Dog vs. Cat People

 

preference - noun - a greater liking for one alternative over another or others (Google)

When it comes to domestic creatures, do you have a preference for either dogs or cats? Personally, I can't say that I do as I have spent quite a few years (at least fifty) alternating between the two. But I have known many over-the-top pet enthusiasts who have taken sides, and like some political activists, are strongly pro dogs or pro cats and stand by their choice. Just what kind of people are these who cannot be without either dogs or cats? 

Let's look at the multitudes who prefer dogs over cats first. I live in Los Angeles where just about everyone you meet on the street is being followed by a breed of hound on either a short or long leash. Some of the small pups are even securely sequestered in baby carriages. Most of these dog enthusiasts are Millennials who look like they are on the fence about having human children, so they have chosen to be "dog parents" as they think it is easier. Being that I have been both, I can honestly say that having a puppy is just as hard as having an infant. The difference is that the puppy grows into a full-size dog that never matures beyond the equivalent of a four-year-old child. Dogs are needy, and dog people like to be needed. Dog people know that dogs, once trained, can truly be the best of companions. As dogs are pack animals– highly social creatures and very loyal–they place their loving "parents" first in their lives. They can truly make them feel loved due to their uncanny ability to sense human emotions and react to them. Whether positive or negative, extremely fanatical dog people actually view their dogs as family members, and as a result, will take their dogs everywhere, even to locations where dogs shouldn't be, such as restaurants and grocery stores. These people will go to extremes. For example, I have seen a dog child accompanying his human parents as they were playing golf on a well-groomed course. Just today, I spied an adult Australian Collie squeezed into a backpack while her owner zigzagged through traffic on his bike. (Both activities are dangerous for a dog.) And it is true that dog people look remarkably similar to their dogs. So who knows? Maybe the dog parents are actually the parents of the dogs? It wouldn't surprise me.

Cat people, on the other hand, tend to appreciate felines because they are far less dependent than dogs. All of the cats I have ever owned could pretty much care less about me. Indolent by nature, cats just don't want to work too hard hunting for food (they can survive on their own in the wild), so they have domesticated humans to get out of any real effort. Which means they will be as affectionate as possible to get what they want: unlimited quantities of Fancy Feast and carte blanche to rip up everything destructible inside a house with impunity. Blindly devoted, cat folks refuse to believe that their fur-ball babies could ever be this manipulative and self-centered and devious. Male owners of cats tend to be a bit unusual (euphemism). The ones I've known are usually single and riddled with idiosyncrasies (understatement). One of my exes actually believed his one cat was his brother and the other, his "little girl," meaning daughter. He loved both way more than he loved me. Obviously if they date at all, these men only bother with women who adore cats. Generally, "Must love cats" comes up first on their online dating profiles. Alternatively, cat women can either be more normal or just as abnormal. Most all-in cat persons reflect their felines as they can often be independent and/or misanthropic, preferring even tepid kitties in captivity to emotionally available humans in the wild. 

Wouldn't it be nice if all people treated each other the way that some dog and cat parents treat their "children"? I think so. When I observe some of these obsessive humans, I can't help but want to come back as either one of their dogs or cats in the next life. 

Just sayin'. 

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