What do you like about cats?

[Marcia]

Originally Posted by spirite

I must admit to not being a dog person. I don't like being licked, I don't like being followed everywhere, and I can't stand the smell. Even dogs who are kept very clean have a dog smell. If a dog licks me, the first thing I do is wash whatever part of my body got licked. Then there are the dogs that just yip constantly.

It's not that I dislike dogs. I think some are beautiful, and some are very well-trained. My downstairs neighbor had a dog who was super well-behaved and virtually never barked. But I prefer to admire them from far away enough that an excited dog doesn't jump all over me and kiss my face. "Augh! I've been kissed by a dog!"

So why do I like cats, especially in comparison to dogs? I think cats have more personality, they're more fun/entertaining to watch, they're better looking (I mean the whole species is more consistently beautiful - but of course that's subjective), they're more pleasant to pet, and they seem to have their own ideas about what their lives should be like - they're not so dependent on humans. Dogs seem to live by trying to please their owners. I've always wondered what dogs do all day when their owners are gone. Do they play? I'm sure both dogs and cats do a lot of sleeping, but I know my cats have been active while I'm out, because cat toys are in strange places, or are completely missing.

Ya know Spirite, I think you nailed it! I like dogs too, I also don't like the way they smell or the licking or the incessant yapping!! I KNOW, I KNOW - back off dog lovers!!, I'm just stating a general conception. I realize not all dogs stink, lick or yap. some just smell, slurp and bark!! HA!!

[builder]

Well I don’t know about the “can’t fetch thing” because 2 of my cats fetch and my dog don’t. I just saw that inmates have taught a cat to smuggle in contraband such as cell phones and drugs, so they can be trained.

[anie]

Originally Posted by spirite

I must admit to not being a dog person. I don't like being licked, I don't like being followed everywhere, and I can't stand the smell. Even dogs who are kept very clean have a dog smell. If a dog licks me, the first thing I do is wash whatever part of my body got licked. Then there are the dogs that just yip constantly.

It's not that I dislike dogs. I think some are beautiful, and some are very well-trained. My downstairs neighbor had a dog who was super well-behaved and virtually never barked. But I prefer to admire them from far away enough that an excited dog doesn't jump all over me and kiss my face. "Augh! I've been kissed by a dog!"

So why do I like cats, especially in comparison to dogs? I think cats have more personality, they're more fun/entertaining to watch, they're better looking (I mean the whole species is more consistently beautiful - but of course that's subjective), they're more pleasant to pet, and they seem to have their own ideas about what their lives should be like - they're not so dependent on humans. Dogs seem to live by trying to please their owners. I've always wondered what dogs do all day when their owners are gone. Do they play? I'm sure both dogs and cats do a lot of sleeping, but I know my cats have been active while I'm out, because cat toys are in strange places, or are completely missing.

yup spirite, you nailed it!

[Arianwen]

I always have both - I would never consciously choose - I would be led by who needed me at the time!!

[Lady's Secret]

The worst two weeks of my life were the two weeks I was without a dog. I would never voluntarily be without one. I wouldn't be able to sleep without one in the room to guard me. lol

Last summer I took in an abandoned kitten and got cat fever! In November a wounded starving tortie showed up and made it clear my home was now hers! She gained 1.9 lbs between vet visit to treat wound and vet visit to be spayed. She's so beautiful now that she's healed. She and my kitten got along from day one and both kitties love their dogs.

Now I can't imagine my life without either. Their both wonderful in their own way.

The thing I love most about my cats is that they each love my dogs but only like each other. Watching an 8 pound kitten play fight with a 60 pound German Shepard mix and then curl up together and sleep after they tucker each other out... priceless.

[Marcia]

Originally Posted by Lady's Secret

The thing I love most about my cats is that they each love my dogs but only like each other. Watching an 8 pound kitten play fight with a 60 pound German Shepard mix and then curl up together and sleep after they tucker each other out... priceless.

Ok, that just might be enough to melt my heart, too!

[Saydee]

One thing I love about cats is how versatile and unique they can be. Take my cat, Booger, for example. He actually defies several assertions about cats that you have in your list.

He can't fetch, sure, but he's more affectionate than any dog I've ever owned or met. He wants to be touching me at all times. He lays his head on my mouse hand when I'm working on the computer -- I posted a picture of that on this forum. Or he lays in my lap while I'm working. He sleeps on top of me at night and he grooms my beard several times a day (cat slobber all over my face). He follows me around everywhere. Even if I go to the restroom I have to let him come in and watch me or he cries at the door and sticks his paws under.

I can't speak to the loyalty comparison, but I can address the training assertion. I trained Booger to use the toilet so he doesn't have a litter box. It was about as easy as training the couple of dogs that I had years ago. The difference, I think, is that to train a cat to do something it has to be something they're willing to do and capable of understanding. Dogs are indeed willing to do more than cats.

On a different note, Booger is definitely NOT independent and he does NOT give me my own space whenever I want it. We've grown to be almost a single entity because of clingy he is.

Like I said, I love how cats can be so many different things and be so unique. The cats that you have met have given you certain impressions about how they behave, but I (and probably many others) have cats that defy those "rules."

[britishvixen21]

We dont have a dog, so i am a little biased on that front but what I love about my kitties are:

They are so aloof at times but so loving.
They are so soft and cuddly
They are pretty low maintenance
I love cats Meows its cute
I love how they hang around you like your the best thing since slice bread
I love how my kitties know when im down and give me a cuddle.
I love how they play and make me laugh with there antics
They are not as clumsy as dogs

I could go on and on but i love my kitties like they were my own born babies. I dont have any kids so they are a great substitute.

[Merlin_Guinevere]

I love cats and dogs both! Growing up, I was a "cat person", but in my early-mid 20s I started wanting a dog a lot (I was scared of dogs as a child, but not anymore). When I moved out last August at age 28, I wanted a dog, but was not allowed to have them in this apartment. I ended up adopted two kitties, and now I am obsessed with cats right now. I still love dogs as well, but I am very happy I have my two kitties.

What do I like about MY kitties (since all cats are different):

I like that they are independent, but also dependent at the same time. They can do their own thing, but aren't opposed to some serious cuddling either.

I like that they can be very calm, cool, and collected at times, and other times be extremely playful.

I like that they relieve themselves in a box, I do not have to take them outside for a walk when it is raining, icy, etc.

I like that they seem to communicate with me, and they seem to know when I am down and need them.

I love basically everything about them. If I had a dog, I am sure I would love everything about him too (except for walks in the rain...)

[jusjim]

I like dogs and cats.I would love to have a small dog as well as having Missy, but my age prevents this.

I've been thinking about your question, and I don't have an answer. I can't even answer a question that keeps puzzling me; why did I adore Zenobi, while I just love Missy, especially as one of the first things Zenobi did was to bite me. Not a love bite, but an angry snap that drew blood. At times I actually find myself appologising for this to Missy.

There are those on this board who have multiple cats and mention that one of them is the favourite.

I dunno!

While cats have their independence, sometimes I get the impression that they are more emtionally dependant on people than dogs are; or perhaps dependant in a different way.