Dogs are much more loved by society than cats

[Avocad1sh]

I was just watching For Dogs Sake with Pete Wicks and Dogs Trust and realised there isn’t anything like this for cats. This is the second season and there’s also been For the Love of Dogs, plus that channel 4 programme The Doghouse and probably loads more that I haven’t seen.

I never see anything like this for cats… I think Jo Brand did one years ago but other than that, where are all of the heartwarming shows about cats needing homes?

I also notice that when I tell people I have 2 cats, a lot of them say “ugh I hate cats” yet when I say I have a dog no one ever tells me they hate dogs. I feel like there’s this almost over the top love of dogs sometimes where people treat them like babies, whereas cats seem to be hated on a lot or seen as the inferior pet. (In general of course! I know there’s many many cat lovers out there)

Cats shit relentlessly in people’s garden and kill baby blue tits. What can you expect?

I love your analogy! Yes, it’s true about people being fine with offending cat owners.

YANBU. I would love to see a kitty program!

Never understood the fascination with dogs. People are obsessed with them.
All that jumping on you and constant attention and love isn’t for me 🤣

I’m 100% a cat person maybe as my personality is more cat too, aloof independent, like to come and go as I want.. like cats I’m not everyone’s cup of tea but that’s all good 😊

There’s that too. I think I’m on the fence.

I totally agree with you! I have grandogs who I love dearly but I love cats more and adore my two!

It’s exactly this. You know when a dog is happy, you can see when it’s sad or distressed. You can see if a dog is obedient or goofy - you can’t do any of that with cats.

I have both dogs and cats. The dogs entertain us daily with their behaviour. The cats are loved equally but they just don’t provide anywhere near as much ‘content’.

There’s also so much emphasis on dog breeds. We know labs are greedy, border collies are clever, cockapoos are cute, sausage dogs are sassy, Jack Russell’s are lively - you can’t stereotype cat breeds in the same way.

It just wouldn’t work with cats.

Dogs don’t roam and shit in other people’s gardens, kill wildlife or dig up your flowers

I love both cats and dogs and I'm lucky enough to live with one of each (I wouldn't go so far as to say they're friends, but they happily tolerate one another and occasionally play together). They're both fantastic in their own way. I love the dog's enthusiasm for life and his affectionate ways. I also love the cat's comical antics (he's very playful) and I'm chuffed to bits when he chooses to spend time with me.

I think you have to live with cats to fully appreciate their qualities, whereas dogs are more accessible - they're out and about on walks and elsewhere, so people tend to interact with them more.

They would if they could though.

Many cats do behave like a pet ie they’re friendly, playful, come to talk to you/lie on you/ sleep on your bed etc.
They're very beautiful too.
And their presence tends to put off mice and other vermin, whether or not they’re successful hunters.

But you can ‘read’ a cat’s feelings: tail up and a trot over means they’re pleased to see you, flattened ears/bristling back and tail mean it’s feeling threatened, etc.

I'm not really keen on the concept of pets altogether.

I love both. But I am a dog person on the whole what I actually hate is the cat owners, that let there cats out then complain that it's gone missing, got run over or getting fed by little Doris down the road. Its always someone else's fault when something happens to their cat. Cause for me if I had a cat it wouldn't be allowed out of the house.

People drive like nobheads, but I can't count the amount of close calls I've had from cats running out in the road in front of me. And it frightens the shit out of me. The worst ones for me are though, my cats gone missing but he needs his special medication or he's on a special diet, but we let him out the house last night and he hasn't come back and they're at the vets later etc.

I'm sorry I just think a lot of cat owners are irresponsible idiots.(Not all) (I also know a lot there's a lot idiot dog owners out there too) But if you really loved your cats that much you'd have a cattio or fenced in garden, so nothing out of your control will likely happen to the beloved pet that you care so much for.

I have a secure garden for my dogs for that reason. So they can't get out and cause any damage to anything or anyone.
I'm also against the my dogs friendly patrol too. As just because yours is friendly it doesn't necessarily mean that mine is.. I think dogs should only be allowed off leads if you have 100% recall or it's in a secure place etc. As again just because I love dogs doesn't mean everybody else does.

Where as cats do what they want with no repercussion and if you complain about them shitting in your garden, killing birds it's what cats do. Etc. which is ok but why should I have to pick up someone elses animals mess. I just think on the whole people need to take more responsibility for all the animals they own. Be cat, dog or whatever. I know there's plenty who don't pick up there dog mess either before anyone jumps on me for that. But I'm not one of them, as I carry poo bags with me everywhere I go.

I much prefer cats. I don’t get the fuss about dogs. I don’t dislike them but I would never have a dog.
we have always had cats

No. Some dogs, by no means all.
None of mine have been needy or clingy, they're every bit as independent minded as a cat with the same "fuck that" attitude.

Dogs kill wildlife, they kill, rabbits, hares and squirrels. They attack and kill, sheep the also run around fields chasing sheep who abort their lambs and then the sheep also die from shock. They also kill men, women and children

They also shit on my front garden

As a teenager I used to walk a black Labrador, the owners had moved from the country where they lived as the dog was a known sheep worrier. She once saw a squirrel and was off. I just about hung on. It was probably very amusing to anyone who saw it as just like cartoons I went one way round a tree and she went the other - I never let her off the lead

I like dogs but please don't minimize what they do

Great post @HeartyStork

I’d be interested to know (in a genuine way, not sarcastic) if the people who are saying they hate cats because they kill wildlife also hate humans because we do the same? The destruction of nature is largely down to humans. Do you eat fish? Even though there’s an over-fishing problem which is wiping out entire species of fish(amongst other things)? Do you go and watch or participate in fireworks even though it’s known to be terrifying and detrimental to wildlife? Do you hate humans for building roads through the animals natural habitats, causing hedgehogs, deer, badgers, squirrels etc to be killed by cars every day?

Humans KNOW about this. Humans do these things knowing the harm it does. Cats don’t. They are just following their natural instinct so it wouldn’t really make sense to hate a cat for doing what it genuinely can’t help because it’s innate, and not hate humans for willingly doing these things knowing the damage they cause? It is PEOPLES fault for letting their cats out knowing they will kill wildlife. The cat has no idea wtf is going on.

Or maybe it’s just an excuse for you to say you hate cats 🧐

Cognitive dissonance.

Evens the vegans cause untold misery and damage by existing in this Earth, so even that doesn't make it better.

Cats are angels comparative to humans.

That’s a good point @Avocad1sh I include myself in this when I say aren’t most humans hypocritical in some ways? It’s a sad old world when you really think about it, well the population on it is. Look at the beautiful gift of this planet and look at how it’s being treated.

Quite apart from being Man’s Best Friend (I know cat lovers might disagree), we have sheepdogs, guide dogs, assistance dogs for deaf people or those with disabilities, sniffer dogs (to find drugs/firearms/cash on criminal premises or at airports), dogs that can even warn an epileptic that a seizure is imminent. Even cadaver dogs, that can find dead and buried (usually murdered) bodies.

Cats can certainly be cosy companions, but I’m not sure they perform much in the way of useful functions, except perhaps by killing mice and rats, but they also kill millions of songbirds every year.

I don’t like either. And there is definitely more of a sense of “what is wrong with you??” if I say I don’t really like dogs. Whereas with cats most people don’t care. Dog owners (as a whole) are a bit more intense and weird about it, like if you don’t like dogs it’s some personal slight against their darling fur baby.

My mother was a nightmare for this. One look at her furious face on the way back from her walk and I knew some poor soul hadn’t worshipped at the feet of the dog.

Agree. It’s the irresponsible owner that allows that to happen and let their cat be blamed.

I love my cat. He's just as affectionate as any dog, he sleeps snuggled up next to me at night, which is especially lovely in the winter! He sits on our laps when we're watching TV and he always knows when someone is upset and needs a cuddle. He's an indoor cat and absolutely lives his best life. I hope he lives to a ripe old age as I actually can't imagine / dread life without him.