They seem toappear just when you need them, or when they want you to think you needthem. Cats bring hours of entertainment to the people that love them andsomehow seem to lift even the most somber spirits. What could possibly bebetter than a furry feline?
The world is filled with many kinds of petsand companions. How could this world have anything better that a cat, mycat. He was a seven-toed cat. Paws was one of my most valued friends. Heseemed to know when to hang from a branch and when to pounce on theunsuspecting, visiting dog. Paws was an amusing character that could noteasily be replaced. Eventually, I had to replace my valued friend. It wasnot an easy task. That was when I made the decision to look farther thanjust feline, but to evaluate all kinds of pets.
It inevitably came down tothe feline verses the canine. The first question I asked myself was whatare the major differences in the two animals. One is a sole predator andone is a pack predator. Another is the difference in social order and lackthere of. An obvious difference is, of course, size. The last differenceI found was cleanliness. My findings were rather surprising.
The cat is a sole predator. This simply means he likes to hunt alone. The cat can spend its whole life without a companion. Accept for theoccasional breeding mate. This translates into an animal that will beindependent and will only approach on its own terms. Canines on the otherhand are pack-orientated animals. That simply translates into many tings:they work, play, and live in a family unit.
The adults work closely andcarefully together for a common good. They tend to be very mindful of eachother’s needs. That trait is what makes canines attentive to a humancounter part. Dogs still retain pack instincts and will operate asefficiently as the environment and surrounding pack will allow. This givescanines virtually no limits with the right pack.
Another difference is social order. Cats have no social order due tolack of necessity. When a cat approaches another unfamiliar cat there issimply a fight and the winner gets the territory. There are very fewexceptions to that rule. A female in heat will most certainly accept amale of the same species in her territory. Although it is only momentarilyand he will leave when his job is complete. A mother cat cannot allow anymale cats in her territory once she has her litter. A male cat will seekout kittens and kill them to bring the female cat back in heat. Thisensures his blood legacy.
If allowed, canines on the other hand start outwith two parents. Normally the two will establish an alpha dog. Normallyit is a strong female. I personally believe this is due to theresponsibility she has in producing and rearing the next generation. Sheneeds to not only make decisions, but she needs to make good ones. Oncethe animals have done this the pair will work together to prepare foroffspring. On a positive note dogs will stay together for life and arevery devoted to each other. My translation to this is, when a dog has achosen or incidental pack member, human or canine, it will be a friend andcompanion for life because of choice.
Cats are small compact creatures. A cat will take up essentially noroom. The only exception to this is the necessity of a clean kittyrestroom. The largest thing about a cat is the litter box. Dogs on theother hand, come in a variety of sizes. There are dogs that weigh tenpounds and there are dogs that weigh 250 pounds. One only needs to decideon the size want.
The final difference between the two animals is, of course,cleanliness. Cats are self-cleaning and if they can avoid dirt they willcertainly try. Dogs on the other hand need to be taught to stay clean. Ifa dog is raised outdoors it is in fact a dirt magnet. Dogs that are raisedindoors on the other hand are rather clean and tend to not seek out dirt.
Needless to say I have owned an Old English Mastiff for 8 years now. She has been a joy to own and train. She has also been one of my mostvalued and trusted friends. Cats are great animals and pets, but fail incomparison to a dog. This is one previous cat owner’s opinion.
This piece would be an article in a cat magazine such as Cat Fancy ora pamphlet in a animal control adoption facility. It is aimed at would becat owners or soon to be cat owners.
