Do You Prefer Cats Or Dogs? Your Choice of Pet Says Something About You

[sniperkiller 0]

well peeps, before deciding to pick a pet, you should first think about your living placeif you live on a flat or small hotel chamber compared to if you live in a house with a garden (small or big)if you live on a flat, it wouldn't be clever to get yourself a cat, since cats like to run around in the worldit would have hard times living in a flat, i know people who lost their cat just because it found a way out of the flatand it went for a walk in the world outside, they never saw it backa dog is a lot more suitable for living in a flat, since it stays with you and you can go for a walk with itcats are more independant and a lot more curious then dogs (in my view)a house with a garden is suitable for both a cat and a dog, they can run around as much as they want even if ur garden is a small one, the view of grass makes pets happybut still the choice is up to you pall :Pi personally don't like dogs, bad experiences from long time ago ...so i got 3 cats ^^ and it's true what the other people write, their purring makes u relaxed ^^

[Misanthrope 0]

Ok, just to be crystal clear here, we're talking about cats, specifically felis catus, not its wild cousin, felis panthera. Also, we're talking about Canis lupus familiaris or the domestic dog, not its wild brother the grey wolf -Canis Lupis.

Yes, I agree the thread starter makes it quite clear the subject matter regards DOMESTIC dogs and cats. Talk of befriending wild animals is not helpful discussion where this thread is concerned, and it trivializes a perfectly good topic starter. Moreover, encouraging contact with "felis panthera" in his wild habitat (or anywhere) promotes potentially dangerous behavior that benefits neither man nor beast - with very few exceptions. See here for more on the folly and cruelty inherent in this mindset. More often than not, big cats taken from their natural habitat to live with man meet with a tragic end or, if they're lucky, end up in shelters. I would request members posting on this topic to focus on the spirit of the thread, that is, your preference of DOMESTIC cat or dog as pet, and how you feel that preference reflects your unique personality. For those who'd rather focus on confronting wild animals, don't let me stop you from starting a thread on this elsewhere, or throwing yourself in front of the next 400 pound predator you happen upon.
The last thing any humane person should do is ignore the plight of domestic breeds already compromised by man in favor of exotic species that belong in the wild. And the best thing we can do for the wild things of this earth is maintain their habitat and protect them from man's encroachment. Some of you may be familiar with idiot, "Grizzly Man," who thought he could befriend a bear in the wild. While amusing, his violent end came as no suprise to anyone versed in realty. Unlike the leopard and other wild beasts, the domestic cat and dog have been part of the human household and family for centuries, and that genetic memory remains, even when they are abandoned and left to fend for themselves, as is often the case in the third world. Wherever there are people, there will be unwanted domestics in need of loving homes. The fact that wanton cruelty and disregard of cats and dogs is considered normal in more backward regions of the planet does not make it any less reprehensible to civilized man.
Edited March 16, 2007 by Misanthrope (see edit history)

[facool 0]

well, I have a dog, so I prefer dogs. They are more pleasants I guess. I don't know why but cats seens a little false, when they came close they allways wants something...

[Yratorm, LightMage 0]

Hmm, I've been getting a lot of comments telling me to 'toe the line' on this thread. Please note that I'm not trying to 'trivialize' this topic.

 

 

Unless you're suicidal that is, then, by all means, approach!

Don't let me stop you throwing yourself in front of the next 400 pound predator you happen upon.

This sort of talk verges on the the insulting. Just remember, what may be dangerous to you need not be dangerous to me. Please note that. The world is not one-dimensional, and neither are human beings. We each have our talents, and learning to communicate with animals is one of mine. Did you know that wild birds come when I call?? They do. And speaking of cats, did you know that most wild cats have a complex language of facial gestures that they actually use to communicate, and that a human can use this language to communicate with them? Simply put, in 'civilized' societies people learn different skills from those who live in closer contact with the wild.

 

It ADDS to this discussion, not subtracts from it, that you're getting the benefit of a very different point of view.

 

I'd also just like to point out that this is an international forum, and just because certain rules apply in America, they don't hold true everywhere. For example, wild dogs roaming the countryside do not pose a problem where we are, as natural predators keep their population down.

 

If packs of dogs revert to 'wolf like' behavior to survive in 'backward' nations (as you put it) such as mine, that is freedom, not suffering. They eat quite as well that way than when fed by the oft-degrading hand of man. And I'm talking about a mountain region where sources of food for these hunting packs exists. I hardly call this maltreatment. So this isn't maltreating a dog, it's giving it the ultimate freedom, the freedom to live and die free. NOTE that I'm only talking about how wild dogs exist in my particular geographical region, not elsewhere. And if 30,000 dogs are 'put down' in american 'shelters' every year, don't look at me, I'm hardly responsible for the practices of 'civilized' societies.

 

 

See, my point is this - just because it is impossible/dangerous for you to befriend a leopard, doesn't mean the same rule applies to me. Perhaps I have some levels of experience here that you don't, as I've spent quite a few years in their home jungles.

 

A leopard is still, technically a 'cat'. Just because you want to talk about house cats is no reason to 'shout me down'. By all means talk about house cats - I'm not stopping you at all. But to imply that I'm purposely trivializing the discussion is totally unnecessary and worse, untrue. I would have thought that it would be nice for you to get input from 'another kind of world' rather than to just keep this thread in the 'western' hemisphere. As I said, it ADDS to the discussion, instead of subtracting from it.

[Watermonkey 0]

Hmm, I've been getting a lot of comments telling me to 'toe the line' on this thread. Please note that I'm not trying to 'trivialize' this topic.

This sort of talk verges on the the insulting. Just remember, what may be dangerous to you need not be dangerous to me. Please note that. The world is not one-dimensional, and neither are human beings. We each have our talents, and learning to communicate with animals is one of mine. Did you know that wild birds come when I call?? They do. And speaking of cats, did you know that most wild cats have a complex language of facial gestures that they actually use to communicate, and that a human can use this language to communicate with them? Simply put, in 'civilized' societies people learn different skills from those who live in closer contact with the wild.

 

It ADDS to this discussion, not subtracts from it, that you're getting the benefit of a very different point of view.

 

I'd also just like to point out that this is an international forum, and just because certain rules apply in America, they don't hold true everywhere. For example, wild dogs roaming the countryside do not pose a problem where we are, as natural predators keep their population down.

 

If packs of dogs revert to 'wolf like' behavior to survive in 'backward' nations (as you put it) such as mine, that is freedom, not suffering. They eat quite as well that way than when fed by the oft-degrading hand of man. And I'm talking about a mountain region where sources of food for these hunting packs exists. I hardly call this maltreatment. So this isn't maltreating a dog, it's giving it the ultimate freedom, the freedom to live and die free. NOTE that I'm only talking about how wild dogs exist in my particular geographical region, not elsewhere. And if 30,000 dogs are 'put down' in american 'shelters' every year, don't look at me, I'm hardly responsible for the practices of 'civilized' societies.

See, my point is this - just because it is impossible/dangerous for you to befriend a leopard, doesn't mean the same rule applies to me. Perhaps I have some levels of experience here that you don't, as I've spent quite a few years in their home jungles.

 

A leopard is still, technically a 'cat'. Just because you want to talk about house cats is no reason to 'shout me down'. By all means talk about house cats - am I stopping you? But to imply that I'm purposely trivializing the discussion is totally unnecessary and worse, untrue. I would have thought that it would be nice for you to get input from 'another kind of world' rather than to just keep this thread in the 'western' hemisphere. As I said, it ADDS to the discussion, instead of subtracting from it.

I created a special topic just for you to discuss your adventures with wild animals. It's under Science and Nature. Please post your comments regarding wild cats and such there. This topic is regarding the personalities of people who prefer either a domestic cat or dog.

[Yratorm, LightMage 0]

Watermonkey, you wrote a great post on domestic cats - I read it, and I liked it, but most of it, including the breeds you mentioned, doesn't apply to me, as they aren't available where I am, nor will be available in the forseeable future.

 

I'm talking about pets here, and I'm happy talking about pets here, so please do the same and stop going on again and again about my posts, which really infringes on my personal freedoms. You are DEFINITELY interfering with my personal freedoms here, especially with my freedom of speech, and I say right out that I don't like that at all. Please desist.

 

You know well enough from past experience that I'm more than willing to go to a new topic when I think it applies. However, here I am discussing pets, canine and feline, as they apply to my particular region. My region is NOT america, so please don't talk like it is. Most of your advice about 'close to wild' breeds are impossible to acquire where I live. In fact, a leopard cub is MUCH, MUCH easier to acquire where i live than any breed you mention.

 

I think that just because I come from a distant land doesn't mean I should be told to 'just be silent' rather than put in my input. That is not very nice at all.

 

I maintain that what I've written is reasonably interesting, and therefore it is better and more informative than if I'd just written 'yeah, I like cats too'.

[Tetraca 0]

I'm a dog person since they seem to be much more cheerful and active than the cats I've seen. Plus, I ended up having to maintain a cat much more than my dog for various reasons including the litterbox, tendancies to wreck things by scratching them(All I have to do for my dog to not destroy things is close the closet door and make sure there is a cover on the kitchen wastebasket).

[hyriu 0]

Hmmm What to get a dog or a cat ?It all depends on your lifestyle and other variables. If you are looking for a pet to just to keep you company a cat or a small dog will sufice. If you are looking for a companion to go hicking, running or any other outdoor activity you need a dog hands down ! Cats are loners most of them prefer to be left alone and only will come to you when its either time to feed them or they want the company as well. They groom themselves and they require low maintenance. Dogs on the other hand require more attention and are very loyal companions. If you take the time you can train your dog to do all sort of diferent activities that you both can enjoy. Short hair dogs are more easier to maintain than medium or long haired ones that require you to either cut their hairs or take them to the groomer. Me personally I'm a dog person.

[Misanthrope 0]

I created a special topic just for you to discuss your adventures with wild animals. It's under Science and Nature. Please post your comments regarding wild cats and such there. This topic is regarding the personalities of people who prefer either a domestic cat or dog.

 

Thank you, Spam Patrol! I would like to reiterate that this thread does indeed concern domestic house cats and dogs, which are kept as beloved companions - not animals who have reverted, for whatever reason, to a wild state, or who were wild to begin with. Folks who are more interested in focusing on animals in their wild state are invited to post on the thread Watermonkey just started under Science and Nature. If you somehow find talk of ?house? cats boring or trivial, by all means, start a thread on wild cats elsewhere, as your attitude will not contribute helpful information to this thread. While interesting, discussion of wild animals is not the topic of discussion here, and has thus far done nothing but detract from the topic and incite antagonism. As topic starter, I would like you to focus your thoughts on domestic cats and dogs, and how you feel your preference reflects on your personality ? regardless of your geographical location. In other words ? please do not post on this thread if you can?t focus on domestic cats and dogs.

 

I've revisited this thread and I see my last post was removed without due cause. This irks me, as it is unethical behavior against Trap policy and it cost me credits. My post was in response to a spam post the author later removed. I have no problem with that, but he had no right to remove my post along with his. To reiterate, the post simply stated that future spam from a specific individual who has repeatedly spammed my threads would be viewed as deliberate inciting/harassing behavior, and would be reported as such to admin. Hopefully, that will not be necessary.

I have 2 cats, their names are:

 

Male Cat = Ny (short name for danny)

Female Cat = Tucha

I have two beautiful cats as well, both of them rescued from bad situations. One was dropped off at the Humane Society because the original owner thought he was too much trouble for her in her small apartment (whatever - he's the most mellow cat I've had the pleasure to share time with), and the other was rescued as a kitten in Nebraska from a motel, where he wandered from room to room looking for a handout.

 

I just read somewhere that it's better to have cats in even numbers than odd. I'm thinking that would be fine excuse to acquire not just one, but two more kitty cats. We have a rescue group here in my small town called, "Kitten Haven." Not exactly a well researched name in my opinion, but they do the best with what they have. The rescue operation consists of just one woman who houses several unwanted (domestic) cats in her modest trailer home. Yes -the fact I'm considering getting more cats, and don't own one dog, would most certainly "certify" me as an unabashed cat person! I do feel that preference jives with my personality, as I don't care for group activities, can entertain myself for hours on end, and am a staunch independent. As for Kitten Haven, they don't even have a web site. I'm thinking of starting one for them...

Edited March 21, 2007 by Misanthrope (see edit history)

[Lyon2 0]

facool, cats do not come to us humans just when they want something, it depends on the relationship you have with the cat, cats do not trust us, especially when we talk loud and do things that scare them, cats get scared easily and they tend to not trust even their own kind, and that is a quality of a very smart beeing if you ask me.Dogs come to us humans a lot more then cats because they want to play, they want to protect, they want to eat.Cats come to us humans to eat, to play, to get protection (depends of your relationship, usually they just run like hell if they spot trouble) despite their distrust in us humans.

Edited March 22, 2007 by Lyon2 (see edit history)

[FolkRockFan 0]

On the subject of being a cat's caretaker: it is possible to teach/train most cats. Some people have taught their cats to use the toilet instead of a litter box. Just flush every now and then and it's all good. I also worked at a horse racetrack with a man who, like me, lived in one of the small rooms on the grounds. Seeing as he only had one small room and did not want to smell a litter box (even a very clean one), he taught both of his cats to scratch at the door. They went outside to do their business and, because cats bury their own mess, the man didn't have any cleanup duties.You can also train the cats to stay away from things that they're not supposed to investigate/trash/whatever. My cats only jump onto the kitchen counter when I tap it with my finger to let them know that they should get up there for a special treat. Otherwise, they just get on the trash can or one of the bar stools at the counter and eyeball me very closely to make sure that I see their desire to be fed :lol:Knowing all of that, though, will not turn a dog person into a cat person. We still prefer whatever pets we prefer and there's nothing wrong with that.This cat training business does, however, make it very difficult for me to understand why people dump the poor kitties at the nearest shelter (if they even give the cats that little amount of "courtesy") with the excuse of "I can't handle them." I can only pray that these people are sterile, because if they cannot manage a housecat then they should not be trusted with children.

[assasinkilla 0]

I prefer dogs, I think its more cool, make arobics and all that, cats its like more relaxed and all that, well i got 2 dogs and i love them

[Misanthrope 0]

I prefer dogs, I think its more cool, make arobics and all that, cats its like more relaxed and all that, well i got 2 dogs and i love them

Interesting observation. I do think one is more inclined to move around a lot more with a pet dog(s) in the house. Although a certified cat person, I really miss my Helga girl. She was a Rottweiler I rescued from a shelter as a puppy, so she was well trained from the cot, and a joy to take on walks around the 'hood. Sadly, she died around age seven, which apparently is not uncommon for a large dog.
I did a little research and found out she had been dumped at the shelter by, you guessed it, a breeder. Helga had a tumor growing on her eye and the breeder didn't want the expense of taking her to the veterinarian. And of course, an unsightly growth on her eye would make her harder to sell (yeah - it's all about money for some people). At any rate, but the time she arrived at the shelter the tumor had gotten so bad her entire eye had to be removed by the shelter vet. The moral of the story is she turned out to be a perfectly good dog and did just fine without one of her eyes, but her fate and those like her could have easily been avoided if people would stop putting money above living things.

But I digress. It is "cool" to have a pet dog, walk him around on a leash, teach him "sit," "heal," and such. That part of my personality misses having a dog. Since Helga died, I've been taking in foster dogs from a local rescue operation. They only stay long enough to get a permanent home. Dogs are a big responsibility. I would highly recommend fostering to anyone wanting to spend time with dogs but not ready or able to make a lifelong commitment.

[FolkRockFan 0]

I'm all for fostering shelter pets. It's a great way to help out the local shelter or rescue organization.I also HIGHLY recommend adopting adult cats and dogs. Most people who go to shelters want puppies and kittens, so the older pets don't have the best chances of being adopted. But I have to admit that I rarely follow my own advice. This home is always FULL of cats and dogs who never saw the shelter. People dump pets near our house. We're very isolated, so it's apparently "safe" to throw out cats and dogs like household trash around here *sigh*. We try to find homes but there have been plenty of times when we couldn't place them...so they ended up living with us permanently.That's why we currently have seven cats and...actually, I don't know exactly how many dogs are around here right now. Two of the rescues just had puppies - a couple of weeks apart. (There was no opportunity to have them spayed, but we're having that done after the puppies are weaned.) So we have thirteen puppies who are about four weeks old. Hopefully we can find homes for them all. Good homes, I mean. :lol:Heh. If anybody happens to live in East Texas and wants an adorable puppy - or several adorable puppies - we'll be able to help you out in a couple of months or so *grins*

[Misanthrope 0]

This home is always FULL of cats and dogs who never saw the shelter. People dump pets near our house. We're very isolated, so it's apparently "safe" to throw out cats and dogs like household trash around here *sigh*. We try to find homes but there have been plenty of times when we couldn't place them...so they ended up living with us permanently.

That's great! I want seven cats too. Did you ever think of filing for tax-exempt status? May as well. Sounds like you certainly have enough critters to qualify. I commend you for taking them in and bearing the responsibilty. About the dumping of pets, I have a similar problem in my neck of the woods. It's pretty rural, so eventually dogs end up reverting to a semi-wild state, running in packs and harassing and/or killing people's chickens, chasing deer, and raising general havoc. Then there are the poor kitties that turn feral, sometimes spreading disease to domestic cats that are unfortunate enough to get into a fight with one. Sadly, there aren't any rescue groups helping them up here. And yes, the people responsible for this sad state of affairs should definitely stop breeding themselves!