Posted on 02/23/2012 10:00:18 PM PST by Altariel
Isn't it funny how we feel the need to describe someone as a "cat person" or a "dog person" when introductions are made? I happily consider myself a "multi-species person," although I admit to favoring cats (apologies to my Scottie, whom I love dearly!)
Cats and dogs have very different skill sets when it comes to fitting into a family. Let's add up the plusses and minuses to see which one makes the better pet...
* Cats are quiet (+1) * Dogs, while loud, make great low-cost home security systems (+1) * Cats are independent (+1) * Dogs are in-your-face creatures (-1) * Cats only come to you when they want something (-1) * Dogs are always glad to see you come home (+1) * Cats are not good travelers (-1) * Dogs love to go for rides and walks on the beach (+1) * Indoor cats require a litter box (-1) * Dogs require "yard duty" (-1) * Cats jump on food prep areas (-1) * Dogs can't reach those areas (+1) * Cats can be left for hours and even overnight on occasion without worry. (+2) * Dogs can't be left alone for long stretches and need to be boarded at times (-2) * Cats eat much less than dogs (+1) * Dogs are less finicky when it comes to food (+1)
Well, it's a tie and I'm still confused. Both animals offer unconditional love and companionship so personal preference is the way to go. Oftentimes you won't even get to choose as the pet picks you.
For some odd reason, dogs are considered more adoptable than cats, although there are more felines in homes in the U.S. than canines, according to the Humane Society of the United States This is probably due to the fact that 52 percent of cat owners have more than one cat, while only 28 percent of dog owners have more than one dog. (Another "plus" here for cats?)
Whatever you decide to bring into your own home as a family member, please consider your lifestyle and the requirements of the pet. We, of course, encourage you to consider a cat or two as 10 percent more of them are euthanized each year than dogs in the shelters, according to the ASPCA.
Kitten season is beginning and soon there will be scores to choose from. Please help us stem the tide of overpopulation by having your pets spayed and neutered this month. And call us if there are free-roaming feral cats in your neighborhood so we can TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) them before they breed.
Marci Kladnik is a board member of Catalyst for Cats, a Santa Barbara County nonprofit organization dedicated to the welfare of feral cats. For more information, call 685-1563 or visit www.catalystforcats.org.
Dahmer...is that you?
Now that was a good death.
[Viking reference, ya know]
Such a sad story but full of Norse fighting spirit...except for the mini-Dox....;D
Was he trying to spell catamaran?
Thanks *ever* so much for setting *my* pack off!
Odin went to his ‘Dog King high spot’ [sofa arm] and threw up his head in a glorious, baritone Dobe howl, joined by the soprano girls.
[I was dying here, LMAO and trying desperately to not make any sound]
Thank God the windows are closed.
The Legend of Grace
[An Old Indian Legend]
“There is an old, old legend of how it came to be, that dog forsook the wild to dwell with folks like you and me.
Now man and beast they lived on a common bit of earth.
Each specie thought the other of very little worth.
One day there was a rumble, the earth began to quake.
It gave a mighty shudder, and then began to break.
A crack began to widen between the beasts and man.
Some watched the crevasse deepen, but most just turned and ran.
Now dog surveyed the distance, and man beheld it too.
Between them sprang a yearning, a feeling strange and new.
Then each one begged the other to make the fateful leap.
Yet each one dreaded jumping a crack so wide and deep.
So dog compelled his courage, and told man he would try.
He eyed the fatal distance, for if he failed, he’d die.
Then dog prepared to jump across, his courage had decided.
That if he could but make the jump, they’d no more be divided.
His muscles bunched beneath him; his body left the ground.
The wind raced past his muzzle; his heart began to pound.
His senses sought the purchase of land beneath his feet.
At last-his forepaws met the ground, his mission was complete!
No! His hind feet have slipped and he’s falling off the side!
His gallant farewell look said, “At least, new friend, I tried.”
With disbelieving glance, man beheld his falling friend.
He wouldn’t let it happen; it couldn’t be the end!
Then flesh smote air in searching and hand met paw and fur.
Then man pulled dog to safety as heart to heart they were.
Man called and dog responded, and though the gulf was wide.
Man gained the loyal canine, forever by his side.”
by Klea V. Stilwell
I love these Cat vs. Dog threads. They have the funniest comments, pictures, links etc. For myself I like ‘em both + birds, lizards, turtles, goats, cows and stuff. Not so hot on horses, to much work and danger.
*Spelling* Nazi, thank you very much.
;D
I love cats and my husband didn’t....our first cat had go go when it decided our dining room table full of food and we were eating, belonged to him and he landed in the middle of the table beside the mashed potatoes....the second one a year later use to just stare at hubby, freaked hubby out, I think cats know when you don’t like them and they try to quietly drive you nuts.....sometimes kitty would sit on the 1/2 wall between kitchen and family room and stare at hubby with his tail twitching back and forth...especially when hubby was trying to nap on the couch under the 1/2 wall...Kitty has to go and no more kittys. Always had a dog tho.....
Siamese - best of both worlds. Loyalty and train-ability of a dog, grace and sophistication of a cat.
Also, the Siamese possess other worldy mental “control” capabilities...
“Siamese - best of both worlds.”
____________________________________
To each his own, but my experience with SLIMESE was not all that great.
Personally, I would never have a pure bred cat, and only rarely a pure bread dog, that being a Rhodesian Ridgeback.
In the USSA, many breads have been overworked in the breading pool.
When last in the US, all of my pets were curs. The only exception was my Ridgeback..He was a great country dog.
I had never heard of them, but when I moved to Slovakia, they were quite common there.
I am now in the Philippines where there are many dogs, mostly curs running loose...none of them sociable.
When I moved into my current house, there were two cats, now there are 12 that I feed every evening.
I put a catty door in my screen door so some of them can come and go from the house.
Among the cats, there are still some that I can not touch, but others that love to come inside.
Dogs need to be laundered (-2)
Cats clean themselves (+2)
My apologies.
Try this instead ;) Behold the noble Basset....It sings too!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgmON4vX1_I&feature=related
And if anyone here is considering A Basset because THEYRESOOOOOOOCCCUUUUTTTTEEEE!!!!
Well, yea. But having been OWNED (not a typo) by several over the years, I assure you. Yes they are. Funny? Yes they are. Good with kids? Yes they are....
And they are the most freaking STUBBORN things God ever...Let me rephrase that. The Basset Hound was placed on earth to test the patience of people Satan cannot win over.
I haZ no lie.
Why Some Men Have a Dog And No Wife:
1. The later you are, the more excited your dogs are to see you.
2. Dogs don’t notice if you call them by another dog’s name.
3. Dogs like it if you leave a lot of things on the floor.
4. A dog’s parents never visit.
5. Dogs agree that you have to raise your voice to get your point across.
6. Dogs find you amusing when you’re drunk..
7. Dogs like to go hunting and fishing.
8. A dog will not wake you up at night to ask, “If I died, would you get another dog?”
9. If a dog has babies, you can put an ad in the paper and give them away.
10. A dog will let you put a studded collar on it without calling you a pervert.
11. If a dog smells another dog on you, they don’t get mad. They just think it’s interesting.
And last, but not least:
12. If a dog leaves, it won’t take half of your stuff.
To test this theory:
Lock your wife and your dog in the garage for an hour.
Then open it and see who’s happy to see you.
Turns out Cat Ladies really are crazy.
And they caught it from their cats.
Google Toxiplasmosis, insanity.
While I’m in rant mode on my favorite 4-legged subject, Allow me to futrher dispel the notion that a Basset is a ‘medium sized dog.
It is not.
It is a full-sized Bloodhound that the good Lord saw fit to attach 8 inch legs to. They are about 3 feet long nose to tush and weigh at least 50-60 pounds...for a small one,
Those ears everyone is so fond of drag in everything from poop to puddles and are a royal BiXXX to keep clean.
Those sagging jowels contain an ocean of chemical weapons known as dog drool and when they shake their heads, you will be cleaning your ceiling ...quite often actually.
Further more, you will be slowly but determinedly shoved off every chair you sit on, couch you lie on and bed you sleep in....even a California King. Because, stupid human, YOU are ALWAYS in the exact spot the Basset NEEDS to be.
I tell you this not to...well yes, to discourage you. Because you cannot find them for under about $1000 from a reputable breeder And As I want another one, I’m trying to drive the cost down any way I can ;)
All kidding aside however, they are prone some health issues (hip displasya) and they will rule your life 24/7/365.
They are not Basset Hounds, they are ATTENTION Hounds. And you better have enough people in your house to entertain them at ALL times...and thats after you train them.
That's a remnant of Scotch-Irish dialect. "Painter" is panther with a slight brogue and a hard "th." All the old "painter" tales from the colonial era in NC is why the Carolina Panthers were so named.
A ghost was a "haint" (haunt), same dialect. "Haint Blue" was the color you painted your porch ceiling to keep them away, lol. The color has had something of a revival, it's actually quite nice and soothing. It just looks cooler on a hot day.
We've been dog folks our whole lives (Weims...and you've got to really like dogs to have velcro dogs like Weims, LOL)...but my opinion on cats is changing.
Our son and daughter-in-law adopted two Maine Coon cat kittens. They are so dog like it's amazing. When you come to the door, they run to the door, just like a dog. Get up in your lap and lick your face, like a dog would. They even play fetch. Throw the toy, they'll retrieve it. I've seen videos on youtube where folks have taught their MCC to shake hands. They are very verbal, just like our dogs. So if I ever were to get a cat (which won't happen with our Weimies around...I think they'd think it was a big squirrel)..I'd consider that breed.
Our cat does. He is waiting by the door to the garage when we come in and he follows me to the table where I put down down my purse and retrieve my phone. He is all over me as I remove my coat, meowing a greeting. When I sit down he is immediately in my lap.
He can be left up to two nights and three days too.
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