Thoughts On: Cats and Dogs

  Today, I heard someone remark that they hate cats.  I've also had many other people tell me this and many people say they hate dogs instead.  I find it very odd that people can hate an entire species of creature.  Now, I will say, I do hate me some mosquitos and centipedes and other insects, but even some like butterflies and moths, dragonflies, ladybugs, even the occasional millipede, can be pretty cool looking as well as hundreds others.  But these animals are common house hold pets and it seems odd to me that people HATE one or the other or both.  So, allow me to explain why I in particular are fond of both, but love cats.

   A dog is a pack animal.  It needs a leader, attention, love, etc.  A pet dog depends on you for basically everything from letting it outside to relieve itself to feeding and watering it, to its basic exercise.  A dog NEEDS a human.  Some people love this idea that something needs them and is happy to see them every time they come home.  They love to be showered in the never ending, never questioning love of a dog.  I understand the idea of having something need you, but just as I don't like people who want a lot of attention, I don't like dogs very much.  I find it annoying when dogs bark and howl for you to come in the door or do something vague.  They aren't very good at describing what they want.  That's not to say I don't love dogs.  I've had dogs all my life and will continue to do so, because I do like having a companion.  However, then there are cats.

   The problem with cats is, unlike a dog which is really a pet, cats are like a horrible roommate.  They don't pay rent, depend on you for food and such, expect you to clean up after them, and don't really give two sh**s about your life.  This room mate makes a mess--they knock stuff over and don't care.  They sleep most of the day and don't do anything, but when they finally are up, they can be hilarious.  They are easy to vent to and will make faces like they care when you know they really don't.  They want to know everything you'redoing though, so be prepared to stop them from going into rooms they don't belong.   If you leave your bed for two seconds, they have stolen your spot and somehow manage to take up the entire bed.  When you walk in the door, the most you get is a little blink or a wave and then they are back to bed or doing whatever it is they do.  However, on rare occasions, they will know you're feeling down and snuggle up close and give you all the love and support you need.  They really do love you, even if you constantly fight.  They will hiss and fuss and slash at you, but will eventually apologize.  Except when you go on a trip without them.  Then they hate you forever.  Also, in some cases, they can be real creeps and follow you to the bathroom....

   My cats represent perfect examples of different types of roommates.  Pippin is the one described

They don't even let you take a good picture

above.  Probably bipolar or has ADHD, she loves to ruin stuff, fly around the room, and fight with me.  I know when I mess with her, I'll get scratched, but I do it anyway because she is playing and will give me kisses afterwards as an apology.  She hates everyone else, but is "helping" me type as I write this.  Pip is only affectionate to me and will sit on the edge of my shower every morning and take baths with me in the afternoon.  I can never be in a room without her stopping by, whether to attack me or to lay with me.  She almost always sleeps on my legs under the covers, and if she's not, she's off terrorizing the house.  Merry is the loving, talkative room mate.  He leaves his clothes (fur) everywhere, but means well, and wants lots of attention, but not enough to suffocate you.  He's very sweet, but actually doesn't like to be smothered, aside from being fed, which is all he ever wants.  Bilbo is the one with too much energy.  He wants to be loved, but very much in a 1 hour-ish window, and then after that he is 100% play!  He bites to hard and plays too rough because he is still a kitten, but when you get him in the love mode, he's sweet.  And Biffy is a dog.

   Now, all this doesn't mean that there aren't exceptions.  Our dog Pliget was the best dog I've ever had the pleasure of living with or being around and I loved her just as much as I love Pippin who is my baby.  It all depends on the type of person you are about what pet you will like, but please, for the millions of you who have never had one of these pets, please give either a try.  I personally prefer cats, but I will always have both.  All my life, I have had dogs and cats that love each other--in fact, Biffy helped raise Bilbo when we got him a year ago, doing most of the motherly duties we didn't want to do.  Don't base a full species on your experiences with one dog or one cat or one breed.  Dogs especially are a result of their training; any dog can be taught well, some just need more training than others, and any dog can be bad.  Cats are harder to train because they don't want to be, but it's not impossible.  For those who think dogs are smarter than cats or vice versa, check out this video below.  I highly suggest checking out these videos if you'd like to know more about the science of pets!  Have a nice night and remember to appreciate your fuzzy friends (of all types!)    

Side note, I've also had 2 hermit crabs named Hermy and Speedy--Hermy being a god amongst mortals living over a year..or was it two?  I had two mice when I was young--Siegfried and Siegfried Jr. as well as two lizards we caught in our house name Lancelot and Guinevere.  Lancelot died, and his fair lady was released back into her natural habitat.  I've had a total of 4 dogs (Lady, Minnyet, and Pliget, and Biffy) and 6 cats (Simba, Gremlin or Gremmy, and Pearl) plus the 3 I have currently that I remember, not including the one or two from when I was too young to know.  This is also not including my families pets such as my Grandmothers and sister's pets.
       I also like snakes and other reptiles unlike a lot of people and you can even see me chillin with some snakies in this video.  My other grandparents also owned a ridiculous number of birds ranging from an African Grey, Umbrella Cockatoos, and a green Macaw, to little lovebirds.  In the comments below, post what kind of pets you had/have!