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Study confirms dogs are better pets than cats

post #1 of 45
12/10/09 at 8:08pm
Thread Starter 
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post...d#post_comment

Clearly those involved in the study just don't know how to handle cats and now cats get bad publicity....
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post #2 of 45
12/11/09 at 4:28am
and they are basing it on this:

Quote:
They compared brain capacity, history, ability to bond, popularity, comprehension, problem-solving skills, use of voice, training ability, senses, eco-friendliness and actual usefulness.
Not one of these things to me screams 'pet' - I can see ability to bond as one for most people
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post #3 of 45
12/11/09 at 5:44am
Quote:
BONDING - Cats are loners by nature, while the bond between a dog and its owner is remarkably similar to that between a parent and a child: happy when its mother is around, distressed when she leaves. Winner: Dogs
Huh? I just spent 15 minutes holding a tortie who DEMANDED to be held. Much will immediately gravitate to our laps when we sit down. Carly is greeting us when we enter a room. Obviously these people never live with cats.
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post #4 of 45
12/11/09 at 10:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by katachtig View Post
Huh? I just spent 15 minutes holding a tortie who DEMANDED to be held. Much will immediately gravitate to our laps when we sit down. Carly is greeting us when we enter a room. Obviously these people never live with cats.
I really don't understand this persistent image of cats as "loners". I rarely have to look for any of mine. They almost always are in the same room I'm in. Not asking for anything. They just seem to want to be near me. I actually sometimes feel bad leaving a room if I haven't been there very long because Zara is so determined to stay next me that she may have just gotten comfortable when it's time for me to leave.
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post #5 of 45
12/11/09 at 11:06am
I agree that cats are not loners by far...

Mine is always waiting for me at the top of the stairs, crying for when I will come back down to be with him.
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post #6 of 45
12/11/09 at 12:43pm
Then you have a crew like mine, who have always been indoor/outdoor, and come and gone as they please. And, absolutely guaranteed, when someone has been out and comes in, to a cat, they always seek out at least one human, to check in with a rub and collect a quick scritch, before they go off and do whatever is next on the agenda. The cat door is in the utility room, directly below the kitchen, and the only stairs between the floors are at the front of the house, so if the humans are at the kitchen table, that definitely means going out of their way, since they have to go all the way to the front of the house and back again to accomplish that check-in. Everything that might be on their agenda is closer to where they came in than the humans are.

Yeah, right, they definitely don't care about the humans -- not at all.

Oh, and the tortie, who is more than capable of negotiating stairs, but very often will demand a "ride" from whichever human she's sticking to. Great opportunity to snuggle.

Yeah, right, they definitely don't care about the humans -- not at all.

Oh, yeah, and the blond blue-eyed tiger, who camps in the door to the study, and the moment Daddy seems to be headed to the computer, hustles over to jump up on the printer, and collect scritches.

Yeah, right, they definitely don't care about the humans -- not at all.
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post #7 of 45
12/11/09 at 12:43pm
NOT loners at all!!
Mine follow me from room to room... Bugsy will only sleep with me... Tap me on my shoulder with his head for love every night when he comes to bed.
The three of them will wait for me on the living room until it doesn't matter how late, and only retire when I go to bed...

Lucky DEMANDS love. I mean, she demands it! She comes to me, and she begs!

I always have a kitty next to me, and they always have one next to each other... loners? NOT in this household!

Now.... One thing missing in that study -
The healing power of the Purr
Ok, Cats win! There is NOTHING, NOTHING a dog can do that comes close to that... When you are sick, or down... To hold a purring cat close to you... There are plenty of studies about it....
I took me out of my antidepressants, and it has been MUCH more effective than those harsh chemicals, I tell you that much!
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post #8 of 45
12/11/09 at 12:55pm
I bet you these cats they are basing their opinion on didn't care for them much either!
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post #9 of 45
12/11/09 at 2:05pm
I don't think one is better than the other, they are just different.
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post #10 of 45
12/11/09 at 2:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by missymotus View Post
I don't think one is better than the other, they are just different.
Why does something have to be better, both can be respected for what they are and leave it at that. Like having a favorite child when all the children are great, but in very different ways.
That said, while I love both dearly, I do prefer one over the other (dogs, no flames please ), and others do too, others prefer cats and don't like dogs, many people like both and don't have to choose fortunately, but that is their personal opinion and might be different than my personal opinion, so who does that make "right"? Each person is right because perception becomes reality in many cases and that choice is right for them they believe. Either one can be better for everyone on a case by case basis I guess, it depends on too many situations and each one is different, each person is different, and each pet is too!
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post #11 of 45
12/11/09 at 4:52pm
Wait... 3000BC? Someone has their heads up their butts. Cats have been living with humans for a lot longer than that. It's widely accepted that it was closer to 8000BC.

I think "head up their butts" describes most of the so called study fairly well.
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post #12 of 45
12/11/09 at 10:31pm
Huh??? Rusty is head butting me right now for petting. She is not a lap cat.

My RB girl, Kiki, would walk DH and I to the bus stop every morning and meet us there in the evening. Now that is devotion!. Whoever wrote that has not lived with a cat.
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post #13 of 45
12/11/09 at 10:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Catkiki View Post
Huh??? Rusty is head butting me right now for petting. She is not a lap cat.

My RB girl, Kiki, would walk DH and I to the bus stop every morning and meet us there in the evening. Now that is devotion!. Whoever wrote that has not lived with a cat.
LOL From their poll:

Cats
1477 votes, 78.3%

Dogs
211 votes, 11.2%

I love them equally
148 votes, 7.8%

I don't like either
50 votes, 2.7%



Total 1886 votes
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post #14 of 45
12/11/09 at 11:02pm
Ok first I completely disagree with the study. Cat's are phenomenal companions. And second, why does it matter? What's the point of this study? Adoptions usually come down to personality, both the animals and the persons. Are people really going to adopt a dog just because a useless study claims they make better pets? No. This study is just a waste of time and money.
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post #15 of 45
12/12/09 at 5:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Catkiki View Post
LOL From their poll:

Cats
1477 votes, 78.3%

Dogs
211 votes, 11.2%

I love them equally
148 votes, 7.8%

I don't like either
50 votes, 2.7%

Total 1886 votes
That poll is the best part of that article! It's pretty much a slap in the face to those "scientists" and their "study"!
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post #16 of 45
12/12/09 at 12:56pm
They seem to have forgotten some criteria, such as ease of housebreaking, grooming, exercise, obedience training, home nursing, etc..
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post #17 of 45
12/13/09 at 3:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jcat View Post
They seem to have forgotten some criteria, such as ease of housebreaking, grooming, exercise, obedience training, home nursing, etc..
Housing compatibility, too. Cats work out much better than dogs in an apartment.
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post #18 of 45
12/14/09 at 11:24am
I guess "Better for what?" would be a good question here. I suspect cats fit in with more lifestyles than do dogs.

I understand the attraction of a dog. If my lifestyle allowed it, I've seen plenty at the shelter I would love to share my life with. But there's just no way to work it out.

It's like the old question of which is smarter, dogs or cats. One very wise man said they are both intelligent enough to do the job they are given, which is to be a dog or cat and survive at it.
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post #19 of 45
12/14/09 at 11:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrblanche View Post
I understand the attraction of a dog. If my lifestyle allowed it, I've seen plenty at the shelter I would love to share my life with. But there's just no way to work it out.
The first thing I'm going to do when I retire is get another dog. In fact, it might be the first thing I do when DH retires. I can't say cats or dogs are better pets - I love both.
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post #20 of 45
12/14/09 at 1:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cococat View Post
Why does something have to be better, both can be respected for what they are and leave it at that.

<snip>

Either one can be better for everyone on a case by case basis I guess, it depends on too many situations and each one is different, each person is different, and each pet is too!
That 100% sums up my opinion of such a "study". Who paid for this study anyway? If they are giving out money for such stupid things, I would like to be in line!!!

As for cats not being social if they are "loners" by nature and antisocial, then why do they congregate to form a community as ferals? It can't just be because of the food, and even if it were they wouldn't form relationships with each other that feral cat caretakers see all the time.

These "researchers" need to stop listening to old wives' tales as fact.
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post #21 of 45
12/14/09 at 4:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mschauer View Post
That poll is the best part of that article! It's pretty much a slap in the face to those "scientists" and their "study"!
If you read the article it clearly says cats are more popular smarter and have better control over there vocal cords. This was not a popularity contest. It was a study based on certain things.
The title of the article is It's scientifically proven (well, sort of): dogs have got cats licked. Well kind of it said. Also they never said dogs were better pets. They said out of the category's they chose they won. They also said it was hard to compare them. To me this article was not trying to bash cats. It seems like it was more for fun then anything.
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post #22 of 45
12/14/09 at 5:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Krazycatlover View Post
If you read the article it clearly says cats are more popular smarter and have better control over there vocal cords. This was not a popularity contest. It was a study based on certain things.
The title of the article is It's scientifically proven (well, sort of): dogs have got cats licked. Well kind of it said. Also they never said dogs were better pets. They said out of the category's they chose they won. They also said it was hard to compare them. To me this article was not trying to bash cats. It seems like it was more for fun then anything.
I don't think they were bashing cats. Just misrepresenting them in some areas. The best pet is the one that meets the person's expectation.
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post #23 of 45
12/14/09 at 6:10pm
Both cats AND dogs make wonderful pets!! I have both. The dogs, yes, they will work for me, they show their emotion more blatantly, they are more like "kids" in that they are more demanding and more needy I suppose. I love them. But my cat is definitely bonded to me too! She often wants to be in my lap. She follows me to the bathroom every morning purring up a storm, having, I guess missed me overnight (doesn't sleep in the bedroom--I've had too many experiences of cats bouncing on my head at night to do that again, sorry <g>), so she always accompanies me to the bathroom. If I go lie down after work; when I come out I find she's been lying outside my door wanting to be near me (aww! ); I think if I left her by herself she would be heartbroken. She also retrieves paper balls and her mousy just like a dog would. She blinks lovingly at me. She is a GREAT pet and I adore her as well as I do my dogs!
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post #24 of 45
12/14/09 at 6:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by carolinalima View Post
NOT loners at all!!
Mine follow me from room to room... Bugsy will only sleep with me... Tap me on my shoulder with his head for love every night when he comes to bed.
The three of them will wait for me on the living room until it doesn't matter how late, and only retire when I go to bed...

Lucky DEMANDS love. I mean, she demands it! She comes to me, and she begs!

I always have a kitty next to me, and they always have one next to each other... loners? NOT in this household!

Now.... One thing missing in that study -
The healing power of the Purr
Ok, Cats win! There is NOTHING, NOTHING a dog can do that comes close to that... When you are sick, or down... To hold a purring cat close to you... There are plenty of studies about it....
I took me out of my antidepressants, and it has been MUCH more effective than those harsh chemicals, I tell you that much!
OH YES, that is sooo true and a great point!!!!!!!! There is nothing nicer to cap off a day (good or bad!) than a purring warm cat in your lap or smack up against your leg...esp. when it's cold outside . As much as I am a dog person, sometimes the raucous barking and demanding attitude make the blood pressure go up, while the sweet back-arching purring furry warm love that the cat is makes me go ahhhhhhhhhh ............................
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post #25 of 45
12/16/09 at 6:59pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by cococat View Post
I bet you these cats they are basing their opinion on didn't care for them much either!
That is exactly my thought!!!! I have amazed (and converted) too many self-declared "dogs only lovers"
to accept the "results" of the study
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post #26 of 45
12/16/09 at 7:02pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by valanhb View Post
That 100% sums up my opinion of such a "study". Who paid for this study anyway? If they are giving out money for such stupid things, I would like to be in line!!!
And I'd love to join you
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post #27 of 45
12/17/09 at 5:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Krazycatlover View Post
If you read the article it clearly says cats are more popular smarter and have better control over there vocal cords. This was not a popularity contest. It was a study based on certain things.
The title of the article is It's scientifically proven (well, sort of): dogs have got cats licked. Well kind of it said. Also they never said dogs were better pets. They said out of the category's they chose they won. They also said it was hard to compare them. To me this article was not trying to bash cats. It seems like it was more for fun then anything.
The first sentence of the article:

Quote:
Prepare for the fur to fly –dogs have beaten cats by a whisker as the superior pet.
It's clear the intent of the article is to show that dogs have been "scientifically" shown to be superior to cats.
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post #28 of 45
12/19/09 at 10:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by missymotus View Post
I don't think one is better than the other, they are just different.
That's how I feel. I love my cats and dogs equally. They are each unique, but each one has a special, loveable quality!!
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post #29 of 45
12/20/09 at 6:16am
I will say that dogs are far more portable than cats. I just finished a 720 mile trip yesterday...12 hours...with two dogs and a cat. The dogs didn't make a peep the entire time. When we stopped I'd walk them and say "Go potty" and they did. The cat meowed for four hours straight and then off and on for the remaining time. She did not use her litterbox once. That said, once we STOPPED and got her settled in to the hotel room, she's fine. Using her box, happy, etc.... but wherever we go this week, we've got to take a box with us and there's no guarantee she'll use it. I can't walk her on the grass, tell her "Go potty" and it all be fine. OH well. Cats are best at home, dogs are great no matter where you go, for the most part. Still love them both, but they are DIFFERENT. Hard to compare different.
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post #30 of 45
12/20/09 at 6:18am
I find I can REASON with the dogs..like you do with a child. I cannot reason with my cat. In that way the cat is more like other small animals.
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