Dogs vs cats: The great pet showdown

[dwest]

Dogs win of course but cats are a close second.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg2 ... wdown.html

[Innocent Bystander]

The test as published is biased. Dogs score higher on "Bonding" (with a human) "Understanding" (a human), "Tractability" (with humans) and "Utility" (to humans). Cat owners would emphasise independance, which is mutually exclusive with the four traits mentioned.

[Nanohedron]

The test as published is biased. Dogs score higher on "Bonding" (with a human) "Understanding" (a human), "Tractability" (with humans) and "Utility" (to humans). Cat owners would emphasise independance, which is mutually exclusive with the four traits mentioned.

I think you're right insofar as cat owners being likely to cite independence as an attractive trait in cats goes. I have some quibbles with the standards presented, of course. I would also amend "independence" to "perceived independence". I haven't read the link - I probably won't - but I'll say this: from a mundane human measure, tractability and utility are easier to quantify than bonding and understanding. I'll also say this: my cat has listened to me and complied with no challenge - to my voice, and no yelling needed - whenever I regarded a situation as truly important and having nothing to do with my petty wishes; IOW, every such time, I saw a safety issue at stake. Such ready compliance in nonstandard situations tells me something, anyway. Of course not every cat will behave so. But, for that matter, nor will every dog.

As to why I say "perceived independence": What, then, is it that motivates my cat that she should follow me around almost like a dog, peek at me around corners to see what I'm up to, spend time in my lap when there's no need of warming, vocalise to me when there's food aplenty in her dish and she has no wish to go for a walk because it's below zero Fahrenheit outdoors, that she should show off her agility and skills and beauty in a way that is obviously for the sake of attention and approval? And she DOES want approval. She periodically checks to make sure I haven't changed my mind, which suggests to me that she regards me as having a mind and an inner life in my own right, and let me tell you, I appreciate that. I prefer to not be a god figure, but a companion on equal terms when all's said and done. When she's off by herself, that tells me she's either feeling emotionally secure enough to do so, or needs time to herself. That makes her more like me, and that's something I can understand. Tractability hardly figures on my radar. I like the negotiating style of interaction with a personality, as opposed to mere obedience from one. Bonding is not an absolute quantity that only one measure can dictate.

Anyway, the utility factor is a fallacy. In the world I inhabit, most pets have no human-centric function other than to be a companion whether their behavior makes them one or not. Even an anole lizard can serve as a companion if your needs are that undemanding. Utility? You should see my cat nail mice. Unfortunately since the move to the present digs, she doesn't have mice to catch anymore, so I keep her in hunting fettle in analogous ways, and she's always good to go for that. From a cat, interaction I get, as well as its sense of self-respect. It's like having a little bit of the wild under my roof. If mine would start making a habit of fawning on me, I'd think there was something seriously wrong, and worry about it.

So much for these kinds of studies, as far as I'm concerned. Statisticians with nothing better to do will always resurrect this pointless cat-vs.-dog nonsense as if their numbers have any real meaning and they have something new to report. News flash: they don't.

[HDSarah]

I agree with Nano that assigning scores and saying dogs "win" is meaningless. To decide what makes the "best" pet you have to define "best," and that is a matter of personal opinion. The article mostly told us things we already know (dogs are more tractable, etc.).

Every pet, regardless of species, should be loved, appreciated, and well cared-for. It's up to us humans to think carefully about our own values and select a pet that fits. I'm a dog person, and I gravitate toward the stereotypically "doggy" dogs: I LIKE a pet who is highly tractable, sees me as the supreme boss of the universe, wants my attention, and wants to be near me. Training my dog deepens our bond and leaves me in awe of canine abilities. We work together as a team, each contributing abilities the other lacks (we're a search & rescue canine team). I can't see myself developing a bond like that with a cat.

I am well aware that the traits I seek in a pet are negatives for some people. I've even had other "dog people" (well, if you can call terriers "dogs" ) comment that "retrievers are so needy" -- as if that's a bad thing! I do foster care for my local Golden Retriever Rescue group. I think it's wonderful that our adoption coordinator does such a great job of matching individual dogs to families. We've had some foster dogs that I'd keep in a heartbeat if I wanted a second dog of my own, and we've had some that I have to admit I wouldn't want to keep as my own -- but they've all eventually gone on to homes that appreciate the dog's good points and can work around what I consider their negatives. For myself, my own dog is nearly perfect, but he wouldn't be right for everyone.

[dwest]

My dogs aren't perfect, my cats aren't perfect, as far as I'm concerned they're all great. But retrievers are nothing more than quadrupedal licking machines. But to be fair few dogs can measure up to Irishers, or do I have that backwards?

[emmline]

I've never really glommed onto the cat person/dog person paradigm myself. I expect I think more like a cat. But I have both. I love both.
Furthermore, they are often funny and delightful in tandem.

[mutepointe]

I just got a mixed golden retriever 3 year old fixed female from the shelter two months ago. She is not a licker. She is the most well-behaved dog we've ever owned, she came that way. This has it's downsides. She is also the most serious dog that we've ever owned. She's a watchdog and nothing, even us, is going to get her to goof off. Whoever trained her did a complete job. I'm having a heck of a time retraining her. Teaching her new skills is OK. Undoing old skills, like teaching her to sit on the furniture with us is taking more time than you'd think necessary.

(Dogs win hands down. No need for statisticians to tell us that.)

[gonzo914]

My dogs aren't perfect, my cats aren't perfect . . .

My fish are. And so is the lizard. And you know why they are perfect? Because they crap where you want them to and do not have to be let out.

[dwest]

My fish are. And so is the lizard. And you know why they are perfect? Because they crap where you want them to and do not have to be let out.

All I have to do is say "hurry up!," worked for the boys too, just had to be careful when and where you said it. Conditioning will work on people, puppies, and cats.

I just got a mixed golden retriever 3 year old fixed female from the shelter two months ago. She is not a licker. She is the most well-behaved dog we've ever owned, she came that way. This has it's downsides. She is also the most serious dog that we've ever owned. She's a watchdog and nothing, even us, is going to get her to goof off. Whoever trained her did a complete job. I'm having a heck of a time retraining her. Teaching her new skills is OK. Undoing old skills, like teaching her to sit on the furniture with us is taking more time than you'd think necessary.

(Dogs win hands down. No need for statisticians to tell us that.)

Chow mix, serious watch dogs.

[Nanohedron]

Training my dog deepens our bond and leaves me in awe of canine abilities. We work together as a team, each contributing abilities the other lacks (we're a search & rescue canine team). I can't see myself developing a bond like that with a cat.

It would be a most unusual state of affairs, unlikely in my book, and would more likely depend entirely on the cat, IMO. If someone would hope for that out of a cat, I'd be inclined to wryly say, "Good luck with that." But I myself think of the above - and judging by your post I suspect you'd agree with me, Sarah - as not so much as a bond in itself, but the outcome of how that bond manifests based on the root natures of both human and animal, and of course in the course of such interactions, from there bonds can deepen and be strengthened. Without a bond to start with, teamwork couldn't happen.

I've lived with, loved, and teamed with dogs myself, so I get it, believe me. I just tend to naturally gravitate toward that touch of wildness and the seemingly loose alliance typical with cats that some interpret - mistakenly, I think - as indifference. But this "loose alliance" will actually be an unshakeably firm one if the cat is treated right. A cat that is on your side will have your back emotionally when the chips are down, and they do notice these things, and will demonstrate concern. For example, when I'm sick, mine will snuggle up and try to comfort me, and I know others report the same.

[jim stone]

your cat would eat you if you were small enough.
would think: there's sally. she's small. i can eat her now

[Nanohedron]

You take a dim view of cats, Jim. I notice you didn't suggest the same thing about dogs.

[Celtpastor]

I guess, a dog would rather try to dominate You, if You were small enough...

Cats challenge You and thus foster Your intelligence.

Dogs are way too easy to undertand and thus boring.

I just love to take care of my neighbours' retriever each time they go on holiday (even if it's for some weeks) - but yet, I'd swap my three cats - as complicated and individual as they are - for nothing in the world

[Nanohedron]

I guess, a dog would rather try to dominate You, if You were small enough...

Or maybe eat me.

[emmline]

your cat would eat you if you were small enough.
would think: there's sally. she's small. i can eat her now

Well, fwiw, I have made the same comment, and I am an unabashed cat lover.
Specifically, "Cats are our friends, because we're too big to eat."

And also, fwiw, my brother (who has 4 cats. He likes 'em,) maintains that cats come in two varieties: dumb, and extra dumb.

Now, clearly the same observation could be applied to dogs. And humans.