[NT] Are you a Cat or Dog Person?

[Sacrophagus]

I do not make those noises at my dogs.. well not all the time.. sometimes I say "who's your mommy!!"

HAHAHA! I'm sorry, I can't read beyond that. This is too precious. Certainly read that in your voice. I'm done. No more surprises for today. No more.

**Leaves the planet**

 

[Abcdenfp]

HAHAHA! I'm sorry, I can't read beyond that. This is too precious. Certainly read that in your voice. I'm done. No more surprises for today. No more. **Leaves the planet**

Giggling and blushing feverishly ..lol ..

 

[blob]

what if I like them both

 

[Starry]

Cat. Ever since I was little. How could you not?

How could you resist this face?? Seriously

^^What's interesting to me about the gif/image you selected and implied reason for selecting it..."How could you resist this face??" <-Is that this is a dog face...a dog expression (cats actually can't do this). In fact, it is precisely this expression that scientists claim makes a domesticated dog a dog. It is this expression that separates the dog from the wolf, coyote, jackal and the rest of the family Canidae.

Cats were latecomers to the human party. They showed-up 4,000 years ago o' clock...but it wasn't until the Bubonic plague that it became truly fashionable to have completely shredded curtains and upholstery in your home.

Humans and dogs have been evolving side-by-side since the very beginning...and the dogs that could pull-off...not "kitty cat eyes"...but rather "puppy dog eyes" got tossed way more meal scraps and bones in a true dog survival of the fittest love story (scientific studies have demonstrated that humans have significantly higher levels of oxytocin in their blood after looking at puppy dog eyes).

 

[Population: 1]

^^What's interesting to me about the gif/image you selected and implied reason for selecting it..."How could you resist this face??" <-Is that this is a dog face...a dog expression (cats actually can't do this). In fact, it is precisely this expression that scientists claim makes a domesticated dog a dog. It is this expression that separates the dog from the wolf, coyote, jackal and the rest of the family Canidae.

Cats were latecomers to the human party. They showed-up 4,000 years ago o' clock...but it wasn't until the Bubonic plague that it became truly fashionable to have completely shredded curtains and upholstery in your home.

Humans and dogs have been evolving side-by-side since the very beginning...and the dogs that could pull-off...not "kitty cat eyes"...but rather "puppy dog eyes" got tossed way more meal scraps and bones in a true dog survival of the fittest love story (scientific studies have demonstrated that humans have significantly higher levels of oxytocin in their blood after looking at puppy dog eyes).

I respectfully disagree. If you've seen a cat that's been through hell, is cold, tired and afraid of being left behind you'd know they certainly can look like that. It's the whole reason I have my cat. She was a rescue. I opened her cage and she was scared but gentle and I spent a good amount of time with her. When I went to close her cage door and say goodbye that's the exact look I got. She came home with me that very day.

 

[Starry]

I respectfully disagree. If you've seen a cat that's been through hell, is cold, tired and afraid of being left behind you'd know they certainly can look like that. It's the whole reason I have my cat. She was a rescue. I opened her cage and she was scared but gentle and I spent a good amount of time with her. When I went to close her cage door and say goodbye that's the exact look I got. She came home with me that very day.

Well, I mean, you're not really disagreeing with me...I guess you would be disagreeing with a very large body of scientific research on dogs (and cats. Likewise, I'm not dissing cats nor am I making any sort of commentary on the emotional /intellectual range of cats verses dogs).

The difference that I think you might be missing is that the cat in that movie (Shrek) is not making that expression due to having experienced hardship. The Shrek cat is doing it to have an impact on another creature's emotions. From everything I've read/seen on this topic... The prevailing theory is long before we were breeding dogs for this trait and that...humans were inadvertently "selecting" dogs that had an impact on our emotions regardless...we were selecting dogs that were expressive in a way that made sense to us. It's not a manipulative gesture like in the movie but dogs know to give the puppy dog look in a variety of situations with humans...when begging...when they know they did something wrong like shitting on the rug...

 

[Population: 1]

Well, I mean, you're not really disagreeing with me...I guess you would be disagreeing with a very large body of scientific research on dogs (and cats. Likewise, I'm not dissing cats nor am I making any sort of commentary on the emotional /intellectual range of cats verses dogs).

The difference that I think you might be missing is that the cat in that movie (Shrek) is not making that expression due to having experienced hardship. The Shrek cat is doing it to have an impact on another creature's emotions. From everything I've read/seen on this topic... The prevailing theory is long before we were breeding dogs for this trait and that...humans were inadvertently "selecting" dogs that had an impact on our emotions regardless...we were selecting dogs that were expressive in a way that made sense to us. It's not a manipulative gesture like in the movie but dogs know to give the puppy dog look in a variety of situations with humans...when begging...when they know they did something wrong like shitting on the rug...

Oh I'm not saying you're bad mouthing cats in anyway. I'm saying they can definitely trigger that instinct to protect little creatures that are helpless. I was totally a sucker for those sad eyes. lol I would have always wondered what became of her and her 'you're leaving me here?' look sealed the deal. I had no intention of getting a cat that day. I just went to look at of all things puppies (haha! husky pups especially) and that was that.

I've never seen Shrek though.

 

[Abcdenfp]

I respectfully disagree. If you've seen a cat that's been through hell, is cold, tired and afraid of being left behind you'd know they certainly can look like that. It's the whole reason I have my cat. She was a rescue. I opened her cage and she was scared but gentle and I spent a good amount of time with her. When I went to close her cage door and say goodbye that's the exact look I got. She came home with me that very day.

There is something so powerful about the way your rescue loves you. My youngest Boston is a rescue, and I happened upon him totally randomly. There was a local video of some ASS who had posted "runt pit bull for sale, paid a lot of money for him but he won't grow, need to get rid of him, ".
so someone who knows me sent me a msg "hey you seen this video ? This dog looks like yours" ( at the time I had the only Boston on the island.) "huh? What video?" He sends it and I was horrified, i hop in my car , get to this ASSES house and this dog was so scared he was shaking, he was so skinny his eyes looked huge almost like they were coming out of the sockets. the man goes on and on and I couldn't hear him I was so angry , " how much" I asked, but it actually didn't matter cause I knew I wasn't leaving him, I wanted to see him walk and he couldn't because the man had kept him in a cage with newspaper on the floor, and the door against the wall so he couldn't see out for 1 year!! He didn't know how to lift his leg to pee , my other Boston showed him that, he didn't know how to walk on grass because he had never been in it, his paws had acid burn from standing in his own urine, so for two weeks i had to put cream on it and make sure he didn't lick it off ,I cried for weeks and mostly I was just so grateful he was safe now. my other Boston always tries to run out the front door, not him he stand there and waits on me almost if to say, I know what else is out there, I'm waiting on this chick. He is so protective, loyal , loving. Everynight he jumps in bed and cuddles and we both sleep well now.
,

 

[Poki]

Love hate with cats though i actually am a cat person...damn allergies. I do enjoy dogs as well

 

[Population: 1]

There is something so powerful about the way your rescue loves you. My youngest Boston is a rescue, and I happened upon him totally randomly. There was a local video of some ASS who had posted "runt pit bull for sale, paid a lot of money for him but he won't grow, need to get rid of him, ".
so someone who knows me sent me a msg "hey you seen this video ? This dog looks like yours" ( at the time I had the only Boston on the island.) "huh? What video?" He sends it and I was horrified, i hop in my car , get to this ASSES house and this dog was so scared he was shaking, he was so skinny his eyes looked huge almost like they were coming out of the sockets. the man goes on and on and I couldn't hear him I was so angry , " how much" I asked, but it actually didn't matter cause I knew I wasn't leaving him, I wanted to see him walk and he couldn't because the man had kept him in a cage with newspaper on the floor, and the door against the wall so he couldn't see out for 1 year!! He didn't know how to lift his leg to pee , my other Boston showed him that, he didn't know how to walk on grass because he had never been in it, his paws had acid burn from standing in his own urine, so for two weeks i had to put cream on it and make sure he didn't lick it off ,I cried for weeks and mostly I was just so grateful he was safe now. my other Boston always tries to run out the front door, not him he stand there and waits on me almost if to say, I know what else is out there, I'm waiting on this chick. He is so protective, loyal , loving. Everynight he jumps in bed and cuddles and we both sleep well now.
,

That's a great story. You saved his life and he knows it. Animals are incredible and nothing strikes at my heart deeper than their suffering. You're one of the good ones Abcdenfp! People like you keep my hope in humanity alive.

 

[Abcdenfp]

That's a great story. You saved his life and he knows it. Animals are incredible and nothing strikes at my heart deeper than their suffering. You're one of the good ones Abcdenfp! People like you keep my hope in humanity alive.

I am the same, to see animals or people suffering strikes me to the core. We must act/speak for them because they can not speak for themselves. In the end only kindness matters

 

[Starry]

Oh I'm not saying you're bad mouthing cats in anyway. I'm saying they can definitely trigger that instinct to protect little creatures that are helpless. I was totally a sucker for those sad eyes. lol I would have always wondered what became of her and her 'you're leaving me here?' look sealed the deal. I had no intention of getting a cat that day. I just went to look at of all things puppies (haha! husky pups especially) and that was that.

I've never seen Shrek though.

I'm in a weird position right now because on one hand I believe what you are telling me in spite of never having seen it myself...I grew-up with a household filled with both cats and dogs and yet I have never seen a cat make the 'puppy dog eyes' expression I'm refering to...(over the course of my childhood 3 of those household cats were actually considered "mine"...Chico, Peapa and Teala and I'll add here that what's not in dispute is the notion that cats have a profound emotional impact on us "owners"). Ultimately, I have no point I feel compelled to prove. I am a total dog person...but certainly do not need others to be. <-I mean, apparently some people do. Just prior to creating this post I googled a couple of things I wanted to double-check on...and apparently this "dog verses cat" thing is some sort of raging, ongoing battle...generally with cat owners insisting that their cats are just as intelligent and interpersonally interactive as dogs...which I knew. I knew this was a *thing* enough to know that some member would challenge the sentiments put forth in my original post...but it wasn't until just prior to creating this post that google provided me a sense of just how intense this raging, ongoing battle is for some people... And the last thing I would want is to make it appear like I could give a shit in this regard. I'm just so happy that people have pets and that pets of any sort have people that care about their wellbeing and love them dearly.

On the other hand though I feel a sense of responsibility to the truth of what I started here. I feel it is my crappy explanation that may cause and has caused confusion. And so I'll just end by saying...while I've failed to explain it properly... I can pretty much assure you that your rescue cat is the exception here. Cats are considered solitary animals while dogs and humans are social animals. This is not to say that there aren't some cats that are more socially inclined and dogs and humans that are more "lone wolfish" in nature. But as it pertains to what I so poorly highlighted...dogs are interacting with their humans far more deliberately. There is a hard-wired commitment to exchange which is what defines social animals..."what can I do for you in exchange for what you can do for me?"

I can pretty much assure you that the scientists that have studied cats versus dogs...even the cat lovers among them...would tell you that your cats expression was unusual and accidental (your cat may not have wanted you to go but the expression was not made with an awareness of you-you or of the emotional impact it would have on you and your behavior and choices) if they didn't outright accuse you of actually assigning social meaning... being a social animal...to neutral or coincidental cat behavior (which people often do...there have been many studies on this with a variety of different animals). Basically, your cat loves you, is dependent on you, feels your feels and will do physical things like meow, push you, etc. that they have learned will inspire you to meet his/her needs...but is rarely concerning him/herself with what they can do for you.

That expression is distinctly *dog* and social and demonstrates an awareness of the impact and exchange in spite of my sucky description of it.

 

[Population: 1]

I'm in a weird position right now because on one hand I believe what you are telling me in spite of never having seen it myself...I grew-up with a household filled with both cats and dogs and yet I have never seen a cat make the 'puppy dog eyes' expression I'm refering to...(over the course of my childhood 3 of those household cats were actually considered "mine"...Chico, Peapa and Teala and I'll add here that what's not in dispute is the notion that cats have a profound emotional impact on us "owners"). Ultimately, I have no point I feel compelled to prove. I am a total dog person...but certainly do not need others to be. <-I mean, apparently some people do. Just prior to creating this post I googled a couple of things I wanted to double-check on...and apparently this "dog verses cat" thing is some sort of raging, ongoing battle...generally with cat owners insisting that their cats are just as intelligent and interpersonally interactive as dogs...which I knew. I knew this was a *thing* enough to know that some member would challenge the sentiments put forth in my original post...but it wasn't until just prior to creating this post that google provided me a sense of just how intense this raging, ongoing battle is for some people... And the last thing I would want is to make it appear like I could give a shit in this regard. I'm just so happy that people have pets and that pets of any sort have people that care about their wellbeing and love them dearly.

On the other hand though I feel a sense of responsibility to the truth of what I started here. I feel it is my crappy explanation that may cause and has caused confusion. And so I'll just end by saying...while I've failed to explain it properly... I can pretty much assure you that your rescue cat is the exception here. Cats are considered solitary animals while dogs and humans are social animals. This is not to say that there aren't some cats that are more socially inclined and dogs and humans that are more "lone wolfish" in nature. But as it pertains to what I so poorly highlighted...dogs are interacting with their humans far more deliberately. There is a hard-wired commitment to exchange which is what defines social animals..."what can I do for you in exchange for what you can do for me?"

I can pretty much assure you that the scientists that have studied cats versus dogs...even the cat lovers among them...would tell you that your cats expression was unusual and accidental (your cat may not have wanted you to go but the expression was not made with an awareness of you-you or of the emotional impact it would have on you and your behavior and choices) if they didn't outright accuse you of actually assigning social meaning... being a social animal...to neutral or coincidental cat behavior (which people often do...there have been many studies on this with a variety of different animals). Basically, your cat loves you, is dependent on you, feels your feels and will do physical things like meow, push you, etc. that they have learned will inspire you to meet his/her needs...but is rarely concerning him/herself with what they can do for you.

That expression is distinctly *dog* and social and demonstrates an awareness of the impact and exchange in spite of my sucky description of it.

Well like humans I think animals have distinct personalities so perhaps my cat is people cat. I hope I didn't give the impression that I'm a 'cat first' or cat supremacist I grew up with cats and dogs (huskies and malamutes) as friends and pets and my first pet Sasha was a husky who when I was three escaped and was fatally hit by a truck. I was only three but believe me I knew she was gone forever and it smashed my heart. I never understood the whole war about cats and dogs they each have appealing qualities for different reasons. The only reason I don't own a dog is because my apartment is too small to house say a Labrador I feel so when I'm not home I'd feel bad putting him/her in a cage or having him/her stuck in a tiny dwelling. I worked with dogs for years and they are awesome animals and nothing can turn me into a giggling six year old like a dog licking my face.

Don't worry Starry there's no war between us (I hope). Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria!

 

[Starry]

Well like humans I think animals have distinct personalities so perhaps my cat is people cat. I hope I didn't give the impression that I'm a 'cat first' or cat supremacist I grew up with cats and dogs (huskies and malamutes) as friends and pets and my first pet Sasha was a husky who when I was three escaped and was fatally hit by a truck. I was only three but believe me I knew she was gone forever and it smashed my heart. I never understood the whole war about cats and dogs they each have appealing qualities for different reasons. The only reason I don't own a dog is because my apartment is too small to house say a Labrador I feel so when I'm not home I'd feel bad putting him/her in a cage or having him/her stuck in a tiny dwelling. I worked with dogs for years and they are awesome animals and nothing can turn me into a giggling six year old like a dog licking my face.

Don't worry Starry there's no war between us (I hope). Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria!

I can't stop laughing at "cat supremacist" haha.

No, I don't think that at all...even before I may have made it seem that way by unwittingly leaving-out entire concepts/thoughts/sentences in what I wrote (which I do all the time but as someone that believes in multiple, individual realities I become especially confused trying to share what is considered the current collective understanding of reality when I have knowledge of it...and if I'm hesitating... without a doubt I'll make things super weird.)

Have you ever owned a cat or dog that took on a best friend? We actually gained a cat that way when my cat Chico became best friends with our neighbor's cat Pugsley. Every morning Pugsley would show-up...and he and Chico would hang-out sleeping on opposite ends of our porch all day long. And then one day...he never left.

We also owned a German Shepard mix named Piccola that became bffs with a purebred Husky from the neighborhood named Chewbacca. Chewbacca was amazing...so majestic looking...and I wanted him to come and live with us so bad...but...our neighbors would just reinforce their fence on a weekly basis. sigh.

 

[Population: 1]

I can't stop laughing at "cat supremacist" haha.

No, I don't think that at all...even before I may have made it seem that way by unwittingly leaving-out entire concepts/thoughts/sentences in what I wrote (which I do all the time but as someone that believes in multiple, individual realities I become especially confused trying to share what is considered the current collective understanding of reality when I have knowledge of it...and if I'm hesitating... without a doubt I'll make things super weird.)

Have you ever owned a cat or dog that took on a best friend? We actually gained a cat that way when my cat Chico became best friends with our neighbor's cat Pugsley. Every morning Pugsley would show-up...and he and Chico would hang-out sleeping on opposite ends of our porch all day long. And then one day...he never left.

We also owned a German Shepard mix named Piccola that became bffs with a purebred Husky from the neighborhood named Chewbacca. Chewbacca was amazing...so majestic looking...and I wanted him to come and live with us so bad...but...our neighbors would just reinforce their fence on a weekly basis. sigh.

You and I seem to have conversations that consist at least 50% of I didn't mean to suggests or I hope you didn't thinks lol! I have not had a pet adopt another pet but when I was a kid my mom rescued strays and fed everything in the neighborhood including skunks and raccoons. In fact I remember being on my porch one night as a teenager and a frequent visitor momma raccoon brought the troop of youngsters up to me and they were sniffing my Doc Martens and chittering away. It was really cool. Potentially dangerous seeing as they were wild animals but she trusted me enough to introduce me.

We had a really tall fence too as we found out one time our male husky Stormy decided he wanted out and jumped the six or eight foot fence like it wasn't there. Although maybe your neighbors are just snooty pricks?

 

[❀༺♥༻ℭ𝔞𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔞_𝔄𝔦𝔰𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔤༺♥༻❀༺]

Both are adorable and amazing for different reasons, I can't choose (though I voted cat... I stand by my previous statement XD)

 

[hav]

I do not like pets generally, but I could see myself having a large and strong dog for practical reasons. Supposedly they make for a good security alarm.

 

[Froody Blue Gem]

INFJ and I personally love both dogs and cats. I used to be more of a dog person but I grew to love cats too and have owned both. Probably spending time with both. I never disliked cats, just never took the time to understand them until recently. Honestly, I love most animals, mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians, fish, etc.. Cats and dogs are very different pets but they can be equally affectionate. They just show it in different ways. Cats may be more reserved than dogs but both dogs and cats have their own unique personalities and I would like to think no two are they same. They are like family.

 

[j.c.t.]

I'm not much for pets to begin with. But if I had to choose I'd choose dog.

 

[Maou]

I always considered dogs for extraverts, cats for introverts.

Im a cat person.