In the question of whether I would pick dogs or cats…it’s a tough one. Because I love all animals and don’t like the idea of picking one over the other. BUT, there are a number of reasons for me why, if forced to choose, dogs would always win over cats.
The first is, I have grown up with dogs. Ever since I was a baby, I have lived in a household that has had dogs for the majority of the time. Yes, there were periods where we/I didn’t, usually because we had just lost a beloved pet and felt an immediate replacement was doing a disservice to their memory. We have never had cats, not for any particular reason, we just haven’t. So, I have no fond memories of time with cats. I don’t remember anyone in my family or friends group even who had cats. My grandparents always had dogs, most of my cousins etc. didn’t have any pets that I can recall, and friends usually had dogs. So, I have no memories at all of cats as a child.
The second reason is that something my friend’s brother, a policeman, said about cats and dogs. He said that if they were ever called to a property where someone had been dead for a while, they hoped the person didn’t have any pets. Because if it was a cat, it would have started to feed on the cadaver which was unpleasant, and if it was a dog it would have laid down and died next to their owner which was equally unpleasant. So, while I do admire a cat’s determination to survive, the notion that one might feed on me doesn’t really appeal. My friend’s family always had dogs, by the way.
Another reason that dogs win for me in a forced choice, is that I am not keen on a cat’s idea of a present. I am squeamish, I will be honest. My father-in-law and his ex-wife moved house a number of years ago and bought a kitten when they moved in to go with their two other cats and Jack Russell dog. Within a year it became clear that the kitten was a killer. I will never forget my father-in-law saying that the cellar looked like a burial ground with the bones from the birds, mice, whatever the cat had brought in and killed. I also know friends who have entered their kitchen first thing in the morning to find bits of a bird or a mouse strewn across the floor. Or a dying animal or bird on the floor, or a live one scurrying or flying around. No, thank you. That’s not to say that dogs can’t be killers too. I remember seeing my father-in-law’s Jack Russell kill a bird for no other reason than she could. I have had terriers in the past but they had no form of killer instinct whatsoever. In fact, confronted with a rabbit that had been hit by a car and seriously injured, one of my terriers tried to comfort it. I am not even joking, he lay down beside and nudged it and tried to lick it until my husband put the poor animal out of its misery. With all the myriad types of dogs I’ve had in my life, I have only known that one dog to be a killer. All the others have never had that instinct thankfully. Though I do remember our old dog, Oscar, picking up a dead crow one time when we had been on a run. As a lab, he was more of a retriever but he would have been a useless gun dog as he didn’t like loud noises and ate the bird. That was disgusting.
I have also noticed when I’ve been in houses with cats, that they do a lot of damage to furniture and carpets with their clawing. I’ve had dogs since puppies and never had a problem with them chewing (except each other!) but literally every house I have been in where cats have been present, the clawing on the windows, sofas, carpets, chairs, rugs has been incredibly destructive. And I just couldn’t put up with that I am afraid. I like my furniture and carpet, and don’t want them ruined.
All of that said, I do like cats. I love their independence, I love their sassiness, and I love how they have that air about them of complete superiority. If a cat is allowing you to pet them, they are truly doing you a huge favour. They are in no way needy, and they will leave you if there is a better proposition from a neighbour. I admire the ruthlessness. Whereas, while there is belly love from dogs without a doubt, they are utterly loyal and much less independent in my experience. They want the fuss and attention, you are doing them the favour. Dogs generally don’t go off on a roam to goodness knows where, sometimes for days on end (though one of my friend’s dogs did used to do that at times). I have yet to come across a dog that is as ruthless as a cat.
What I would like is a cat similar to my parents’ old neighbour’s. She was a ginger called Marmalade, and she lived with two golden retrievers so to an extent, she thought she was a dog I think. At the time, my parents had inherited my grandmother’s Jack Russell, Sally, who was by then partially sighted though not normally tolerant of cats. Marmalade would just stroll into my parents’ house when they returned from work, casually walk up to Sally and greet her then steal some food from her bowl. When my mother was taking Sally for a walk, Marmalade would join them and Sally was perfectly happy with all of her feline friend’s antics. Marmalade would roll on her back for a belly rub like a dog, lick your hand like a dog, and generally appeared to identify more as a dog than a cat. For Sally, she could probably smell the golden retrievers (whom Sally tolerated) all over Marmalade and perhaps thought she was a smaller version of them. Who knows. All I know is, Marmalade was the only cat she ever tolerated in her 15 years of life.
At the end of the day, cats and dogs make wonderful pets and companions. When I was a teenager, I would whisper all my teenage angst into our old dog’s ear, and she would listen patiently and understandingly I think. With another dog, when I had flu one time, she put her front paws round me and pushed my head on her chest so she could cuddle me better. And my darling Newfador, Oakley, provides me with endless love and amusement. I have also fallen in love with the cats of friends of mine because of their natures.
All in all, I personally think that the world is a far better place having both cats and dogs in it. We often don’t deserve them.
Louisa Simpson 