Figlio di Moros wrote:The point seems to be clearly more advanced than you PhD types are capable of understanding, so let me reiterate- dogs can do anything, from protecting your house to curing madness and helping the blind see. Cats top out at the litter box.
Since I have only a high school education, I guess I'm not on the PhD types list; but higher education makes no difference on such a subjective topic anyway.
One useful purpose that cats...even house cats can do who have never been trained by mama to develop their hunting skills, is to inform you if you have vermin on the loose in your house. Especially if you have to be up in the early morning hours and you notice your cat crouched and staring towards the kitchen, dining room, or just unusually attentive towards a certain wall space near the floor....you've got vermin! You may not have seen anything running around or been aware that they are there, but your cat knows! And you can thank him or her for getting the word out. Now, go put some traps out, or call an exterminator if it's serious enough.
I've heard at least a couple of psychologists or social scientists say a time or two, that our preference for dogs or cats or both, tells us a lot about what kind of person we are. Dogs are always trying to make us happy, while we have to do all the work of trying to figure out what the cat wants and what makes him happy!
If we love dogs and hate cats, we are likely obsessed control freaks, while those of us who can appreciate both....some like my mother actually prefer cats to dogs, do not always feel the need to make others do what we want them to do. I guess a greater degree of empathy is essential to get along with cats, while anyone who's not a certified psychopath can have a happy dog.
My first pet was a cat I received as a present over 30 years ago from a former girlfriend who decided that I needed the company, and since she wasn't ready to move in with me and I was living alone, I would need the cat to keep me company. I actually took a liking to the bossy little control freak that invariably meowed loudly as he tried to make me follow him to the kitchen when I came home from work. Since then, after marriage and kids, there has hardly been a time when we haven't had both at least one cat and a dog at home. I had some concern about conflicts at first, but it seems that as long as both animals are of the same sex and the cat at least is neutered or spayed, they can get along as long as the dog isn't too aggressive. It seems that no matter how big a dog is, the dog has to learn the cat's signals and make accommodations.
FWIW, I don't know anyone who loves cats and hates dogs, and I don't want to know anyone who hates both and animals in general.