Dogs vs. Cats: Which Is The Best Pet?
December 15, 2009 at 12:22 pm, by Jennifer Castoro
Before you send me mountains (megabytes?) of hate e-mail for even posing this question, let me explain. The magazine New Scientist tested the question in an appropriately scientific manner, billing it the Great Pet Showdown. (National Dog Show be damned!) They compared the two furry companions in 11 different categories, including brain capacity (cats won that one, despite their teeny noggins), popularity (cats again victorious), bonding (dogs were found to be enraptured with their owners, but cats couldn’t be bothered with the testing, thus skewing the results), and utility (dogs can pull things and sniff things out, cats can scratch and poop).
And the winner of this paw-to-paw battle? Dogs! (Commence angry commenting.)
But, in fairness to both sides, the article concludes that any pet that gives you love, affection and an occasional snuggle is the best pet for you, and will boost your health (dog walking is great exercise!) and lower your stress levels. In that vein, even bunnies, ferrets, mini pigs and other pettable critters are fabulous companions.
I happen to be a dog person – I love smashed-face pups like pugs and bulldogs. Seriously, the chubbier and smushier, the better. Leg rolls and snorty breathing? Sign me up! However, I have shared a small apartment with two very lovable cats who kept me beyond entertained with their constant power struggles (my favorite battles were when they’d paw at each other and run away) and their wacky habits of rubbing my legs while I was cooking and hopping in the bathtub for a quick rinse if the shower dared run unattended for more than 10 seconds. They were a ridiculously hilarious tag team of fur, and definitely made my opinion of felines a much more positive one (though maybe that was largely because one of them was seriously…large, and we know my feelings on corpulent animals). Also, the chubby one sat in my lap while I sobbed at Grey’s Anatomy and gave me empathetic kitty eyes, which was cute. So for me, it’s a draw.
What do you think? Who rules – dogs or cats? Can we ever really resolve this heated debate?
Photo courtesy of TrishHamme
Categories: Ladies' Lounge | Tags: | 3 Comments
3 Responses to “Dogs vs. Cats: Which Is The Best Pet?”
Written on December 15, 2009 at 12:48 pm, by Dragon Blogger
I love cats and dogs myself, though enjoy cats more because of their curious and aloof nature. We only have one dog in my household though and I do love the loyal (best friend) appeal of a dog.
Written on December 16, 2009 at 3:34 pm, by Ron
Expect angry letters (and perhaps hairballs) from Lloyd and Wilson. Hand delivered by me, of course. Their faithful servant.
Written on December 17, 2009 at 2:42 pm, by Glynis
I’ve owned both cats & dogs. Cats are good if you want an independent pet that can essentially take care of itself. I never really felt like I owned a cat, it owned me & let me live in its house. Dogs are loyal, loving & attentive. Whenever I needed comfort or company, my dog was there, but the cat was nowhere to be found until it was ready to eat or be petted.