Dogs vs. Cats — Why Dogs Reign Supreme

There are two types of people in the world - Dog People and Cat People. Both types are aware of what I mean. I don’t want to get myself in trouble with any of my readers who are Cat People, but I am compelled to speak my mind about both animals, so here it is.

Dogs reign supreme. I don’t know how there can be an argument about this. Dogs come out on top in 5 categories:

1. Love – Who doesn’t want to be loved? Dogs will love you unconditionally, sloppily, adoringly, loyally, and FOREVER. They will follow you to the ends of the earth (bathroom included). When you leave the house, they will wait longingly for you at the window or door for minutes, hours, days, YEARS. They are wired to understand your emotions, so will cuddle you when you are depressed, play ecstatically with you when you are in the mood, and share in your joy when you are happy. They will mourn your passing for the rest of their lives. If you want love, get a dog.

2. Loyalty –Read these heartwarming stories about dogs that traveled miles on their own to hospitals where their owners were patients; about the dog that ran after the ambulance transporting his homeless owner to the hospital and the compassionate EMT’s that stopped to let him ride with them; about the schnauzer that traveled 20 blocks from home on his own to the hospital where his owner was a patient.

3. Companionship – Who doesn’t want a companion who listens, captivated by your every word? A companion who is non-judgmental, non-critical, and does not argue with you. A companion who will watch TV with you; sit with you on the couch while you read; hike with you in the woods; run on the beach with you; travel in the car with you; be by your side for whatever activity in which you want to engage. If you want a top-notch companion, get a dog.

4. Health Benefits – It’s a proven scientific fact that simply petting a dog lowers blood pressure; lowers the stress hormone, cortisol, and releases the feel-good hormone, oxytocin. Owning a dog also forces you to exercise – a dog needs to be walked at least 2-3 times a day for “potty time”. Even if you have a fenced-in yard, and don’t need to walk them for bathroom breaks, they love to play. Running around with them, throwing a ball, playing tug of war – those are all activities that require you to MOVE, thus giving you exercise and fun. If you want to be healthier, get a dog.

5. Human-like understanding of language- Who doesn’t want a captive audience that listens intently to every word you utter? Who doesn’t want an audience that cocks its head in interest at every word that comes out of your mouth? If you want a non-judgmental listener that never argues with you, get a dog.

CATS – If, on the other hand, you want to be ignored, get a cat. You’re going to have to do a lot of convincing to get me to understand why I would want a pet that ignores me.

Cats are the opposite of dogs. They have no interest in following you around, sitting with you, listening to you, playing with you, or doing anything with you unless it suits their mood at a particular moment.

I don’t like cats and the feeling is mutual. Give me some credit. I have tried to make friends with cats, but it never goes well. I have friends who have cats. During my visits with these friends, if their cat deigned to grace us with its presence, I would reach out to try to pet it. Its usual response was to run from me and hide.

There was one infamous incident that sealed the deal on the love loss between Joan and the feline world.

My husband was in the throes of Alzheimer’s Disease, still somewhat functional enough to be living at home, with me as his full-time caregiver. We had always had dogs throughout our 40+ years of marriage, but his illness and my responsibilities as his caregiver left me with no time to add another charge to my workload.

I understood that his brain was quickly deteriorating, and he was incapable of making any rational decisions, but my heart hurt when he asked, child-like, if we could get a dog. I would not have given in to the same request from a two-year-old, which was about where he fell on the cognitive range at that time, but decades of love and caring between us melted my resolve. I could not bear to see him hurt and unhappy, so I suggested what I foolishly thought was the next best option – a cat.

He, like me, had never been a cat lover, but he could not remember that fact, so off we went to the animal shelter to attempt a cat adoption. He was wheel-chair bound due to diabetic complications, so it seemed like a good idea – a cat could jump up on his lap as he sat in his wheelchair, and be contentedly petted and stroked all day. Where was MY brain? What was I THINKING?

The nice volunteer lady at the shelter brought us into the “meet and greet” room, then scampered off to bring us some potential adoptees to acquaint ourselves with. She returned with a few cats of various sizes and colors, that proceeded to do what cats do – run from us, hide, and ignore us. She plopped one large cat into my arms and when I carefully stroked its fur, it whipped its head around with lightning speed, opened its mouth wide, and bit down deep into the flesh on my hand with razor-sharp teeth. I screamed, dropped the damn cat, and stood in shock, watching blood pour from my hand onto the floor.

Volunteer Lady didn’t have any paper towels, bandages, or other paraphernalia to wipe up the streaming blood. I found some tissues in my purse, pressed them against my hand, pushed Sid in his wheelchair out the door, and never again entertained any thought of bringing a cat into my home. EVER. I still have the scar on my hand to remind me of my temporary lapse in judgment.

Go ahead, Cat People, justify with a slew of reasons why the poor, frightened cat bit me. Tell me how it could have been a dog who was traumatized and scared and would have done the same thing. I. DON’T. CARE. I was done with cats forever.

I adore the loving, loyal, caring, smart, communicative nature of dogs and stand by my assertion that they are the BEST family member in your household.

I dare you to resist these faces.

Originally published in Medium.com and Petpoints Publication

© Copyright 2022 Joan Gershman