- Perfect Harmony
I’ve been conducting an informal, non-definitive, non-exhaustive and probably totally biased survey among my friends. It’s a two-part survey. Part One: Is there a difference between people who own cats and those who own dogs? Part Two: Describe the differences.
Everyone I questioned gave a resounding “YES!” to the first part. The answers to the second part were interesting, sometimes conflicting, and often completely unexpected:
CAT PEOPLE
Tend to be independent in thought and action and expect their pets to be that way, too.
Are neater than dog people.
Put a high priority on cleanliness.
Are more sedentary.
More interested in intellectual pursuits.
Are equally interested in process and product.
Would rather be onlookers than actively involved in sports or outdoor activities.
Are often mysterious.
DOG PEOPLE
Are often the care-givers among friends and family.
Appearances do not have a high priority.
Tend to be outdoorsy.
Are often self-absorbed.
Give high importance to loyalty.
Are often team players.
Like talking about their accomplishments.
Often disregard rules.
And then there are the Equal Opportunity Pet Owners – those who have both dogs and cats or those who have had both, either simultaneously or individually. Here are the responses I got about this class of pet ownership:
Tend to be a bit schizoid.
Exhibit the best characteristics of each type of owner.
(and, predictably) Exhibit the worst characteristics of each type of owner.
I feel compelled to say that I do not agree with all of the above opinions. I should also point out that I am certainly not the first person to explore this subject. A search on the internet reveals many articles and research papers devoted to the differences and similarities of pet owners versus non-pet owners, male versus female pet owners, dog versus cat owners, and so forth. One person even claims that the only legitimate binary division of the human race can be made on the basis of cat vs. dog lovers! Who knew!?
Guess I fall into the schizoid catagory, Sydney, which figures. I’ve always had cats and since ’87 had a dog (that’s not counting the dogs I had as a child). Our latest cat is actually Gabriel’s and doesn’t cotton to anyone but him, although she’s starting to think that I’m not too bad because I feed her. You don’t own cats, they just let you live in their house AND they can cop an attitude and stop “speaking” to you for up to two weeks. Dogs, on the other hand, love you no matter what. What can I say, I love them both.