where her casket was---dogs are in a class all their own.

This /\/\ This is why I prefer a dog over a cat. You can't really get a cat that does that... cats like to do their own thing, but dogs are truly there for their owners. Of course this is just one man's opinion.

[justanothershyguy]

Just a heads up.

You can never own a cat.

Can I use this as an excuse to not pay for one at the pet store?

[Hard-up1]

Sigh.

http://www.care2.com/causes/faithful...ers-grave.html

[PreTTy PeTe]

In regards to dogs vs cats...I prefer monkeys.

[cgymike]

The only thing is you can't go on a hike or a hunt with your cat...

[GiancarloC]

Sure some can cite some selective examples of cats doing what I said, but dogs are still more loyal and by the owner's side.

[tombastep]

Aren't you judging Cats like people judge Pitbulls?

[GiancarloC]

Aren't you judging Cats like people judge Pitbulls?

No.

But this is just one man's opinion. If some prefer a cat more power to them. I can see why the attachment exists... and I'm sure any kind of pet nature can develop a strong bond with their owners. Here is an interesting video on an entirely different animal that seems to have a strong bond with their owner:



It's kinda cute I must admit

[Hard-up1]

But, loyalty could be just an instinctive response to pack mentality, which would certainly impugn any inherent virtue humans associate with loyalty.

At any rate, humans value different things in pets. One may want fish because they represent no emotional involvement at all. Another may enjoy cats because of their independence or whimsy. Still others may like reptiles for their cryptic natures.

Any discourse as to their relative merit is obviously subject to the motivation of any human to keep an animal captive.

[justsimon]

Most animals have the ability to be caring and loyal: cats, dogs, horses, birds, etc. I like dogs and cats equally and had several of each growing up. But, now, I live in the city and am allergic to both.

[Huntneo(PT)]

I prefer cats because dogs are a bit too "extra" for me. Cats' general temperament works much better with my personality.

I like having my cats as pets because they are affectionate without being overbearing. I don't cope well with loudness or over-stimulation, and quite often when visiting a friend with an excitable dog, I find myself feeling extremely uncomfortable around it. A lot of dogs, even those that are relatively well trained, tend to lack boundaries when they get overly excited, and it can be a little overwhelming for me to have an animal all up in my face when I'm just trying to relax or have a conversation with a friend. I'm not at all saying that dogs are bad pets, I've just never really found myself feeling completely at ease when they're running around, panting, and jumping in excitement.

I can enjoy the company of placid dogs, but overall, they're just not for me. A cat is simply better suited to my personality, and I assure you it has very little to do with laziness.

literally this ^^ is how I feel about it.

[xbuzzerx]

Can I use this as an excuse to not pay for one at the pet store?

People buy them? They breed prolifically and out of control.

[palbert]

Dogs have heart and soul---they save humans---there was a story this week of a rescued dog in Rome--who's owner died 3 months ago ---the dog can't get over it's grief---and the dog wanders in the church everyday where her funeral was held, and lies in the space where her casket was---dogs are in a class all their own.

No one ever writes about the dog or cat that never makes it back home from the family vacation.

May be the dog liked the Sacrament.

[bw92116]

The only thing is you can't go on a hike or a hunt with your cat...

But you can go along on one of their hunts.

[loveguys72]

OMG this is hilarious! I can hear my cat saying every word. But mostly he's just happy to sleep in my lap.

But you can go along on one of their hunts.

[MisterMajestic]

A Cat is not a Lazy persons pet even though Some Lazy people happen to own them...I dated a Male & Female that had more than one cat. Both were not into being around big groups of people, mainly homebodies. To me a pet Cat was perfect for them because all of them had their own space in the House and only bothered each other when they felt like it...

[Tristan Chase]

tell me about it i hate cats i always have dreams they are going to attack me and when i tell everyone they just laugh at me or think i am mad.

[Pianist]

At one point we had three cats from the same litter; two females and a male. When we would go say shopping, all three would walk in a line behind us. Eventually, we would get to a busy street we had to cross. The three wouldn't cross with us and we'd continue on to the grocery store.

Coming back, once across the busy street again, they would show up from around various bushes, meowing greetings, and then follow us, in a line back home again.

Cats CAN and DO go for walks with you.

With our current cat Onyx, when Ariel (Ariel is definitely her human) goes out, Onyx is often somewhat distressed and will meow for her. She often will lead me into Ariel's bedroom to let me know that Ariel is NOT there. Further, when Ariel comes up the stairwell, Onyx will hear her and go sit by the door and greet her when she comes in.

Almost every morning, Onyx will greet me when I leave my bedroom by stretching her forelegs out. This IS a cat's way of saying hello. Also, she often likes company when she's eating breakfast. She's many times come in to wake me up, and then led me out to her food bowl whereupon she will proceed with breakfast now that she has company.

She does not like us being behind closed doors; Ariel will be showering and Onyx will sit outside the bathroom door meowing most insistently to be let in, whereupon she'll wait in the bathroom patiently until Ariel is done.

She's often come in with me and sat on the bathroom counter purring whilst I do my business.

To say that cats aren't loyal, or affectionate, or caring is patent nonsense. Again, the key is to relate to the cat at the cat's level... though being intelligent, they quickly learn your habits and daily patterns of behaviour.

Onyx even plays fetch, and will bring a nerf ball to me so I can throw it for her to run after and fetch and yes, she'll bring it back to me sometimes, but often, she'll drop it on the floor, and then bat it towards me. If it goes under the couch or the coffee table where she can't get at it, she'll look at me with a little chirp letting me know I have to get it. When she's done fetching, she'll just lay down and look at the ball after I've thrown it to let me know we're finished for the time being.

Half an hour later, she'll have brought it into the floor in my bedroom where I'm sitting at the computer to let me know she's ready to play fetch some more. If I don't respond right away, she'll bat it towards me with her paw to make sure I see it.

[Kabluey]

Cats tend to do anything for you if they've bonded with you. Things like food rewards don't make much difference.
Think that can be confusing if you're used to dogs. Likewise cats will just 'happen' to sit in the middle of your driveway 'around about' the time you're due to come home, that sort of thing. It's just different.

[ravenstar]

I currently have 3 cats. None of them are a lazy person's pet. They're affectionate, if you're sitting on a chair or lying on the bed they're on your lap or curled up by your side. Felix plays fetch. All freakin' day if you let him. And I mean fetch. Throw a silver ball he races after it, brings it back to you and drops it in your hand, then stands ready to race after it again. When I get home from work of an evening, Loki & Millie are usually sitting on the window sill watching for me to come up the street, and buy the time I walk down the drive way and open the front door all 3 of them are flowing down the stairs. If I don't stop for belly scratches and ear scratches Millie will sit outside my bedroom and meow until I've finished getting changed.

This is Loki, he doesn't particularly understand personal space.

[Benjoe]

Some cats are smarter than others!

[BreakTheIce]

They don't contribute to society in any way except to kill mouses,

Mice.

And also, this is an understatement and you don't realize the importance of cats by that alone, so I stopped reading there and thought it would be better to explain why it's an understatement.

No animal was ever domesticated by mankind without purpose. Basically meaning, people needed the animal in one way or the other, so they domesticated them. If you look at history, at one point, agriculture was one of the main sources of livelihood for man all over the world. Cats were domesticated because farmers realized that cats could kill two things that could kill crops, rodents & birds. Without cats in the picture, there would be nothing stopping mice, rats, and birds from raping every crop that every farmer planted. So this was basically a win win situation for both cat and man. The cat could stay near the farms where it could be assured that a lot of hunting opportunity would present itself. Man in turn would rely on the cat to kill off the rodents and birds, effectively resulting in a better harvest.

Come 14th century, cats were once against part of a reason mankind didn't entirely wipe out from the Bubonic plague outburst in Europe. The plague had killed off nearly 30 - 60% of Europe's population. It didn't affect the rest of the world as badly because Europeans in the 14th century would consider cats to be bad luck and killed off hundreds, thousands of cats, thinking they were associated with witchcraft. This led to outbreaks of the rat population which therefore hit Europe worse with the plague than any other part of the world. If cats hadn't been domesticated in other regions of the world, the plague would have had more devastating effects.

There are also other parts of history where cats have paid important roles for humans, so to say 'they don't contribute to society in any way except to kill mouses' is very shallow.

Let's not forget that no animal has been domesticated since probably 1500-1600, so the ones that were domesticated were therefore domesticated with reason. The fact that their original purpose of domestication may not be the main reason they are kept as pets these days doesn't mean they should be labeled as not contributing to society. They did play a part, and some of them still do

[rareboy]

Cats were worshipped for a reason.

The cat was originally domesticated, as has been pointed out....to kill mice and in particular rats around the granaries.

Egypt's wealth was her wheat.

The cat effectively provided the underpinnings for the Egyptian civilization and therefore...for western civilization as we know it as Egyptian cultural influence (and cats) were exported to Greece, Phoenicia and Rome.

[Blueboy82]

I prefer dogs, after all they're "Men's best Friend" and will be loyal and faithful to you forever.

Also, my chinese horoscope/zodiac is the year of the dog.

[AshyPhoenix]

Proof positive that cats are descendants of holy creatures:



Does anyone seriously think a dog could look that good in a pair of sunnies?

[Hard-up1]

Some cats are smarter than others!

Wonder if the cat was doing that by sight or sound? He did not appear to be visually tracking.

[Adrock-JD]

Oh the answer to this question is easy: because they don't bark!

Absofuckinglutely Amen Thank you

[RonR18]

Absofuckinglutely Amen Thank you

I have no idea where the strange notion cums from that cats don't bark! The below video is proof they bark...

Not true! They just want you to think they don't bark, so dogs will get the blame for all that racket...

[tombastep]

I have no idea where the strange notion cums from that cats don't bark! The below video is proof they bark...

That is one cat. The fact that the "bark" sound slowly transformed into a meow says to me that maybe the cat was just having trouble with its "voice."

[RonR18]

That is one cat. The fact that the "bark" sound slowly transformed into a meow says to me that maybe the cat was just having trouble with its "voice."

Haha...FAIL. The cat didn't start meowing until it saw it's owner. And the only reason it started meowing "slowly" was to try to fool him/her into thinking it "was just having trouble with its voice." As that was the only option it had after being caught red-pawed.

[tombastep]

Yes, I am sure the cat felt guilty because its owner caught him/her barking so he/she decided to start meowing at that point. Got it.

[Ryuukie]

To the OP, what a mean spirited thread. What compelled you to try and 'rouse up bad feelings about cats. Bet you've kicked a few in your day, haven't you?

[RonR18]

Yes, I am sure the cat felt guilty because its owner caught him/her barking so he/she decided to start meowing at that point. Got it.

Butt it has nothing to do with guilt. As I said, they want dogs to get the blame for the racket, and this cat was caught in the act trying to frame a dog.

[tombastep]

Yep. Did the Cops come and arrest the Cat for fraud and defamation of character?

[RonR18]

Yep. Did the Cops come and arrest the Cat for fraud and defamation of character?

Dunno...you'll have to ask the cat.

[GiancarloC]

Cats were worshipped for a reason.

The cat was originally domesticated, as has been pointed out....to kill mice and in particular rats around the granaries.

Egypt's wealth was her wheat.

The cat effectively provided the underpinnings for the Egyptian civilization and therefore...for western civilization as we know it as Egyptian cultural influence (and cats) were exported to Greece, Phoenicia and Rome.

ERhm cough cough... dogs were worshiped too. Including in Egypt.

http://asiapacificuniverse.com/pkm/dogstory.htm

The Greeks called Hardai by the name Cynopolis "Dog City" revealing how they identified this god. During Roman times, mummified dogs were placed at Anubis temples. Also the fact that Hardai was teeming with dog cemetaries makes it very clear that this deity was at least partly associated with the domestic canine.

It's not nice to only tell half of the story.

Egyptian god Anubis:

http://dawnsdressdiary.files.wordpre...tatueforum.jpg

And that second statement is a big stretch.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogs#Roles_with_humans

Dogs were also said to control rodents, as well as vital for hunting. They were even important for sanitation as they ate food scraps (which would also help control against rodents).

[tombastep]

It's not nice to only tell half of the story.

It is when the thread was started solely to trash Cats.

[GiancarloC]

It is when the thread was started solely to trash Cats.

Nope. It's good to give a balanced picture of history, regardless of the OP.

[tombastep]

People are talking about how Cats contributed to society because it was questioned in the OP. There is a reason as to why we're not talking about Dogs contributing to society.

[GiancarloC]

It's still good to give a balanced picture regardless. Both animals had their purpose for early civilizations and both were vital. And this thread isn't designated on topic... hah!

[Scealle]

I am more of a bird person (penguins especially). But I like cats as much as I love dogs. Dogs are a bit more expensive to take care of in my own personal experience. My parents spent quite a lot to maintain/take care of my 2 German Shepherds. (So sad them one of them passed last year due to sickness On the other hand my cat friends hardly spent much on their pets. Especially the toilet trained cats.

[CowboyBob]

I love my cat. He adopted me 16 years ago and has been a loyal companion ever since. He sleeps with me, sits next to my keyboard when I'm at my desk (he's here right now), follows me around like a puppy and keeps a close watch on me. Whenever I come home he runs to greet me. He gets along well with my dog... they're buddies. They'll eat and play together.

Cats are wonderful companion animals. I couldn't imagine my life without one around.

[vettehottie]

I love my 2 kitties, brothers from the same litter. One is a pussy and the other is an 18lb alpha beast. The pussy prefers me and the alpha beast is actually somewhat protective of my partner. He follows him to bed at night, sleeps at the foot of his bed when he is not prowling around the house, watches him go to sleep and then once thats accomplished he will roam.

Each cat has their own personality. Both are very pretty, intelligent, and communicative. I think the deal is you have to learn to communicate with them, speak "cat". They let you know when something is wrong, and they let you know when they need something. Also they are both pretty independent, you can leave for a weekend and go out of town, as long as they have plenty of food, water, and fresh litter, they should be fine. They might be a little pissed when you return, but they get over it.

Ive noticed both cats seem to sleep a good portion of the time. Ill admit it seems they are lazy and sleeping their life away, but who couldnt use more sleep? I do try to keep them active by playing with them (laser pointers make good fun, so do toys which stimulate their natural reflexes) and occasionally give them catnip.

I love dogs but there really is no way i could leave a dog inside the house while im away at work. Also i would never want to leave a dog outside when its freezing out or if its 110 degrees, we have ridiculous weather swings here where we live.

[Vannie]

I absolutely love cats





















































I especially love them in General Tso's chicken

*here kitty kitty kitty*

[RonR18]

What's not great about a cat that enjoys a bath...

[BreakTheIce]

It's still good to give a balanced picture regardless. Both animals had their purpose for early civilizations and both were vital. And this thread isn't designated on topic... hah!

True.

This also explains why dogs train faster than cats under human command. Dogs were domesticated to perform a multitude of tasks of people, so they have evolved to learn fast. But on their own, they don't learn as much.

Cats are the opposite. They were domesticated for something they already knew how to do. So they don't really care to learn from people, though cats can be trained with extensive training.

Left to their own devices cats often learn much faster than dogs do. This is why you can find cats perform odd tasks without ever being taught to do them. This includes opening doors, using the toilet like a person, flushing the toilet, opening/closing a faucet, etc.

[JayHawk]

Dog um betta.... ugg!

[GiancarloC]

Um somewhat true about dogs. Dogs are trained for hunting. But wild dogs are natural born hunters. They are smart animals on their own... especially these clever African wild dogs. Dogs have as much instinct as cats.

Left to their own devices cats often learn much faster than dogs do.

Not necessarily true either. But I'll agree to disagree.