Why do people favor dogs over cats?

Well?

Fifteen thousand years of human history, perhaps?
Honestly, cats are [childish epithet posted by a bigoted tool], and so are the people who like them.
Some people prefer sycophants to complex individuals with wills and desires different from their own.
Dogs want to please you. Cats want you to please them.
I dunno. I like cat better, especially when stir fried.
Chang%20Jia%20Yao
Loving a kittie is virtually the same as loving a another human. The only difference is the kittie will stick around if the grub and grooming is good. Loving a dog is wonderful fantasy. Dogs have no human counter parts, but represent a type of human that will never exist except in ones dreams. in the short, it is a competition of fantasy vs reality.
I like the cats AND the dogs.
Dogs are a pack animal, so they are more emotionally attached to humans whom they see as members of the same pack. Cats think of you as "That thing that brings the food." Dogs are much smarter.
They don't. It was all talk. LOLcat proved that once and for all.
A study done at Oxford University concluded that dogs are becoming more intelligent over time while cats have remained at much the same level of mental ability that they had when we first domesticated them. Not only are dogs smarter than cats, but the gap between the species is increasing over time. This may explain why we never hear about such things as a "seeing eye cat," "police cat" or "search and rescue cat."
No idea. Dogs don't belong indoors. They are unable to clean themselves or poop in a designated area- like a litter box.
Read dogshaming.com *for a month* and tell me you still prefer dogs.
I want you to want ME!
Dog%20Owners
[quote]Fifteen thousand years of human history, perhaps? Correct! Dogs were bred to "work" with humans. Hunting dogs, guard dogs, livestock dogs. Cats just were around to eat the rodents. Modern humans obsession with pets is unhealthy.
Miss%20Sissy%20Boodles
I love both cats and dogs. In my experience, people who say they don't like cats have never known one. Cats are more subtle. Dogs are big noisy extroverts.
OP is clearly a lesbian!
I don't understand r2's point about cats. Cat's are indifferent, but I never thought of them as "bigoted." But I do prefer dogs, mostly because they are much more interactive and responsive. Some cats may as well be part of the wall. They just do their own thing, which is fine if you're talking about a bird in the yard, but not for a pet.
This clip might give you some insight into the ongoing controversy, OP.
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DGbycvPwr1Wg
"Cats are more subtle" means they ignore you until they want something from you.
That dogs are dear to the unimaginative peasant-burgher whilst cats appeal to the sensitive poet-aristocrat- philosopher will be clear in a moment when we reflect on the matter of biological association. Practical plebeian folk judge a thing only by its immediate touch, taste, and smell; while more delicate types form their estimates from the linked images and ideas which the object calls up in their minds. Now when dogs and cats are considered, the stolid churl sees only the two animals before him, and bases his favour on their relative capacity to pander to his sloppy, uniformed ideas of ethics and friendship and flattering subservience. On the other hand the gentleman and thinker sees each in all its natural affiliations, and cannot fail to notice that in the great symmetries of organic life dogs fall in with slovenly wolves and foxes and jackals and coyotes and dingoes and painted hyaenas, whilst cats walk proudly with the jungle's lords, and own the haughty lion, the sinuous leopard, the regal tiger, and the shapely panther and jaguar as their kin. Dogs are the hieroglyphs of blind emotion, inferiority, servile attachment, and gregariousness -- the attributes of commonplace, stupidly passionate, and intellectually and imaginatively underdeveloped men. Cats are the runes of beauty, invincibility, wonder, pride, freedom, coldness, self-sufficiency, and dainty individuality -- the qualities of sensitive, enlightened, mentally developed, pagan, cynical, poetic, philosophic, dispassionate, reserved, independent, Nietzschean, unbroken, civilised, master-class men. The dog is a peasant and the cat is a gentleman.
H.%20P.%20Lovecraft
Some favor dogs. Some Favor cats. Some favor both. It's not hard OP.
How about some non-Euclidean linebreaks there, Lovecraft?
Chthulu
Thank you OP (18). I love that video and wanted to share it but couldn't find it again until your post. Of course, I like because I am a dog person, and have not had a very good experience living with cats, but I like my friends' cats. I just came back from visiting friends who have a female dog and two male cats, and all three of them are adorable. With cats, a neutered male is a much more interactive pet than a female.
John
Devil worshippers love cats. Normal people love dogs.
R19, dogs can be the same way. I call our dog "man's best friend" when he's hanging around drooling for a bit of our dinner. Dogs can be every bit as opportunistic as cats. The difference I think is that dogs are more dependent on human approval.
because dogs aren't secretly planning to kill you
R24 = Marguerite Perrin
[quote]because dogs aren't secretly planning to kill you Maybe not, but they are planning to rape your baby.
Mr%20Tiddles
[quote] This may explain why we never hear about such things as a "seeing eye cat," "police cat" or "search and rescue cat." You were one step away from a W & W.
Didn%27t%20we%20almost%20have%20it%20all....
Every time I see someone with a bad scratch from their cat, the story is always " We were just playing and all of a sudden he/she scratched me". I have heard this from people of all ages, so it is not from a four year old who was pulling on a tail. I never hear from dog owners that they were playing with the dog and it scratched them hard or bit them.
dogs%20rule
[quote]I don't understand [R2]'s point about cats. Cat's are indifferent, but I never thought of them as "bigoted." t17, r2 didn't call cats bigoted. He used a word that is banned on DL and is replaced by the words in the brackets. The word starts with the letter "e." r2 is saying that men who own cats are not real men.
t30 you've never known anyone who had a severe dog bite?
From the time I was nine years old to the present, I've had only cats as pets. I love dogs too, but have yet to live in a situation that would be a good home environment for a dog. For instance, a situation where there would nearly always be someone home with the dog to give him/her the emotional and practical (such as "bathroom" walks every few hours, and baths when needed) attention they require. Without that, a dog is not going to be happy. I want any pet I have to have everything it needs in order to have a happy life. Otherwise, it's best for both of us if the animal were to live in a more suitable home elsewhere. Cats are more self-sufficient, and therefore more suited to a household, like mine, in which the occupant(s) has to be at work for the major part of the day. Cats are OK by themselves for extended periods during the week, although I find they seem even more content if there is another cat in the home with them with which they can interact whenever they feel like it. They do their own personal cleaning quite well themselves, and use the litter box without any problem. When you get right down to it, the only thing cats in a domestic environment really [italic]need[/italic] a human for is to open cat food cans for them, and to keep their litter box in an acceptably sanitary condition. That said, cats definitely do show affection for the people who live with them - and that goes well beyond just, "OK, give me my food now," and "You'd better scoop the turds out of my box or expect to find one in your shoe tomorrow." All I can say otherwise is that every night when I come home from work, there are my two cats in the window, right next to the door I'm unlocking, and they're real happy to see me - just as I'm real happy to see them. I love them and let them know it, and they love me and let me know it right back. Isn't that what having a pet - cat [italic]or[/italic] dog - is all about?
Yes, Linus.
I say this as a former dog owner who now own a cat, why are dog lovers so obnoxious? OP why don't you go about your business and don't worry too much about why people love and have cats. It's always dog owners who seek to be divisive. I love cats because they're neurotic. They both fascinate and amuse me. They're goofy. Lovable. They are a jack-of-all trades in terms of personality. What's not to like about cats?
I'm a former dog owner myself, and I'd get another in a heartbeat if I felt I could take care of one properly. The job I'm now at is much further away from home, and the hours are longer. In good conscience, I really didn't think I was able to take on a dog again after the last passed away. So, I got a kitten. I've been told that orange males are particularly friendly, and mine definitely is.I have no idea if there's any truth or reasoning to back that up. His nickname is Dogcat. Talkative and never contrary.I never would have guessed how much I like having a cat. He's self sufficient and attached to my hip at the same time. My former next door neighbors used their house on weekends while living NY during the week. Their orange male cat would disappear when it was time to go back to the city. So, they installed a cat door and left plenty of food for him during the week. I'd check in from time to time. When George wanted company, he'd walk across the street and basically knock on the door. He'd stay for a few hours and then ask to go out. Another really great cat.
Cats are more popular than dogs now.
R36, it's been my experience that long-haired orange males tend to be extra affectionate with people (rather doglike) but not very bright. I've adored the ones I've known.
R38, he's on my back right purring away now as I lie on my bed reading on my laptop. He's not dumb, but I have met more ingenious animals.
[quote]I say this as a former dog owner who now own a cat, why are dog lovers so obnoxious? OP why don't you go about your business and don't worry too much about why people love and have cats. It's always dog owners who seek to be divisive. THANK YOU, R35. If someone likes and enjoys having dogs and doesn't care for cats, then fine, no one is going to force them to get a cat - but why do some of them have to be such fucking dicks about asserting how much "better" they think their preference makes them? They seem to always want to paint cats as universally being worthless, selfish animals who hate everyone (which of course is bullshit, but I digress) and the people who love them as being socially retarded freaks. If you think about it, you never really hear anyone say "I just HATE dogs!" or "Dogs suck!" or "Dog people are crazy!" or anything similar, yet people throw around statements like that about cats and cat owners all the time. What's the point? Cat owners are just people who have given a loving home to an innocent animal, just like dog owners. Of all the things in the world to be a dick about, why the hell that?
If you were a very small vulnerable animal, would you rather be stuck in a house with a cat or a dog?
A cat, R41. Having been mauled pretty badly by a border collie who knew me very well but "snapped", and border collies being supposedly a loyal and "safe" breed, I'd much rather take my chances with a much smaller, less powerful creature, especially if I were small and vulnerable.
Because humans and dogs are codependent.
r41 Well, since none of us will ever be transformed into a small vulnerable animal, who gives a shit? It's nice to know you spend your days judging whether to get a cat or dog based on a fear that you'll turn into a rodent.
R42, your answer makes good sense from a human's point of view. But as far as small creatures go, a cat is a far more efficient killer than a dog. Dogs, like their wolf ancestors, hunt in packs for larger game (though individually they will also hunt smaller prey in spite of the fact that they're not very good at it). Cats are solo hunters after small prey, and are remarkably effective at it.
Yes, cats are far more vicious to those that are vulnerable to them -- something the thing at r44 obviously knows very well.
owner: (gives food to pet) cat: he gives me food, shelter, and everything i need. i must be a god. dog: my owner gives me food, shelter, and everything i need. he must be a god. therein lies the difference folks.
I don't understand why dog owners feel it's ok to inflict their dogs on others. They bring their dogs with them when they go visit someone else. We met another couple for dinner recently and one of them would get up and go check on the dogs in their car every few minutes. Then we had to accompany them walking the dogs after dinner. I like to have a calm dinner where we can sit for a few hours, have appetizers, drinks, main course, coffee. But no. We had to hurry up in case the dogs needed to pee or poo. My partner is allergic to dogs and has asthma. Dogs not only make him sneeze and have watery eyes, they also bring on an asthma attack. He refuses to get allergy shots because when he was in college some girl was given the wrong dose and died.
Who brings their dogs to other people's homes? That's just silly.
[quote]Why do people favor dogs over cats? Answer - they [bold]don't[/bold].
Stating the obvious...
Death to cats!
oh! the cat defenders are coming out, aren't they.'allergic to dogs'? never heard of that. dander, yes. but there are dander free dogs as well as cats, right?
Anyone who thinks cats aren't affectionate or don't like people is a person who's never owned one. I frequently have to push my cat off of me because I'M the one who needs some space.
gurl, it's simply called marking thier territory. that's all.
but you're right. i have never owned one but my bf has so i know this from experience. i swear.
r48 - The dogs were just an excuse to limit contact with you and/or your partner. You didn't figure that out? Dogs can easily hold it for hours.
From long experience, cats can be extremely affectionate in ways that don't correspond to to simple food/warmth/comfort ways. Cats just seem to like me. Dogs too, though less remarkably. I don't know why.
all i know is man's relationship with dogs is two-sided while with cats, it's mostly one-sided and in favor of the cats.
I like the HAPPY cats!
Mommy Wake UP!
My dog enjoys occasionally dressing up in earrings and caftans.
R18, is the cat Asian?!
I'm a cat person #1, Big/Fat dogs are a distant second, I hate hate HATE small yappy annoying dogs. HATE them; they are horrible annoying creatures that all seem to be missing a chromosome or two or three or four. There owners are usually pretty potato as well.
those dogs are yapping because you're a self proclaimed cat person. dogs know their own. i have never been barked at incessantly by any dog.
OP, I've never understood why anyone would prefer a dog over a cat. Dogs are loud, slobbery, not cuddly (well, most aren't... they' so STIFF and RIGID), smelly, and high-maintenance, and co-dependent. Cats are soft, quiet, cuddly, self-cleaning, independent, low-maintenance.... Cats are pretty much superior in every way I can imagine a pet being. I never am kept awake at night by the neighbors cats. But their fucking loud yipping and barking dogs? Goddamn. What the fuck. SHUT UP. I don't step in cat shit ever. Dog shit? It's all around, even though MOST dog owners seem to be good about cleaning up, it's still a nuisance. I could never, ever own a dog, or be with anyone who wanted to own one. When friends have dogs, I tend to avoid going to their houses. When friends have cats, I find excuses to come over more often. A house isn't a home without a cat.
[quote]Dogs are much smarter. Completely untrue, R8. Cats are far more intelligent than dumb old dogs. A perfect example: Take a Nobel laureate and a dim-witted slow person with an IQ of 80. Throw a ball and ask them to fetch it. The dumb one will trot off after it, slobbering away, and bring it back to you with a smile on their face, while the Nobel laureate will just look at you like you've gone insane with such a silly request. What dogs do doesn't take intelligence. That said, pigs are more intelligent than either of them. Unfortunately for them, they're also way less cuddly and way more delicious.
[quote]Who brings their dogs to other people's homes? That's just silly. Lots of people do. Sometimes without warning.
r40 - Read r64 & r65. That's why people associate crazy with cat people. I have a dog and a cat, but I generally don't tell people about the cat. I don't want to be judged.
Cats are the devil's spawn! Dogs greet you with joy; cats on the other hand greet you with indifference. Plus...I'm deathly allergic to cats.
Dog Lover
Exactly...R18!
R67, there's nothing "crazy" in either of those posts. Perhaps you're projecting? And R68, my cats always greeted me with love and joy.
I have to admit, R65, I do have a certain lack of respect for any creature who thinks it's fun to chase after a ball and bring it back. That said, I like cats and dogs equally. My cats were both as happy to see me when I came home as my dog ever was. I've never had an aloof cat.
[quote]you never really hear anyone say "I just HATE dogs!" or "Dogs suck!" or "Dog people are crazy!" R40 hasn't met my father.
loyalty-the same reason they're better than humans
R67, I agree with R70. I see nothing "crazy" about either of those posts. I do think it's kind of silly and pretentious to compare cats to "Nobel laureates," but people have been posting all over this thread about how dogs are so much smarter than cats and about how much better they are than cats in general and no one has accused any of them of being "crazy." I can somewhat understand worrying about being judged for having a cat, but I've ultimately decided that if someone wants to believe some bullshit stereotype about cat owners and judge me just for giving a home to an animal who needed one, then fuck them. Like R64, I also prefer cats for being so much more independent and low maintenance when it comes to many of their basic needs (they don't require immediate human assistance just to clean themselves or go to the bathroom), and also for being better to cuddle with, in my opinion - cats melt into your lap and arms in a way that dogs just don't. I'm also not a fan of all the slobbering dogs do. I don't mind it to an extent when I'm with other people's dogs, but I don't know if I'd really want to live with an animal that shows affection by slobbering all over me. Cats don't coat people with their own saliva. I do think the poster who said that people tend to prefer whichever they grew up with probably has a point. I always had a cat in the house from the time I was born and have never had a dog.
R40
"owner: (gives food to pet) cat: he gives me food, shelter, and everything i need. i must be a god. dog: my owner gives me food, shelter, and everything i need. he must be a god. therein lies the difference folks." Humans walk behind dogs and pick up their shit. Do you think dogs respect that and believe their human is a "god"? Think before you post your trite copy-pastes.
"Pork is a sweet and tasty meat"!
The%20mouse%20chorus
i'm sorry guys but my cat is in heat today. and everytime i reach to pet her, she raises her ass high into the air. i am absolutely sympathetic and 100% understanding. so i have to get back with you gays later. ok.
r77 why isn't your cat spayed?
religious reasons. plus she wants to have kids i mean a litter someday.
You prefer dogs over cats, cool. You prefer cats over dogs, cool. Leave it to a bunch of gay men to debate the relative merits of both as a house pet and then judge each other over it.
thank you st. martin de porres
r40 - Talking about dogs being too "stiff" and "rigid" to pet is looney. And r70 is the person who made the nutty posts to being with, so her vote doesn't count. [quote]I do have a certain lack of respect for any creature who thinks it's fun to chase after a ball and bring it back. You mean like people do?
[quote]Talking about dogs being too "stiff" and "rigid" to pet is looney No, it's not. Pick up a terrier, and then pick up a cat. It's like night-and-day. Dogs are rigid and stiff compared to cats.
all i know is, any animal as hydrophobic as cats are, can't be considered a clean animal. if you licked your ass and body, would that be considered a bath. thankfully no.
R84 clearly doesn't know what he's talking about. Cats are much more clean than dogs.
All I will say to cat haters is you need to live with a cat to understand why they are so lovable. They are aloof, but also very affectionate. My cat insists on sleeping on my stomach every single night. He's a big guy so I have to put a pillow on my side to make a makeshift bed for him. I love cats and dogs but have never owned both simultaneously. Each bring their own uniqueness.
R82, how do you quote something in that gray box like that?
I always thought dogs were more coveted by society in a "man's best friend" way because het-males hate an animal they can't dominate. They like their pets like their women: desperate for approval, dumb, and obedient. There. Mystery solved.
I can tell you r87. Type [quote] then insert your text. That's it.
Let me do that again. bracket quote bracket and insert your text. That's it. [quote]bracket quote bracket and insert your text.
[quote]Let me do that again. bracket quote bracket and insert your text. That's it.
[quote]bracket quote bracket and insert your text. That's it.
R30: If you've been owned by a cat long enough you learn how fast their reflexes are. And in fact you can avoid being scratched. Let me do a little comparison of cats and dogs if I might: Dogs: Loveable, attention hounds, messy, nasty, and great human emotional mimics. But if you want to spend your life NEVER traveling unless you either take the risk of the dog eating every bit of furniture in your house or taking the dog with you or boarding it where it can't eat the furniture, and having to walk the animal a few times a day then get a dog. And I happen to be allergic to dogs. Cats: Loveable, some are attention hounds, self-cleaning, they use a litter box that can be cleaned out and disposed of on a daily basis if you wish. And you can travel for two or three days and not worry about a cat. For longer periods have a trusted friend stop by and scoop the litter and freshen up on food and water and you're good to go for more extended periods. We've actually stayed away for almost two weeks that way and the worst we got for it was a very needy cat who presented an attitude at first. And I'm not allergic to cats.
LuciferTheLightBringer
Thanks, R90. [quote]By George, I think I've got it.
[quote]I always thought dogs were more coveted by society in a "man's best friend" way because het-males hate an animal they can't dominate. They like their pets like their women: desperate for approval, dumb, and obedient. There. Mystery solved. Exactly. Dog lovers want someone to control. Cat haters hate that they can't control them.
There's a fucking huge (from the sounds of it) dog barking his head off tonight. Well, it's not like aggressive barking. It's like lonely barking. One loud bark every second, like a fucking metronome. It's been going on for fifteen minutes. It's after 1am. And people wonder why I don't like dogs. SHUT THAT FUCKING DOG UP.
I have two dogs, aged 10 and 11 years, and two 8 month old kittens (from the same litter). I take very good care of my pets, much better care than I take of myself. I have suffered from severe depression for years and the only thing that have kept me at least on some level of sanity is my pets. Because of my depression, some days are very hard. I usually cry a lot. At those times, my dogs never come to me. They will look from the distance, looking distressed but they won't approach me. With the kittens it's totally different. They will climb onto my lap and start purring and bunting. I love my pets equally but get more affection from the cats than the dogs.
Non-native%20English%20speaker%2C%20sorry%20for%20mistakes
*has kept me
LOL r5!
Your English is flawless, R97. I hope you find help with your depression issues. I've battled with depression myself, and animals do help.
Dogs are more connected to aggression. IMO, that's the biggest reason. People tend to think dogs are the more assertive pet, they're the pet that's taken more serious, whereas cats are used in punchlines for jokes often. People tend to think of dogs as protective whereas cats are more into their own world. I think people see themselves more in dogs than in cats and thus people tend to view dogs as almost another human being. There is also less social stigma against owning dogs than owning cats, in general. Personally, I don't like the idea of having a pet, so I don't favor one over the other, but if I had to choose, I'd pick a cat as a pet. Unfortunately, I'm mildly allergic so that's not going to ever happen.
Francis