Dog people

[OneHornedFlyingPurplePeopleEater]

Well prepared for some abuse here, as I know people can feel strongly on the subject.

I'll start this by saying I love dogs AND cats, my family has both and I've grown up with both.

But why do so many people hate cats, specifically those that call themselves dog people?

Why is it necessary to hate cats just because you like dogs? It's not like you have to choose. No one is forcing you to own one.

And why when you say you've got a cat do so many people feel it necessary to tell you they hate them. I've not really come across the same hatred towards dogs from 'cat people'.

I love dogs and hate cats. This is because cats have scratched me and been weird when I've tried to show affection. I am now basically scared of cats so I really don't like them.

Also their litter trays stink and I think any house with a cat in it stinks.

Dogs make me laugh and they are good fun. I know dogs smell too.

Also I forgot that cats have shat in my garden for years. I hate them for this.

But an owner being unable to train their cats isn't my problem is it? Should I suck up the cost of replacing things in my garden because people can't train their cats and won't keep them in? That's never an excuse for animal cruelty of any description and never will be including the use of dogs. But having said that, why shouldn't dog owners let their dogs out in their gardens? Have they to keep them in incase a cat is lurking in their shrubbery?!

…found the weird cat haters that apparently don’t exist

I've been in houses with cats in and I don't find they stink. As long as the litter box gets changed regularly its fine. Cats however smelly lovely. Love sniffing my kitties.

I have a dog but wouldn't necessarily say I'm a dog person. We have a dog mostly because of the joy she brings to autistic dd and ds. I don't like cats; in fact they scare me. I don't like how they move silently, I don't like their claws, or their eyes and their bums make me feel queasy. Dd loves cats as much as dogs but I couldn't have one here I'd have to move out first.

I wonder how much of it might be a remnant of the superstitious hatred cats used to be subjected to?

The only out and out cat hater I've met was a real piece of work, trotted out stories of horrible things happening to cats as a justification for hating them! Don't know if she liked dogs though.

My BiL loves his dogs but dislikes cats. He knows jack shit about them. 🙄

I love cats and like dogs. I don't see many cats around these days, the situation in Australia is very different - councils require microchipping and registration and for cats to be indoors at night as a minimum, and more people are complying, I think.

Yeah, sounds like the cat hating neighbour I had.

I hate dogs AND cats.

I love llamas though, but that automatically means I hate Alpacas.

The supposed ‘hatred’ and ‘spewing bile’ for both dogs and cats is more to do with inconsiderate owners than the animals themselves. If people’s lives weren’t interfered by the behaviour of people’s pets, you wouldn’t get such strong emotions either way about them.

When you get people hating cats for their eyes and for moving quietly and not reacting to humans the way dogs do, then it's not just about being inconvenienced because of owners, sadly.

I love llamas though, but that automatically means I hate Alpacas.
🤣🤣🤣

This is what the cat-hating neighbour I had did! Day I moved in and said I have two indoor cats (ie she was never going to see them) she said "I hate cats" and brought out a story of something horrible she claimed to have seen happen to a kitten once as justification!

Someone said after she moved out, "She had mental issues." I thought "Yeah, I know."

I bloody love cats and dogs. I don't own one because I'm lazy. I also have small animals, which would be a nice snack for a floof.

Only thing that gets me annoyed is the neighbours' cat's shitting all over my garden. Cats love my garden, there will be four at one time. They are hilarious to watch. One will be sniffing the plants, another hiding in the bush, two sunbathing stretched fully out, raising their heads to look at me when I'm at the window. The fifth one is the hunter, always on the fence, always terrorising birds and always shitting in full view. The others must shit when I'm not looking.

I don't hate cats but I definitely dislike them.

They are just not appealing to me, they scratch, sit on your kitchen worktops and kill wildlife.

I think the majority of people with cats are selfish twats for letting their pet shit in other people's gardens or worse children's sandy play areas.

I am also traumatised by a cat that has been run over by a car and made it somehow into the bushes... it's a strange human being that puts their beloved pet in danger on a regular basis. And NO, your pet isn't someone else's responsibility!
If you have a house cat you're actually responsible in many ways!

However, having said all that, I am intrigued by the cats that go on holiday with their owners and the ones that happily go walking/ hiking while away. I think I'd have one of those if it's suitable as a house cat!

I have 3 cats and my house doesn’t stink either. My DH thought all houses with cats smelt bad before he met me and was very surprised when he found that my one bedroom flat didn’t smell despite the one cat I had then.

Generally, the houses with cats that stink do so because the resident cats urinate/defecate on the carpets.

To answer the OP, yes I have known some dog lovers who don’t like cats! Others love both and some have both.

it's a strange human being that puts their beloved pet in danger on a regular basis.

I do agree with this. My cats will never go outside. I couldn’t bear the phone call or worse, they go missing and just never return. I also wouldn’t want cat haters hurting them, or for any wildlife to be harmed by my cats.

But I’m not really arsed about people being precious about their gardens etc, sorry not sorry, you own a piece of outside land and outside animals go there. Dogs shit in the park and people aren’t out for their blood. Get over it.

I get this all the time. It bugs me too but it doesn't impact me too much.

As long as the people in my life care for my cat (I'm severely disabled) it doesn't affect my life
My cat brings around most who meet him, it's just those from cultures who believe cats are linked to witchcraft that we struggle with.

I don't hate dogs, but I find them needy. I've joked men are like dogs, needy, dependant, whining & awaiting input from others.

Cats are sassy, independent & take no rubbish.

The cat haters are certainly reinforcing the stereotypes here. 🙄

Never come across this. I find that if people like dogs, they like all animals, and vice versa. It’s more the case that if someone doesn’t like cats, they don’t like animals in general.

Good point.

We have two utterly adored cats and they know it. We never leave them alone - one of us four in our family will elect to stay with them if we have to stay overnight anywhere.

Yes they are predators and ultimately self-interested, but they're very independent and when they want some love, it's just that, not because they're hungry or need a wee etc. It's very different from owning a dog, lovely as they are.

Team dog here but I don't "hate cats" - infact I don't hate any animal. Seagulls though? I could happily never see one again!

I am allergic to cats but I have seven. There's an adjustment period of allergy attacks but after a couple of months I'm fine and adjusted unless I get a cat hair in my mouth or scratched. Even then it's only about 20 minutes of discomfort. I use my inhaler. I germolene scratches, they just get blobby for a day or two.
My oldest drools when he's happy and shakes his head. I react to the saliva on my skin as well but only for a little while.
Oldest is 15, so I’m pretty used to it.

"Cats are predators that only care for themselves"

FFS can we stop complaining because other species aren't humans?

I find it bizarre when the "foxes do it too" argument appears without fail.
First of all, no fox has ever been seen or has ever shat in my garden. IF it were to happen once, it would pale into insignificance compared to 4-5 cat shits a day! I have to wear special (no grooves at all) shoes to go into my garden and be fully prepared to wash the stinky mess under the outdoor tap. I've started recently to just wear plastic bags over my shoes, so I can discard the bags without gagging over the cleaning process. "Thank you" cat owners - you make the worst neighbours.

Secondly, if the "foxes do it too" argument was to follow any logic related to pet ownership - why to pick up after dogs? After all, a starling or a toad or a cat (!) might shit on the same spot mere minutes later! Dog's just doin' what a dog will do...

I don't hate cats. We had two indoor ones in my family, much loved for 20 years. However, the outdoor ones are more comparable to pests than pets. When there's too many around, the shift in attitudes is inevitable.