Why A Dog Is Mans Best Friend And A Cat Is Not

Dogs and cats are like chalk and cheese but i'm not talking about physical appearance - my observations have been of their personalities, mentally and emotionally. People who don't own pets might put them under the same category; that of annoying, messy, hairy, smelly creatures and yes, they are correct to a certain extent. However, in my experience of having both cats and dogs as pets, they could not be more dissimilar in terms of their loyalty towards their owners.

To give an example, a farmer died in his field recently and his dog stayed by his side for a couple of days until he was found. The dog, who had spent every minute of every day with the farmer and who was normally calm, was extremely protective of this owners body and became aggressive when anyone approached. The farmer also had a cat who was found at the back door of his house, meiowing because it was hungry. Think about it!

Cats are independent animals who care about two things and two things only and that is their food and their comfort. Once a cat is fed and is healthy, all they care about is being rubbed, or chasing a ball of wool, or relaxing in a warm part of the house. The owner may as well not exist, unless they are providing the tummy rubs of course. Cats view owners as providers, meal tickets, suckers so to speak!

Dogs could not be more different however. Since dogs became domesticated all those years ago, they developed a certain trait which no other animal posesses to any similar extent and that is loyalty towards, and a duty to protect their owner. Loyalty in a dog manifests itself in many ways as follows:

1. They are happy to spend every second of every day in their owners company, even if it means doing nothing.


2. They can become territorial in the home and be aggressive towards approaching strangers. They are just being protective of the owner and property. This is why dogs make great guard dogs (as well as pets), big or small and is also a factor where dog attacks are concerned.


3. They would literally fight to the death for an owner in danger, such is their level of loyalty.

Having said this though, one can only have a certain level of respect for the selfish cat and mere pity for the needy dog! Cats are funny animals since their arrogance and supreme vision of self-worth would be the envy of many a human being and a fascination for any psychologist. The dog personifies the dependent child, needing far more time and effort than the cat.

When one is considering which pet to choose, it is the aforementioned traits which should be the deciding factor. Is it a pet which will just take and not give, but which will require little of your time or is it a pet who will require lots of attention but will give back the love and devotion in bucketfuls? The choice is yours!

Noelle Leahy is proprietor of Snug Baby Shop, a leading Online Retailer of Baby and Children's Accessories in the UK. Best selling products are Childrens Waterproofs and Hospital Bag for Labour.