Dogs and cats, living together ... mass hysteria!

Dogs are better than cats. [LA Times]

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Anonymous

Nothing to do with the article, but it follows the headline well…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/netanya/2345224885/
Brad

Was that a Moonlighting quote?
- Ito Kagehisa
  
  Everything was fine until Rob here turned off the power grid.
fforw

Interesting to see the “land of the free” liking the obedient, loyal dogs over freedom-loving and independent cats.
Brainspore

This is bound to be an unfairly lopsided debate as the internet has a well-documented cat bias. (FWIW I vote “dog.”)
Anonymous

Dogs aren’t “loyal” they are locked in genetically-enforced slavery. Don’t degrade the language. The concept of loyalty requires the ability to choose. Dogs are purpose-bred to remove that ability; they are ruined wolves.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that, you know.
arikol

Rob, you are a brave mutant, reposting such a story.

Of course it IS obvious that dogs are better than cats, but cat people are of course completely nuts, and likely to send death threats over such sacrilege.
SamSam

This is either clearly ridiculous, or the internet is totally unrepresentative of the population as a whole. The internet’s cat bias is clear.

As evidence, here are YouTube search results:

“Kitten” and “kitty:” 242,000 and 175,000 respectively, for a total of 417,000

“Puppy” and “doggy:” 230,000 and 62,700, for a total of 292,700.

Not even close.

(“Cat” and “dog” returned “millions,” so calculation could not be performed.)
Crashproof

My wife and I have one of each. The cat is much less of a pain in the ass than the dog, and smells better too.

I can’t remember the last time I had to escort the cat outside to pee in 8-degree weather, nor the last time I had to pay a kennel to take care of the cat when we go out of town for a weekend. The cat is not afraid of her own water bowl, and does not loudly freak out for two full minutes if someone rings the doorbell.

Our cat is not aloof, and our dog is not playful. They compete for human attention, and usually the dog wins by physically shoving himself between cat and human.

I’m not saying I don’t like the dog all the same, but I am still very much a cat person.
adamnvillani

Hamsters FTW.
Anonymous

That is due to cat owners disregarding other peoples health and sending their pets out to shit somewhere else, where the owner doesn’t have to think about it. These are the only pets which get this VIP treatment and are allowed to walk free in most places.

Hyperbole much? I clean dog shit – unburied, worm-riddled dog shit – out of my yard every single week, friend.

And you know what else? Cat owners typically do not know that their pets are crapping outside their property, despite your claims. But the dog shit on my property is nearly all left there by dogs that were on leashes when they deposited it. It’s pretty obvious since they crap right in the path.
- Brainspore
  
  And you know what else? Cat owners typically do not know that their pets are crapping outside their property, despite your claims.
  
  That’s a pretty weak excuse- I wouldn’t let my dog roam the streets all day and then claim I didn’t know she was fouling other people’s yards.
  
  Dog owners who don’t clean up after their pets are terrible people too, but that habit is pretty much universally frowned upon whereas letting cats go where they please often gets a free pass.
  
  Dog people and cat people are both fine with me as long as they take responsibility for their pets. Otherwise buy a damn tamagotchi.
  - Ito Kagehisa
    
    Dog owners who don’t clean up after their pets are terrible people too, but that habit is pretty much universally frowned upon whereas letting cats go where they please often gets a free pass.
    
    I think you are basing this statement on your experience and mistakenly assuming it is universal. I own an acre of bottomland below my house. I have a total of one cat trespasser, hight Timmy Tom, who is feral although we think some people up the hill are feeding him. We have been trying to trap and neuter him but so far without success. I have dozens of dog trespassers (including some that are being walked on leashes by their owners) that leave nearly as many feces as the raccoons, fox, and deer put together do. None are feral, all are being allowed to roam by their owners. I am considering secretly disposing of these dogs since I consider them an unnecessary threat to my children.
    
    I suspect that irresponsible pet ownership is fairly universal, and social condemnation is not a deterrent if it even exists at all.
    
    Dog people and cat people are both fine with me as long as they take responsibility for their pets. Otherwise buy a damn tamagotchi.
    
    Amen, Brother! Testify! Can I get a Hallelujah here?
  - Itsumishi
    
    Ever since tamagotchis got wireless connectivity I’ve found tamagotchi shit all through my computer.
    
    In all seriousness though. Cats are the fucking greatest. Also if you really don’t like Kitty litter. Train your cats to use your toilet!
Felton

I’m a fossa person.
ill lich

Dogs are better TASTING than cats.
Anonymous

Ferrets
pupdog

Heckuva job there, AP, heckuva job…
arikol

As to the dogs forming packs thing.

Letting dogs run loose in humanland is idiotic. They ARE wild animals, even though they have been domesticated, and have strong predatory and pack urges which they don’t really know what to do with.
OTOH I feel that cats should not be let walk loose in humanland either. Walk your cat on a leash and clean up their poop. Don’t let them shit in children’s playground. As soon as cat people in general start doing this I’ll stop being an anti cat person. The little old lady next door always walks her cat on a leash, and the cat seems to have no problems with that. Therefore I have no problems with that cute little kitty.
- apoxia
  
  People walk their cats? And cats don’t bury their poop? Not where I’m from.
  - Brainspore
    
    Anyone who lets their cat roam and defecate on other people’s property without picking up after it (buried poo or not) has no right to criticize the manners of a dog.
sazzamook

I am totally a dog person too :) For those who have access to the BBC iPlayer, watch the new episode of Horizon, ‘The Secret Life of Dogs’ :D

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00pssgh/Horizon_20092010_The_Secret_Life_of_the_Dog/
Day Vexx

Newspapers in decline? This is bananas! Just look at it.
Ito Kagehisa

Perhaps the Internet simply reflects reality better than the LA Times?

After all, Mohammadans are not permitted to cohabitate with dogs, or to keep them as pets, according to the Hadith (they are also commanded to kill pure black dogs with white spots over their eyes, so you might want to keep yours inside if you have one).

Given the number of Muslims in the world, I’d think that factor alone would be enough to tip the balance in favor of cats globally. Most (not all) Christians have gotten over the institutionalized cat hatred of the middle ages.

The Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) is said to have once cut the sleeve from his garment rather than disturb a sleeping cat.
Ellavemia

The people interviewed are comparing pet dogs to feral cats. That’s hardly fair. I’d say wild dogs in packs are pretty destructive as well.
jeligula

@ Day Vexx. It is called a Lifestyles editorial. Newspapers are allowed to do this. Every single blog on the net fits under this category, regardless of the subject. I find it hilarious that you sarcastically decry newspapers while reading the story on your computer monitor. This piece is no different than millions of other idiocies posted solely on the internet every single day, the only difference is that they are not fit to waste paper on. And I must admit that this piece fits under that category as well, but it in no way shows the decline of newspapers. As if a media migration were responsible for a lapse in quality.
- Day Vexx
  
  It’s called a banana. Newspapers are allowed to do this. What are you talking about? Dog newspaper banana lolcat lifestyle just look at it!
triscuit

My dog is awesome- well trained, calm, never barks, affectionate, loves to travel cross country, snowshoe, hike. But still- a PITA compared to my cats. And, he’s never caught a mouse in his life!
KateH

What I find hilarious is that they paid people to do this telephone survey.
Anonymous

Dogs will eat their own shit, and will eat the shit of just about any other living creature. Not because they have to, but because they want to. That is all.
Robert

The Times obviously didn’t bother to interview Teh Intarwebz, because the Internet Loves Cats. Also, every dog I’ve known has been gassy. I wuv meh qat.
Anonymous

Your endorsement. We do not require it. (insert serious cat picture here)
dainel

I like dogs better. You can’t *eat* cats. :)
- arkizzle / Moderator
  
  “You can’t *eat* cats.”
  
  You’re just not doing it right. Stew and drumsticks.
Ito Kagehisa

If you’ve ever seen what happens when pet dogs form a pack, you’ll never turn your back on dear little Fifi again. Ask a sheep farmer about it.
Anonymous

My cat smells much better than any of the dogs I had as a kid – ok, the litterbox isn’t so great, but he himself usually smells quite nice. He’s also super friendly, very people-oriented (always lays near me), and gives kisses… even comes when called if he’s not busy sleeping. Even my normally cat-disliking dad thinks he’s great.

I like both cats and dogs (except slobbery ones), but I’ve met good and bad specimens of both. Which is “better” depends on the animal and the lifestyle of the owner.
Jardine

A feral cat may be nasty, but it’s not going to come after you. A pack of dogs will rip you apart.

I think the difference between dog and cat owners is what they want out of their pets. Cats demand minimal attention. Dogs want a lot more attention. If you leave a cat alone in the house for a couple days with enough food and water, it’ll probably be fine. Do the same to a dog and it’ll go nuts.
- qygibo
  
  It depends on the cat, honestly. I have a cat who will sometimes act very much like a dog (you can play fetch with her, for one thing). She also will worry if she’s left by herself due to us gong on an overnight trip. She’s shy around other people she does know, but myself and my husband, otoh… she will come up and want to be held and pet and spoiled after we return from a trip.
- Ellavemia
  
  A pack of dogs killed my horse when I was young. Not wild dogs, just ‘neighborhood’ dogs who were wrongly allowed to run free and decided to form a pack. That’s why I feel pretty strongly about these ridiculous people being surveyed who obviously haven’t a clue apart from the obvious “cat urine smells bad” and “I like birdies”.
  - Ito Kagehisa
    
    Two overfed house pet dogs can kill 30 sheep in a single night. The meat will not be marketable. Even if the dog owners are identified and successfully prosecuted, the farmer is unlikely to recieve fair compensation for loss of livelihood.
    
    http://www.google.com/search?q=sheep+killed+by+dogs
    
    As usual, the dogs are just doing what they’ve been bred to do. It’s the owners who think that their dogs are sweet furry children that are at fault.
Antinous / Moderator

Dignity – I haz it. Goggie – not so much.
dculberson

Dogs smell way worse than cats. Someone quoted in the survey called cats “stinking creatures.” When was the last time you saw a dog bathing itself? Oh yeah.
- Anonymous
  
  I don’t know about that. I can usually instantly tell someone has a cat when I walk in their front door. Cat owners seem immune to the stink of a litter box. At least dogs crap outside.
  - Anonymous
    
    Oh, really? Just about every dog owner I know has many stories about their dogs shitting and/or pissing and/or puking in their homes. Denial.
  - dculberson
    
    Oh, absolutely. A messy cat owner’s house does stink. We have one cat and scoop the litter every day, so our house isn’t stinky. But you can also tell when a person has a dog; they have a pretty strong smell even without a litter box.
http://tokyofarm.com Spencer Cross

Except for the fact that dogs have double the environmental impact of an SUV as opposed to the cat’s, which is less than a VW Golf.
Anonymous

Dogs drool, cats rule! Eat shit, all you dog people, just like your stupid dog would do without hesitation. Dogs are absolutely nasty.
RikF

The American public, if polled, would probably say that they liked America’s Next Top Model better than BoingBoing, but that doesn’t make ANTM better than BoingBoing…
nnguyen

Dogs do not provide as many entertaining pictures with captions. Therefore cats > dogs.
VagabondAstronomer

My girlfriend and her daughter have a black short hair named Cole (between the three of us we have, gasp, four pet cats and one foster feline). Cole is glossy black, head to tail to ungainly legs, much like a Labrador retriever, which he happens to think he is. Same style of running, carries his toys through the house, loves water, plays fetch and yes, even walks on a leash. And uses a litter box to boot. Even comes when he’s called. Best of both worlds.
Anonymous

Dog people are like their pets. They roll in their poop, eat it, usually have slobber around their mouths, blindly do whatever they are told and occasionally maul children.

Cats rule!
dderidex

The American public, if polled, would probably say that they liked America’s Next Top Model better than BoingBoing, but that doesn’t make ANTM better than BoingBoing

There may be more truth to that statement than you realize.

Is anyone really surprised that MOST people prefer an animal that blindly gives loyalty, without requiring any work or effort from its owner at all, other than slopping some food down now and then? And, specifically, prefers animals that mindlessly slathers validation and adoration on them over more independent ones?

I think it says more about the self image of the country than the animals themselves…
arikol

@apoxia, yeah, cats bury their poop. Just not always in very good places. Children’s playgrounds come to mind.
This is bad for a variety of reasons, toxoplasmosis being one of them. Toxoplasmosis is most often caught by children playing, and people who like gardening.
In children, this can cause eye and brain problems (losing an eye IS an option) and for pregnant women this may cause severe problems to the foetus (eye and brain). Exposure to cats have also been shown to increase likelyhood of allergies, while exposure to dogs has been shown to lower likelyhood of allergies.

That is due to cat owners disregarding other peoples health and sending their pets out to shit somewhere else, where the owner doesn’t have to think about it. These are the only pets which get this VIP treatment and are allowed to walk free in most places. Why not have them follow the same rules as all other pets?
- Anonymous
  
  Re: Allergies
  Cite?
  
  Even though my county has an ordinance requiring dog owners to pick up after their pets (we even have signs posted at the neighborhood entrances that say so), there is dog shit all around my neighborhood. Some inconsiderate neighbors will allow their filthy animals to piss in my yard, which kills the grass. Lucky for them, I haven’t caught up with them yet.
  
  We have leash laws too, but some of these dog owners don’t think it applies to them either. Why should I have to worry about my child being mauled by one of these filthy beasts?
  
  I’ll just add that the overwhelming majority of cat owners do not have indoor/outdoor cats. How many people do you know, or have even heard about, who have contracted toxoplasmosis? By the by, dogs are host to far many more infectious diseases than are cats.
- apoxia
  
  I think it’s funny that you think cat owners are “sending their pets out to shit somewhere else, where the owner doesn’t have to think about it.” My cat comes and goes as she pleases, I don’t send her anywhere. And why do I have to think about where she is going to the toilet, she buries it, which is far more than can be said for dogs. I suspect cats are allowed to walk in most places as they don’t have a propensity to attack or menace and (sometimes) kill other animals and people. If they did I’m sure they would be subject to the same laws.
  
  I bet more kids step in dog shit (or eat it as babies) then get toxoplasmosis by a cat’s buried poo.