Human/cat relationship =old

[Peregrin Toker]

For a happy greeting, yes. For loyalty, no. A dog will meet many people throughout its life, and it will be friendly to most (unless they give it some reason not to be, or it's a psychotic breed like the pitbull), but it will be loyal to only a chosen few.

I've come across a surprising amount of dogs who barked intimidatingly at strangers for little apparent reason (and no, none of them were pitbulls!) and I've never seen a cat even attempting to scare strangers away without a valid motivation. (cats have knowledge of how to intimidate, I know this, but I have never seen them do so)

Nor have I heard of a common housecat mangling a human's genitals in a random fit of rage. (wild cats, perhaps, but not domestic ones!)

Note: As a disclaimer, it must be mentioned that I suffer from cynophobia (fear of dogs)... so of course I am biased for my own good on this issue.

I'll also be impressed when a cat defends someone in a fight. My next door neighbour pushed me over in a fight once, and my dog lost it's fucking mind and put the fear of God into him. Never fuck with a (white) German Shepherd, or his master.

I think part of the appeal of dogs may lie in this - they are nowhere as apathetic as cats. (in facts, cats often seem to be avatars of indifference)

[MKSheppard]

The difference is that dogs admit guilt. Cats are completely infallible.

Hence, they're evil satanic shitheads

[General Zod]

For a happy greeting, yes. For loyalty, no. A dog will meet many people throughout its life, and it will be friendly to most (unless they give it some reason not to be, or it's a psychotic breed like the pitbull), but it will be loyal to only a chosen few.

I've come across a surprising amount of dogs who barked intimidatingly at strangers for little apparent reason (and no, none of them were pitbulls!) and I've never seen a cat even attempting to scare strangers away without a valid motivation. (cats have knowledge of how to intimidate, I know this, but I have never seen them do so)

having had a cat tear open my finger once when petting it (i think it was sick at the time, but didn't realize it then. i was like 9) i can say that they can be vicious fuckers when they want to. while they're not as physically powerful as a dog their teeth are much more sharp and wicked.

[Ghost Rider]

I'll also be impressed when a cat defends someone in a fight. My next door neighbour pushed me over in a fight once, and my dog lost it's fucking mind and put the fear of God into him. Never fuck with a (white) German Shepherd, or his master.

Amazingly true.

My daschund was loyal to a fault of defending(sure...a loud squirrel would scare him, but someone he didn't truly care for...he was a loud and quite frankly oddly viscous opponent.)

My kitty...she's afraid of the air can...not just the noise mind you...the can itself.

Though I will express this...if you have a dog/cat, do not treat them like the other pet.

NO DOG LITTER BOXES, NO LEASHING OF CATS AND TAKING IT OUT ON WALKIES. Sorry I find this one of the more idiotic things...if you so wanted a dog or a cat...buy one dammit, don't turn your pet into something he or she isn't.

[General Zod]

as a brief aside, don't dress up your pets either. if you want something you can play dress-up with, have a kid. Pets aren't supposed to wear goofy costumes so they can resemble their owners.

[Darth Wong]

I've come across a surprising amount of dogs who barked intimidatingly at strangers for little apparent reason (and no, none of them were pitbulls!) and I've never seen a cat even attempting to scare strangers away without a valid motivation. (cats have knowledge of how to intimidate, I know this, but I have never seen them do so)

Nor have I heard of a common housecat mangling a human's genitals in a random fit of rage. (wild cats, perhaps, but not domestic ones!)

Note: As a disclaimer, it must be mentioned that I suffer from cynophobia (fear of dogs)... so of course I am biased for my own good on this issue.

If you are phobic of dogs, that would explain why they often react to you in a hostile fashion. Dogs can smell fear, and they seem to react to fear with the assumption that if you're afraid around him and/or his master, then you must have done something wrong (or you're about to; the chemicals released into your bloodstream by fear and anger are similar; it's the "fight or flee" instinct).

[RogueIce]

Well, about all I can add is my own personal anecdote here.

My dog (may he Rest In Peace ), whenever I was sad, would come find me, lie down right next to me, and place his head in my lap. He did not need any bidding, or coaxing, nor did I have to pet him to keep him around; even if I just sat there quietly sobbing to myself (this being when I was quite a bit younger) he would quietly lie there and provide me what comfort he could, and would never abandon me. My dog, whenever someone came in the door (especially my mother, who would make it a point to call out for him), would typically rush to see who it was; when I was feeling sad, however, he stayed firmly planted, no matter who came around. He never left me, until I myself was ready to leave, and even then, he'd follow me until it became somewhat clear that I was feeling better, then he'd leave to go spend time with the rest of the family.

Having had three cats now, I can't say I've ever had a similar experience with them. My dog was always happy to spend time with the family, no matter what. My cats, on the other hand, only do so when it fits their schedule. As far as real loyalty and devotion go, my cats, yes, they're loyal, but in nowhere near the same fashion as my dog was.

I miss him so very much...

[Lonestar]

I'm a cat person, though I have nothing againest Dogs. One of my cats is a "dog-cat", and demands attention, snuggles...very affectionate. The other, well...as Shep said..

Satanic Shithead

But I love her just the same. Well, not as much as Thudmonste.

[Joe]

OK, I don't mean to vulture, but I've been looking at Oni's anti-dog tirade for 15 minutes and I just HAVE to shoot back:

Every man needs their own, personal dupe.

Anything that loves you unconditionally is a dupe, then?

Except when hungry, horny, distracted by a car, and any number of other reasons.

Actually, when dogowners die and are not discovered for a number of days, dogs are known to be willing to go without food for weeks, even willing to starve to death rather than touching the bodies of their masters. Compare that with cats, who'll usually have eaten your eyes out within a day or two. So hunger is out, and the other two don't even warrant a response they're so wrong.

...so man needs a stupid, naive being as a buddy?

Small children are stupid and naive. Guess we need to throw the kids out and start raising cats, then.

Ironically enough, this sounds exactly like what 'good' christian fundies try to beat into their abused, submissive wives.

Whatever, dude...

Anyone, and I repeat, *anyone* who would teach any animal to do this is absolutely fucking sick. I don't know which is worse, the person that thinks this is an admirable trait, or the species that can get coerced into doing this abominable practice.

Wow. Just wow. I wouldn't want to be with you in a foxhole, dude, if that's your opinion of loyalty.

More of the same, no new points introduced. *sighs* I'm only glad that not all dogs are actually like this. If man needs a gullible, naive, syncophantic punching bag to be happy, I will happily disown myself from the species.

Human babies are gullible and naive, again, yet most of the species love human babies, and they love raising them. So consider yourself ready to be disowned if that's your position.

-Cats don't give a fuck how much you make. Cat's don't really care how many friends you have. Cats could care less what car you own, what charities you donate to, what religion you follow, or anything else. If a cat loves you, it loves you for a damn good reason.

Very true, I mean, just the other day, my Yorkshire terrier was bitching me out about how I don't worship Jesus like all the rest of the people in town and how I haven't worked since last summer.

-Cats will love you, but only if you earn their trust. A cat is not a pathetic syncophant, begging for attention. A cat is a living, independent being, who is sometimes independent, but sometimes craves company. A cat is not naive, a cat will not blindly follow what human figure appears before it. A cat's love is infinitely more desirable, in my opinion, because it shows you are doing the right thing.

Once again, you could say the same thing about small children. They are not independent - they need constant company and attention as well, and they don't make you work particularly hard for their love. Obviously you have to make sure their physical needs are met, but that's certainly much better than cats, with whom you have to both meet their physical needs and go out of your way to make love you.

-Cats were once worshipped as gods. They have not forgotten this. Cats show a pride in themselves, their bodies, and their abilities that place them on a human level. Cats show, with this pride, that they are not objects to be molded to a 'master's' desire.

Again, you could say the thing about small children. They won't be fully functioning humans without a great deal of care and acquired skills from their parents.

[The Yosemite Bear]

Of course, she also has mind-control eyebeams that reduce me to babytalk.

That's every kitty-cat...it's given to them by the almighty cat-god.

Hey bastet has a good deal of power to pass along to her children....

[Mayabird]

I'm a cat person, though I have nothing againest Dogs. One of my cats is a "dog-cat", and demands attention, snuggles...very affectionate.

Yeah, same here. Though Sonnet is a rather weird cat; she sleeps on her back, has pathetic slow reflects, and likes sitting at the table when we eat (not like jumping on the table; I mean sitting at one of the chairs gazing over, like she's just a furry small human wanting to join in on the conversation). Plus she likes sleeping beside people at night or at the foot of the bed. Not really very catlike.

[The Yosemite Bear]

Old joke

How did Cat's get kicked out of paradise?
#1st CatL: Who the fuck are you, and who made you the cat?


How did the first dog get kicked out of Paradise?
!st Dog: Erm, shiny glowy person, where are the A;pha people? , I want to be with them.

[Oni Koneko Damien]

You honestly can't see anything wrong with taking a description of unconditional love and loyalty and calling it "abominable" or turning it into "pathetic sycophant?" Yeah, right. Sure.

Okay, point conceded on the fact that we're operating off of different interpretations of the same phrase. My version of 'unconditional love' was something more along the lines of 'blind faith'. I can now see that your definition is a bit different, and thus, can see where the objection is coming from.

I merely was saying that loving something no matter how it treats you in return (my definition of 'unconditional love') isn't something I'd consider a positive trait, and is what led to my religious abuse connotations.

Once again, since we're working off of different definitions, I guess I don't really have any quarrel with your interpretation.

I'll repeat myself again, and restate where I believe I screwed up, just to attempt to clear up any misunderstandings...

1) I am not an anti-dog person, in any sense. I have a dog that I love more than most people I know.

2) After reading the, well, I guess it's a poem, on dogs, the impression I came away with was that it was admirable for dogs to blindly follow their 'masters', no matter how unfit, uncaring, or abusive the masters may be. Since, after reading further explanations, I can see I was mistaken in this interpretation, I then *concede the point*.

3) I really have no interest in getting into a debate into which animal is better, since I think it would be hypocritical to what I've been trying to teach myself for years to judge something in this fashion.

4) Therefore, I concede whatever needs to be conceded to just drop the argument.

-Damien

-Damien